Legal Education Statistics

A dozen ways that bar licensure could change in 2026

After a year marked by a disastrous attempt by California to launch its own bar exam and a call from the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform to change law licensure requirements, 2026 could deliver even more changes. The ABA Journal spoke with several bar exam experts; these are 12 of their predictions for 2026.

Dec 24, 2025 9:11 AM CST

ABA Legal Ed council appoints new committee to review accreditation standards

A special advisory committee charged with reviewing law school accreditations has been formed, including state supreme court justices and law school deans and professors, the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar announced Monday.

Dec 23, 2025 9:39 AM CST

Want to get into a top-tier law school? Prepare for a tough fight

Getting into a top-tier law school can be especially tough as acceptance rates go down and application rates go up.

Dec 19, 2025 11:02 AM CST

Law school diversity dips after Trump administration orders, new ABA study finds

In fall 2025, Black students accounted for 7.6% of incoming JD students, compared with 7.7% last year; while Hispanic students made up 13.9%, down from 14.2% in 2024, according to the annual report from the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 15, 2025 3:31 PM CST

Washington lowers bar pass score retroactively as NextGen set to debut in July

The Washington Supreme Court order stated that the state’s Uniform Bar Exam passing score, which had been set to 266 since July 2020, would be lowered to 260 on the advice of the state’s three law school deans.

Dec 10, 2025 10:46 AM CST

St. Thomas College of Law returns to compliance with ABA accreditation standards

The St. Thomas University College of Law in Florida is back in compliance with two accreditation standards and remains an approved law school, according to a memo by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 8, 2025 2:08 PM CST

These law schools have the best return on investment, analysis says

The University of Georgia School of Law has the best return on investments for law students, according to an analysis by legal jobs aggregator LawCrossing.

Dec 2, 2025 10:33 AM CST

NCBE offers scoring range on new bar exam, but some want more information

The National Conference of Bar Examiners released passing score recommendations for the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam set to debut next July, settling some open questions but raising others, sources say.

Nov 20, 2025 9:12 AM CST

ABA Legal Ed council will stand up new committee examining accreditation standards

The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar will take a deep look at its law school accreditation standards as it deferred a decision on the wording of a proposed nondiscrimination standard.

Nov 17, 2025 3:28 PM CST

Bar exam scores, pass rates trend upward

At the time of this post, 49 states and the District of Columbia had reported their scores—25 of those states and D.C. saw an increase in bar pass rates over last July.

Nov 10, 2025 2:52 PM CST

About 1 in 5 law students have a disability, new survey finds

A survey released this week from Indiana University found that among U.S. law students, about 20% reported that they have a disability of some kind—ranging from mental health conditions to physical disabilities—and often feel unsupported.

Nov 6, 2025 11:38 AM CST

Florida workgroup offers dozen alternatives to ABA law school accreditation

A workgroup created by the Florida Supreme Court has developed a dozen alternative methods for law school accreditation as the state considers options beyond the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, including requesting that the council become independent from the ABA.

Oct 30, 2025 11:33 AM CDT

Applying to law school? The competition is steep

Applying to law school? Warning: It’s going to be even more competitive than last year. As of Thursday afternoon, the number of applicants is up 32% compared to this time last year, while applications are up 27.8%, according to the Law School Admission Council’s volume summary data.

Oct 16, 2025 1:40 PM CDT

ABA law school accreditation should end, Texas justices say

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday tentatively approved minimizing or possibly eliminating the role of the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in accrediting the state’s law schools, moving those powers to the court itself.

Sep 29, 2025 3:50 PM CDT

July Multistate Bar Exam scores continue upward trend

July 2025’s Multistate Bar Exam mean score hit 142.4, about a 0.6-point jump over a year earlier and one of the highest recorded in 12 years, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Aug 28, 2025 1:34 PM CDT