Withdrawing Your Bar Exam Application

Withdrawing your application means you have already submitted your application for the current bar exam administration and have elected to no longer take the bar exam to which you originally applied. Colorado does not consider withdrawing your application in a timely and prudent manner a character and fitness issue.

If you fail to withdraw your application and do not appear for the bar exam to which you applied, your application will be marked as a No-Show. Depending on the circumstances, a No-Show designation could be information provided to the Character and Fitness Committee or be reported to other jurisdictions you may apply to in the future.

Withdrawal Requirements:

You must withdraw in writing by using the Messaging Center within your online application account. The February and July bar exams are always held the last Tuesday and Wednesday of the month.

Deadlines and Subsequent Exam Administration Fee Reduction:

FEBRUARY Bar Exam Withdrawal Deadline

Requests to withdraw must be submitted to our Office by the end of day (11:59 p.m. Mountain time) on the first Tuesday of February. Requests received after the deadline will not be processed. Those who did not timely withdraw their application are expected to appear for the exam. If you do not show up, you will be marked as a no-show. No-Show applications do not qualify an applicant for a fee reduction.

Reduced Filing Fee

Applications that are properly withdrawn by the deadline stated in the above paragraph will receive a reduced exam application fee of $510 for the next exam if the application for the next exam is timely filed; late fees still apply if the applicant reapplies for the next exam by the late filing deadline. The fee reduction is only applicable to the subsequent July bar exam administration. You will not receive a reduced reapplication fee if you do not apply for the subsequent bar exam – i.e., skipping an exam administration. If you skip an exam administration, you will be assessed the current full exam fee upon your next application.

JULY Bar Exam Withdrawal Deadline

Requests to withdraw must be submitted to our Office by the end of day (11:59 p.m. Mountain time) on the first Tuesday of July. Requests received after the deadline will not be processed. Those who did not timely withdraw their application are expected to appear for the exam. If you do not show up, you will be marked as a no-show. No-Show applications do not qualify an applicant for a fee reduction.

Reduced Filing Fee

Applications that are properly withdrawn by the deadline stated in the above paragraph will receive a reduced exam application fee of $510 for the next exam if the application for the next exam is timely filed; late fees still apply if the applicant reapplies for the next exam by the late filing deadline. The fee reduction is only applicable to the subsequent February bar exam administration. You will not receive a reduced reapplication fee if you do not apply for the subsequent bar exam – i.e., skipping an exam administration. If you skip an exam administration, you will be assessed the current full exam fee upon your next application.

Follow these steps to withdraw your application:

1. You must timely notify the Office of Attorney Admissions of your intention to withdraw in writing by using the online application Messaging Center. You MUST state in your message that you are withdrawing from the current bar exam – e.g., “I am withdrawing from the February 2025 Colorado Bar Exam.” Messages that do not affirmatively state your intent to withdraw will not be considered proper notice. Phone calls, voicemails, emails, etc. are not considered proper notice.
2. Your message will be reviewed by your assigned Licensure Analyst. They will respond, confirming your request to withdraw your application has been processed. If your notice is insufficient or untimely, your Licensure Analyst will contact you via the online application Messaging Center.
3. Once you have withdrawn your exam application, you will no longer be allowed to sit for the bar exam for which you applied. Applications cannot be transferred to a later exam – you must reapply for a subsequent exam administration if you wish to sit for the bar exam. The reapplication process generally is not as demanding as the initial application but still requires certain updated information.

Request a fee override for a subsequent bar administration by completing the following steps:

1. Log into your application account.
2. Click the “Click here to Reapply” button.
3. Send a communication using the Messaging Center, located at the top of your Candidate Home Page, requesting a fee override. This is a manual process; our office must receive notice from you regarding your intent to reapply so the fee override can be entered.
4. Allow approximately two business days for the override to be processed by our staff. You will receive a communication in the Messaging Center stating the override fee request has been completed.
5. Select the application type (Exam) and the applicable Exam Date immediately following the exam administration from which you withdrew.
6. Review and update your Profile.
7. Review and update your Employment history.
8. Review and update your Residential history.
9. Review and update your answers to the Character and Fitness Questions.
10. Upload the following newly executed documents (all must be dated no more than 30 days prior to application submission date).
    • Fingerprint Requirement Form,
    • Authorization and Release,
    • Statement of Verification,
    • Photo, and
    • Question Form for any an affirmative or additional responses to the Character and Fitness questions.
11. Click the “Submit” button to timely submit and pay the reduced filing fee of $510.
12. Your application will be considered submitted upon payment and you will receive confirmation of submission via email.

* PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE FILING DEADLINE DATE to begin your application and request the fee override. In the event an override is not requested in sufficient time for staff to process your request, you will be assessed the full fee, possible additional late filing fee, and/or miss the deadline altogether.

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