Refund of Fees Policy

Refunds shall be provided for the withdrawal of any of the following applications only as set forth in this policy:

  • Registration form
  • Application to Take the California Bar Examination
  • Application to Take the First-Year Law Students' Examination
  • Application for a Determination of Moral Character
  • Application for an extension of a Determination of Moral Character

The transfer of fees from one examination to another is prohibited. No portion of credit card processing fees shall be refunded.

Withdrawals

Application to take the California Bar Exam/First-Year Law Students' Exam

  • Requests for withdrawal of applications received within 30 days after the applicable deadline for timely filing, for both first-time and repeater applicants, will be honored with a 60 percent refund of application and late fees paid in conjunction with the subject exam.
  • Requests by first-time applicants for withdrawal of applications and refunds received within 45 days after the deadline for timely filing, will be honored with a 30 percent refund of application and late fees paid in conjunction with the subject exam. This deadline also applies to applicants who have previously taken an exam other than the most recent exam.  
  • Requests for withdrawal of applications received within 35 days after the deadline for timely filing, by applicants seeking to repeat the exam having been unsuccessful on the exam immediately preceding the exam for which this application was submitted, will be honored with a 30 percent refund of application and late fees paid in conjunction with the subject exam.
  • Stopping payment on a check, dishonoring a check, or disputing a credit card charge does not constitute withdrawing from an exam.
  • Only timely submitted withdrawals shall be considered for refunds.
  • Withdrawal requests must be submitted through the Applicant Portal.

Application for Determination of Moral Character

Withdrawal of Applications for Determination of Moral Character and requests for refunds received within 30 days of the online submission date, for online applications, or the received date, for paper form applications, will be honored with a 60 percent refund of application fees paid in conjunction with the Application for Determination of Moral Character. Any requests received after 30 days will not be eligible for a refund.

Registration/examination ineligibility

The registration form may be filed simultaneously with an application; however, the application and fees will be refunded if the registration is not approved within 10 days of receipt of the application. A registration will be deemed approved when the requisite fees, signature, properly executed declaration, and all required documentation verifying eligibility have been provided.
Applicants for registration found to be ineligible due to a lack of pre-legal education will qualify for a 100 percent refund of all fees paid in conjunction with registration. Registration is deemed abandoned if all required documentation and fees have not been received within 60 days of submittal. No refund is issued for an abandoned registration.

Attorneys' exam

Attorneys who apply to take the Attorneys’ Exam and are found to be ineligible due to a lack of the requisite qualifications will receive a 60 percent refund of application and late fees paid in conjunction with the exam if all required certificates of good standing are received by the Office of Admissions no later than the published deadlines for establishing eligibility. 

General Bar Exam

Applicants who apply to take the General Bar Exam and are found to be ineligible due to a lack of the requisite legal education will qualify for a 60 percent refund of qualifying fees paid in conjunction with the exam. All required documents (transcripts, legal evaluations, certificate of good standing, etc.) are to be received by the Office of Admissions no later than the published deadlines for establishing eligibility. 

First-Year Law Students’ Exam

Applicants for the First-Year Law Students' Exam who are found to be ineligible due to a lack of the requisite legal education will receive a 60 percent refund of qualifying fees paid in conjunction with the subject examination.

Death or physical incapacity

Refunds in the amount of 50 percent of all fees paid, excluding credit card processing fees, in conjunction with the subject exam shall be honored due to the death or serious illness or disabling injury of an applicant or their immediate family under the circumstances described below:
  • Death, serious illness, or disabling injury of a member of the applicant’s immediate family that occurred after submission of an application for the exam but before the exam is administered and which death, illness, or injury is certified on the Committee’s Request for Refund of Fees Form. Immediate family member includes only those family members for whom an employee may take family care and medical leave under the California Family Rights Act (Cal. Gov't Code §12945.2); and,
  • Applicant’s serious  illness or disabling injury  that occurred after submission of an application for the exam but before the exam is administered and which illness or injury or condition is certified on the refund form under penalty of perjury; and
  • Calamitous occurrences involving the applicant such as loss of freedom due to terrorist acts or disorientation due to fire, flood, or other severe disaster over which the applicant had no control and the existence of which had not terminated 30 days or less before the administration of the subject exam.

Official documentation must accompany any request for refund due to death, serious illness, or disabling injury. Official documentation consists of the following:

  • Serious illness of the applicant or his/her immediate family member: The request for refund must be accompanied by a letter from the treating physician on his/her official letterhead, which includes the doctor’s license number, that verifies the information provided on the request form, including the diagnosis, first onset, duration of illness and/or hospital stay, date of the last visit/evaluation.
  • Death of a member of the applicant’s immediate family: The request for refund must be accompanied by a copy of the death certificate.
  • Disabling injury of a member of the applicant’s immediate family: The request for refund must be accompanied by a letter from the treating physician on his/her official letterhead, which includes the doctor’s license number, that verifies the information provided on the requesting form, including the diagnosis, first onset, duration of illness and/or hospital stay, date of the last visit/evaluation.
  • Calamitous occurrence: The request must be verified by appropriate, relevant documentation, e.g., insurance claims, letter(s) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, etc.

Requests must be received no later than 90 days after the first day of the exam for which a refund is being requested.

Service in the armed forces

Refunds in the amount of 95 percent of all fees paid in conjunction with the subject exam will be made where either of the following prevents an applicant from preparing for or taking the First-Year Law Students’ Exam or the California Bar Exam. 
  • An unanticipated call to active duty in the armed forces; or
  • An unanticipated change in military orders.

Application abandonment

First-Year Law Students’ Exam and California Bar Exam applications not brought to a complete and filled status by the final filing deadline will be abandoned. This includes but is not limited to: applications not signed, (2) application declarations not received, (3) incomplete applications, and (4) approved registration not on file.

Applications with rejected/insufficient payments must be resolved within 14 days from notification of insufficient payment. If acceptable payment is not received, the application will be abandoned. 

First-Year Law Students’ Exam and California Bar Exam applications without eligibility determinations by the final eligibility deadline will be abandoned.

Moral character determination applications that are not brought to a complete status will be deemed incomplete and will be provided with an incomplete notice describing the deficiencies. The applicant will have 60 days from the date of notice to cure the deficiencies. If the applicant fails to cure the deficiencies, the application will be deemed abandoned.

No refund of fees will be paid in the event a registration or application is abandoned. If the registration or application has an outstanding balance at the time of the abandonment, the outstanding balance must be paid before any future registration or application is processed.

Net refund amount

If an applicant qualifies for a refund in accordance with this Refund of Fees Policy for a registration or application but has an outstanding balance due that outstanding balance shall be subtracted from the amount of the refund otherwise due.