Virginia February bar exam pass rate over 61%

Just over 61% of candidates who sat for February’s Virginia Bar Exam passed, according to data released April 25 by the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners.

One hundred thirty-eight candidates who took the exam on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center passed and are licensed Virginia attorneys as of April 25. An additional 37 candidates passed the exam but were placed on the “blue list” due to outstanding requirements for admission to the bar.

The collective pass rate of 61.11% is down almost five percentage points from last February’s 66.08% pass rate, which was the highest for a February exam in at least 25 years, according to statistics on the VBBE website.

Additionally, 67.86% of first-time test-takers passed the exam in February.

Despite the decline from last February, the 2025 exam marked the fourth consecutive year that the February bar exam saw a pass rate greater than 60%. Historically, the February bar exam saw passage rates ranging from 53% to 59% and typically lags about 10% behind the July bar exam, which normally sees more candidates and first-time test takers.

Appalachian School of Law, the College of William & Mary and Washington and Lee University had perfect pass rates for first-time test takers. Washington and Lee University led all Virginia law schools with an 81.82% overall pass rate. Liberty University and the University of Virginia were next on the list with a 75% overall pass rate.

The Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference will host an Admission & Orientations Ceremony for those who passed the February bar on June 4 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

The filing deadline for the upcoming July bar exam is May 12. The exam will be held at the Berglund Center in Roanoke on July 29 and July 30.