Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate

77.17% Average Bar Exam Pass Rate

A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Generally, earning a degree from a law school is a prerequisite for taking the bar exam.
In 2024, the average pass rate of bar exam is 77.17%. A total of 33,721 law school graduates have taken and 26,217 passed the bar exam.
Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School has the lowest bar exam pass rate of 37.25% - 76 graduates passed the exam out of 204. Florida A&M University College of Law and Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law follow it with 40.20% and 45.45% respectively.
Marquette Law is excluded for the ranking, which has 100% bar exam pass rate, but only 1 student took and passed the exam.

Top 25 Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate

The following table compares the top 25 Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate with important academic indicators.
The rankings include 10 public and 15 law schools are included.
The average acceptance rate of the schools is 54.00% and the yield is 34.61%. The acceptance rate of Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate is relatively high, compared to average rate of all law schools, 42.35%.
The average LSAT score submitted by enrolled students is 150 and the average GPA is 3.36 at Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate. Their LSAT scores are low, compared to average LSAT score of all law schools, 159.
For the Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate, the average 2024 tuition & fees is $19,404 state residents and $30,293 for out-of-state students in public law schools. In private law schools in the rankings, the tuition & fees is $46,891. The average financial aid amount of them is $15,746 which is 39.12% of tuition & fees.
You can sort the table by a column by clicking/touching the column title.
Comparison between Law Schools with the Lowest Bar Exam Pass Rate
RankSchoolBar Exam Pass RateExam TakerExam PasserAcceptance RateTuition & FeesLSAT ScoreEnrollment
1 Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law SchoolPrivateLansing, MI37.25%2047646.15%$46,240148472
2 Florida A&M University College of LawPublicOrlando, FL40.20%1024135.83%$33,076151347
3 Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of LawPrivateSan Juan, PR45.45%1436558.41%$14,510142681
4 David A. Clarke School of LawPublicWashington, DC47.92%482344.34%$25,873151248
5 California Western School of LawPrivateSan Diego, CA48.35%1828855.38%$62,550153625
6 Claude W. Pettit College of LawPrivateAda, OH50.94%532768.25%$35,250148196
7 University of Puerto Rico School of LawPublicSan Juan, PR51.43%1407242.35%$8,680148461
8 Willamette University College of LawPrivateSalem, OR52.69%934969.34%$53,994152348
9 Dwayne O. Andreas School of LawPrivateOrlando, FL52.76%1638655.63%$43,150149771
10 Southern University Law CenterPublicBaton Rouge, LA52.94%854553.46%$30,034147874
11 Widener Law CommonwealthPrivateHarrisburg, PA53.75%804365.00%$58,958148374
12 Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law CenterPrivateCentral Islip, NY55.35%1598850.49%$57,545151542
13 City University of New York School of LawPublicLong Island City, NY55.88%20411439.89%$29,042153674
14 North Carolina Central University School of LawPublicDurham, NC56.59%1297334.62%$39,042149430
15 Roger Williams University School of LawPrivateBristol, RI57.89%1719965.19%$48,064150516
16 St. Thomas University School of LawPrivateMiami Gardens, FL58.42%20211851.44%$46,200152739
17 Western State College of LawPrivateIrvine, CA58.49%533145.14%$49,848152332
18 University of Illinois Chicago School of LawPublicChicago, IL59.19%27216169.53%$39,708152990
19 University of Detroit Mercy School of LawPrivateDetroit, MI59.23%1307752.22%$47,654154619
20 Elon University School of LawPrivateGreensboro, NC59.35%1237345.93%$60,588153445
21 Oklahoma City University School of LawPrivateOklahoma City, OK59.38%1609565.40%$37,500149427
22 University of Massachusetts School of LawPublicNorth Dartmouth, MA59.43%1066367.27%$41,272150354
23 Northern Illinois University College of LawPublicDeKalb, IL59.55%895354.48%$23,553150317
24 University of North Dakota School of LawPublicGrand Forks, ND60.71%563462.01%$32,648150238
25 Duncan School of LawPrivateKnoxville, TN60.87%925652.17%$41,310151372