Accreditation & Standards

Pontifical Catholic law school back in compliance, ABA council finds

The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law is back in compliance with ABA standards, according to a May 2025 memo posted by the ABA council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Jun 5, 2025 3:38 PM CDT

Political climate motivates prelaw students to apply, new Kaplan survey shows

More than half of students who were preparing to go to law school said politics impacted their decision to apply, according to a survey from test prep company Kaplan released Thursday.

May 15, 2025 8:48 AM CDT

Should law schools have more hands-on learning requirements?

Law students will need to get twice as much practical, hands-on experience before graduation if a proposal by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions moves forward.

May 12, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

Elections, economy and social issues inspire 22.9% jump in law school applications

Applications to ABA-accredited law schools are up 22.9% compared to last year, and the rise can be attributed to the 2024 elections, an unstable economy and a focus on social issues, experts say.

May 8, 2025 4:10 PM CDT

Continued suspension of diversity standard suggested by ABA Legal Ed committee

The suspension of ABA accreditation Standard 206, originally titled “Diversity and Inclusion,” should be extended until Aug. 31, 2026, according to a May 2 memo from the standards committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

May 5, 2025 1:49 PM CDT

More 2024 law grads find jobs than in 2023, new ABA data shows

For the third year in a row, law school graduates in 2024 were more likely to find jobs than their peers who graduated a year earlier, according to data released Wednesday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 24, 2025 12:57 PM CDT

After Texas chief justice criticizes ABA, state supreme court reconsiders ABA accreditation for law schools

The Texas Supreme Court is inviting comments on a requirement that law grads seeking bar admission in the state must have graduated from a law school accredited by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 8, 2025 3:54 PM CDT

Harvard Law, Duke University fall out of top 5 in latest US News law school rankings

Stanford Law School and Yale Law School tied for first place in rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, the same spot that they occupied in last year’s list.

Apr 8, 2025 9:13 AM CDT

New Hampshire law school found noncompliant with ABA accreditation standard

The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has found the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law not compliant with an ABA accreditation standard focused on financial resources.

Mar 25, 2025 2:56 PM CDT

St. Thomas College of Law falls out of compliance with ABA accreditation standard

Updated: The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has found the St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law out of compliance with an ABA accreditation standard focused on sufficiency of financial resources and also denied its application to create a part-time hybrid-distance JD program.

Mar 19, 2025 2:53 PM CDT

DEI standard prompts Florida to reconsider ABA accreditation

Citing the ongoing controversy over diversity and inclusion in law school admissions, the Florida Supreme Court has created a workgroup to both reconsider its requirement that law students graduate from an ABA-accredited school to sit for the Florida bar exam and develop options for alternatives.

Mar 13, 2025 3:55 PM CDT

More first-time bar candidates passed exam in 2024, new ABA data shows

The percentage of successful first-time bar exam takers in 2024 increased more than 3 percentage points from a year earlier, according to data released Wednesday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Mar 12, 2025 2:25 PM CDT

Texas commits to NextGen bar exam starting in 2028, NCBE says

Texas will begin administering the NextGen bar exam starting in July 2028, joining 36 of the 56 jurisdictions that test bar candidates, according to a March 11 press release from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Mar 11, 2025 2:29 PM CDT

Trump order blocks public service loan forgiveness for employees of ‘activist organizations’

Employees of “activist organizations” that support activities with a “substantial illegal purpose” should no longer be eligible for a student loan forgiveness program for borrowers in public service jobs, according to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday.

Mar 10, 2025 11:18 AM CDT

ABA Legal Ed council suspended diversity standard; AG Bondi wants it scrapped

A move last month by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to suspend the accreditation standard originally titled “Diversity and Inclusion” doesn’t go far enough, according to a Feb. 28 letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who wants the council to abolish it “immediately” or risk the right to accredit law schools.

Mar 6, 2025 1:32 PM CST