There are three types of law schools in California: law schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA-approved), those accredited by the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners (California-accredited law schools, or CALS), and unaccredited law schools that are not accredited by any regulatory agency but are registered with the State Bar of California as required by state law.
Law schools in California approved by the ABA
The following schools are accredited by the American Bar Association and by such approval are deemed accredited by the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners.
Law schools in California accredited by the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners
The following schools are accredited by the State Bar of California through its Committee of Bar Examiners. Accredited law schools may teach in fixed-facility classrooms, online, or in a combination of these methods. Please contact the law school to confirm their teaching modality. All accredited law schools must maintain a Minimum, Five-Year Cumulative Bar Passage Rate (MPR) of 40 percent or more. See the Cumulative Pass Rate Statistics of California-Accredited Law Schools report.
The lists below are published for informational purposes only. Please refer to the Unaccredited Law School Rules for the requirements for registration as:
Neither the committee nor the State Bar’s Office of Admissions will advise prospective students on the advantages or disadvantages of studying law through correspondence, distance-learning, or fixed-facility law schools or the quality of the legal education programs provided by the listed schools.
Prospective students should refer to available resources such as the law school pass/fail statistics on the bar exam and First-Year Law Students’ Exam, current and former students, pre-legal advisors located on college or university campuses and other career counselors, among others.
Applicants seeking admission to practice law in California will receive credit for their law study at a registered unaccredited law school only if such study is completed in accordance with the Admissions Rules and California Business and Professions Code 6060.
Students attending registered unaccredited law schools are required to take the First-Year Law Students’ Examination after successfully completing their first year of law school. They must pass this exam within three administrations of becoming eligible to take it in order to continue their law study and claim credit for their law study taken up to the point of passing the exam. If they do not pass within that time frame, they will be dismissed from the law school. If they pass the exam on a subsequent attempt, only one year of law study credit will be recognized toward meeting the legal education requirements needed to qualify to take the California Bar Exam.
Registered unaccredited correspondence law schools
The following institutions are currently registered by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as unaccredited correspondence law schools. A correspondence law school is a law school that conducts instruction principally by correspondence. A correspondence law school must require at least 864 hours of preparation and study per year for four years.
American Institute of Law
18411 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 416 Torrance, CA 90504
Registered unaccredited distance-learning law schools in California
The following institutions are currently registered by the State Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners as unaccredited distance-learning law schools. A distance-learning law school is a law school that conducts instruction and provides interactive classes principally online. A distance-learning law school must require at least 864 hours of preparation and study per year for four years.
*This law school is not accepting new students.
Abraham Lincoln University School of Law
500 North Brand Blvd, Office 12 Glendale, CA 91203
Registered unaccredited fixed-facility law schools in California
The following institutions are currently registered by the State Bar's Committee of Bar Examiners as unaccredited fixed-facility law schools. A fixed-facility law school is a law school that conducts its instruction principally in physical classroom facilities. A fixed-facility law school must require classroom attendance of its students for a minimum of 270 hours per year for four years. Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, some of these law schools are operating under a waiver to teach some or all of their classes via synchronous online delivery. Contact the law school to confirm their teaching modality during this time.
