Early and appropriate endoscopic examinations are of paramount importance for the definite diagnosis, disease activity assessment, treatment decisions, and therapeutic efficacy monitoring in ulcerative colitis (UC). Early endoscopic scoring systems for UC, such as the Mayo Endoscopic Subscore, Sutherland Index, and UC Endoscopic Severity Index (UCEIS), while convenient to apply, have broad evaluation criteria and inherent limitations. In recent years, with ongoing advancements in endoscopic technology and theory, endoscopic parameters have been progressively improving and refining. Novel endoscopic scoring systems like the Modified Mayo Endoscopic Score, UC Endoscopic Burden of Inflammation (DUBLIN), and the Toronto IBD Global Endoscopic Reporting Score (TIGER) offer a more precise and comprehensive assessment, suitable for accurate clinical evaluation. However, further research is needed to validate their accuracy and practicality. This review will introduce and analyze traditional and novel UC endoscopic scoring systems in chronological order of their development, while discussing their application advantages and limitations.