Aspiring lawyers in California will soon feel the financial pinch as the cost to sit the California bar exam increases by a significant 26 percent. Starting from the February administration of the bar exam, candidates will now have to pay $1,003 for the exam and laptop fee, a surge from the previous cost of $830. The character and fitness fee will also see an increase of 32 percent, bringing it to $725. Above The Law reported.
When you consider that legal students have typically already spent approximately $150,000 in their journey to becoming an attorney, the additional hundreds of dollars may seem minor in perspective yet significant for those on a tighter budget.
The increases, as reported by Reuters, are introduced in order to address an expected budget deficit. With the last admission fee increase happening in 2016, Bar leaders have explained that these surges are necessary to cover the growing costs of its attorney admissions work. It is anticipated that the bar’s admissions fund would face nearly an $8 million deficit in 2024 if not for these newly adopted fee increases. The overall budget of the State Bar is close to $270 million.
Besides the fee hike, candidates will also notice a new challenge as the state bar is also tightening the noose around exam accessibility. They have approved the removal of testing sites in significant cities such as San Diego, Sacramento, and Oakland. This move was made to save an additional $550,000.
These fresh increases are expected to generate an additional $7.4 million annually for the state bar.