This information can be found in the Student Handbook.
Character and Fitness
All states require that a person be of good moral character and fitness in order to be eligible for admission to the bar. Among the areas of concern for most bar examiners are existence of a criminal record, disciplinary or honor code violations, dishonesty, financial irresponsibility, and untreated mental illness or substance abuse.
The Law School Application
The first step to becoming a licensed attorney is to review your law school application. Candor on your application is an indicator of your character and fitness to practice law. The Texas Board of Law Examiners and other state bar licensing authorities will review your law school application to determine whether you disclosed all criminal charges or convictions, disciplinary actions, academic suspensions, or other matters pertaining to your character and fitness to practice law. Concealing past mistakes is often worse than the conduct itself. When in doubt, disclose.
False, misleading, or incomplete answers on your application may also be a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and grounds for sanctions ranging from a letter of reprimand to revocation of admission, If you determine there is a need to amend your application to reflect an incident that occurred prior to admission, you must amend your application. There is also a continuing duty through graduation to amend your application to disclose any new violations of the law, other than a minor traffic offense, that occur while you are in law school. For further information on timely amending your application, see the Student Code of Conduct section of the Student Handbook.
Declaration of Intent to Study Law
A law student wishing to apply for admission to the Texas Bar must file a Declaration of Intention to Study Law (“Declaration”) with the Texas Board of Law Examiners (“BLE”). The timely deadline for first-semester TAMU law students to file the Declaration is October 1. The BLE may accept late submissions in accordance with its rules. The Declaration form and submission deadlines may be found on the Texas Board of Law Examiners' website.
After the Declaration is filed, the BLE will conduct an extensive background investigation into the character and fitness of the applicant. Any information that is discovered during the course of this investigation that reflects adversely upon your character or fitness to practice may be treated as cause for further investigation, resulting in delay or denial of your admission.
Texas Bar Examination
TAMU law students who are applying to take the Texas Bar Examination for the first time need to complete an In-State Student Application. The timely deadline for filing the application for the February Bar Examination is September 1. The deadline for the July Bar is February 1. The BLE may accept late applications with an additional fee. Application forms and rules may be found on the Texas Board of Law Examiners' website. Students who have completed 86 credit hours of law school study are eligible to take the Texas bar examination but may not be sworn in until completion of all degree requirements.
The Texas Bar Examination is given over two days and is administered by the BLE. An overview of the structure of the examination and the subjects tested is included in Planning Your Course of Study.
Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
Students are required to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) before they are licensed in Texas and most other states. The test is given three times each year in March, August, and November. The MPRE may be taken during law school or after graduation. Applications for the exam are available at https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/.
Bar Admission in Other States
Students should contact the board of bar examiners or admissions committee in the state in which they intend to practice. The National Conference of Bar Examiners publishes a Bar Admission Guide with information on bar admission requirements in all U.S. jurisdictions.