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State Bar Law School Study Highlights Gaps in Different Types of Schools’ Success

The State Bar of California’s first-ever comprehensive Law School Profile highlights the attrition, number of JD degrees awarded, and bar exam pass rates of California’s American Bar Association (ABA), California accredited (CALS), and unaccredited law schools by race/ethnicity and gender of the student body, exploring differences in outcomes for students. 

“We believe this study empowers the State Bar, law schools, and current and prospective law students to make better-informed, data-driven decisions,” said Leah Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “It points to several key policy considerations about the future of law school regulation, including an assessment of the true value of a legal education absent a likely prospect of bar exam passage.”

The study highlights the significant influence that ABA schools in California have on legal education and the future diversity of the profession. ABA law schools enroll nearly 70 percent of students, confer 87 percent of JD degrees, and have the highest bar exam pass rates.  

While ABA schools’ success rate is higher, they are also the costliest choice for students.  

Conversely, unaccredited law schools are the most affordable option for earning a JD and have higher overall racial/ethnic and gender diversity than ABA-approved schools and CALS. However, the report underscores substantial obstacles that students aiming to become licensed attorneys face if they attend an unaccredited law school, including high attrition, low pass rates on the First-Year Law Students' Exam, and low bar exam pass rates.  

The report’s performance data on unaccredited law schools raises questions about how unaccredited law schools serve their small student populations if the goal is for those students to become licensed attorneys.  

The report also identifies challenges students face at the CALS, including a 42 percent first-year attrition rate and bar exam pass rates significantly lower than those of ABA schools.  

In an appendix, the report highlights use of various retention strategies across the three types of law schools. To foster continuous improvement and excellence in legal training in California, the State Bar will regularly produce a law school performance report for CALS and unaccredited institutions, expanding the metrics based on feedback on this report.  

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.