Law Schools with the Lowest 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 2023, the average pass rate of bar exam is 75.49%. A total of 33,721 law school graduates have taken and 26,217 passed the bar exam.
David A. Clarke School of Law has the lowest bar exam pass rate of 33.85% - 22 graduates passed the exam out of 65. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law and Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School follow it with 35.29% and 36.00% respectively.
The following table lists the top 25 law schools having the lowest bar exam pass rate. You can sort the table by a column by clicking/touching the column title.
RankSchoolBar Exam Pass RateExam TakerExam PasserAcceptance RateTuition & Fees (2024)LSAT ScoreEnrollment
1 David A. Clarke School of LawPublicWashington, DC33.85%652250.29%$25,873150221
2 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of LawPrivatePonce, PR35.29%1023656.28%$16,803135522
3 Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law SchoolPrivateLansing, MI36.00%2509048.15%$46,240148575
4 North Carolina Central University School of LawPublicDurham, NC42.86%1265435.73%$39,042148461
5 Thurgood Marshall School of LawPublicHouston, TX44.51%1737738.17%$29,497151554
6 Golden Gate University-San Francisco School of LawPrivateSan Francisco, CA45.38%1195425.53%$56,000154349
7 Western State College of LawPrivateIrvine, CA46.67%452144.61%$49,848151290
8 Roger Williams University School of LawPrivateBristol, RI47.41%1356467.27%$46,464150553
9 Widener Law CommonwealthPrivateHarrisburg, PA47.87%944560.18%$57,470148436
10 Dwayne O. Andreas School of LawPrivateOrlando, FL49.40%1668253.81%$43,150149767
11 Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of LawPrivateSan Juan, PR49.54%1095450.99%$14,510143649
12 Elon University School of LawPrivateGreensboro, NC51.20%1256444.03%$58,256152438
13 Appalachian School of LawPrivateGrundy, GA51.22%412148.50%$41,000146152
14 Widener Law DelawarePrivateWilmington, DE51.65%1829465.69%$57,470150668
15 University of Illinois Chicago School of LawPublicChicago, IL52.27%26413866.44%$39,7081521,014
16 Southern Illinois University School of LawPublicCarbondale, IL53.42%733956.71%$21,555150252
17 California Western School of LawPrivateSan Diego, CA53.49%21511549.26%$60,430153739
18 Florida A&M University College of LawPublicOrlando, FL53.57%1407535.48%$48,618150362
18 Vermont Law SchoolPrivateSouth Royalton, VT53.57%1407560.94%$51,700154519
20 University of Massachusetts School of LawPublicNorth Dartmouth, MA54.02%874759.36%$41,272152376
21 Southern University Law CenterPublicBaton Rouge, LA55.24%1055859.71%$30,034146938
22 Shepard Broad Law CenterPrivateFort Lauderdale, FL55.42%1669233.41%$47,539153760
23 Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law CenterPrivateCentral Islip, NY56.44%1639251.40%$57,545150570
24 Oklahoma City University School of LawPrivateOklahoma City, OK57.34%1438261.92%$37,500148462
25 McGeorge School of LawPrivateSacramento, CA57.52%1136555.33%$59,580155615