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.
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.
| Rank | School | Bar Exam Pass Rate | Exam Taker | Exam Passer | Acceptance Rate | Tuition & Fees (2024) | LSAT Score | Enrollment |
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| 1 |
David A. Clarke School of LawPublicWashington, DC | 33.85% | 65 | 22 | 50.29% | $25,873 | 150 | 221 |
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| 2 |
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of LawPrivatePonce, PR | 35.29% | 102 | 36 | 56.28% | $16,803 | 135 | 522 |
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| 3 |
Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law SchoolPrivateLansing, MI | 36.00% | 250 | 90 | 48.15% | $46,240 | 148 | 575 |
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| 4 |
North Carolina Central University School of LawPublicDurham, NC | 42.86% | 126 | 54 | 35.73% | $39,042 | 148 | 461 |
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| 5 |
Thurgood Marshall School of LawPublicHouston, TX | 44.51% | 173 | 77 | 38.17% | $29,497 | 151 | 554 |
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| 6 |
Golden Gate University-San Francisco School of LawPrivateSan Francisco, CA | 45.38% | 119 | 54 | 25.53% | $56,000 | 154 | 349 |
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| 7 |
Western State College of LawPrivateIrvine, CA | 46.67% | 45 | 21 | 44.61% | $49,848 | 151 | 290 |
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| 8 |
Roger Williams University School of LawPrivateBristol, RI | 47.41% | 135 | 64 | 67.27% | $46,464 | 150 | 553 |
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| 9 |
Widener Law CommonwealthPrivateHarrisburg, PA | 47.87% | 94 | 45 | 60.18% | $57,470 | 148 | 436 |
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| 10 |
Dwayne O. Andreas School of LawPrivateOrlando, FL | 49.40% | 166 | 82 | 53.81% | $43,150 | 149 | 767 |
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| 11 |
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of LawPrivateSan Juan, PR | 49.54% | 109 | 54 | 50.99% | $14,510 | 143 | 649 |
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| 12 |
Elon University School of LawPrivateGreensboro, NC | 51.20% | 125 | 64 | 44.03% | $58,256 | 152 | 438 |
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| 13 |
Appalachian School of LawPrivateGrundy, GA | 51.22% | 41 | 21 | 48.50% | $41,000 | 146 | 152 |
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| 14 |
Widener Law DelawarePrivateWilmington, DE | 51.65% | 182 | 94 | 65.69% | $57,470 | 150 | 668 |
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| 15 |
University of Illinois Chicago School of LawPublicChicago, IL | 52.27% | 264 | 138 | 66.44% | $39,708 | 152 | 1,014 |
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| 16 |
Southern Illinois University School of LawPublicCarbondale, IL | 53.42% | 73 | 39 | 56.71% | $21,555 | 150 | 252 |
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| 17 |
California Western School of LawPrivateSan Diego, CA | 53.49% | 215 | 115 | 49.26% | $60,430 | 153 | 739 |
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| 18 |
Florida A&M University College of LawPublicOrlando, FL | 53.57% | 140 | 75 | 35.48% | $48,618 | 150 | 362 |
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| 18 |
Vermont Law SchoolPrivateSouth Royalton, VT | 53.57% | 140 | 75 | 60.94% | $51,700 | 154 | 519 |
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| 20 |
University of Massachusetts School of LawPublicNorth Dartmouth, MA | 54.02% | 87 | 47 | 59.36% | $41,272 | 152 | 376 |
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| 21 |
Southern University Law CenterPublicBaton Rouge, LA | 55.24% | 105 | 58 | 59.71% | $30,034 | 146 | 938 |
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| 22 |
Shepard Broad Law CenterPrivateFort Lauderdale, FL | 55.42% | 166 | 92 | 33.41% | $47,539 | 153 | 760 |
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| 23 |
Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law CenterPrivateCentral Islip, NY | 56.44% | 163 | 92 | 51.40% | $57,545 | 150 | 570 |
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| 24 |
Oklahoma City University School of LawPrivateOklahoma City, OK | 57.34% | 143 | 82 | 61.92% | $37,500 | 148 | 462 |
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| 25 |
McGeorge School of LawPrivateSacramento, CA | 57.52% | 113 | 65 | 55.33% | $59,580 | 155 | 615 |
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