Cooley Law School found noncompliant with ABA accreditation standard
The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has found Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School to be not compliant with law school accreditation standards.
At issue is Cooley Law’s compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within a two-year time period, according to the council’s posted notice.
Schools found to be below that standard can dispute the data. If the data is accurate, schools have two years to demonstrate that they have returned to compliance, and they can receive an extension of the two-year period by demonstrating good cause, according to 2019 guidance.
Dean James McGrath told the ABA Journal in an email that he “was surprised” by the probation after telling the council at their August 2025 meeting that “79.2% of Cooley’s 2024 graduates who have taken a bar examination have passed,” and those numbers could increase after results from the Florida bar exam are released.
“While we cannot predict the future, Cooley is confident that when the nationwide results of the July 2025 bar examination are known, Cooley will be able to definitively prove compliance with Standard 316,” he added. “Our program is solid, and our improved bar exam results are just one metric to prove it.”
Cooley Law officials will make their case regarding improvements in bar pass rates before the council at its February 2026 meeting, according to the notice.
The Lansing, Michigan-based law school had 420 law students enrolled in fall 2024. According to the latest figures reported to the ABA, 57.47% of 2022 graduates students passed the bar after two years.
A separate and independent entity from the ABA, the council is recognized by the Department of Education as the sole accrediting body for U.S. law schools.
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