St. Thomas College of Law falls out of compliance with ABA accreditation standard
The St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law has been found out of compliance with an ABA accreditation standard. (Photo courtesy of St. Thomas University)
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.
In a February notice, the council stated that the school was noncompliant with Standard 202(b), which requires ABA-accredited law schools to “maintain a budget reflecting anticipated financial resources and expenses for the current and subsequent three fiscal years.”
“We are working closely with the ABA to ensure full compliance and are confident in the positive direction we are heading,” wrote Tarlika Nunez-Navarro, the dean of the law school, to the ABA Journal. “We view this as an opportunity to build upon that momentum.”
Administrators of the law school must submit a report by Sept. 26, and the council will consider it at its November quarterly meeting. Law school officials are required to appear before the council at its February 2026 meeting.
The Miami Gardens, Florida, law school had a JD enrollment of 793 students in fall 2024. In July 2024, 83% of first-time test-takers from the law school passed the bar. Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is $43,470, according to the school’s latest Standard 509 Information Report.
On Saturday, the university released this statement: “St. Thomas University College of Law has been and remains a fully ABA-accredited institution. The title of the ABA Journal’s March 19, 2025, news post can easily be misconstrued and has the potential to cause irreparable harm to the College of Law’s reputation. Over the past few months, STU Law has worked closely with the ABA to resolve an issue stemming from meritless accusations. Throughout this process, St. Thomas University has dedicated significant resources to demonstrating to the ABA that these unsubstantiated allegations are baseless.
“In what appears to be a punitive rather than constructive move, the ABA has now declared STU College of Law out of compliance on a completely unrelated financial resources matter—one that, in fact, was deemed fully compliant during the college’s last reaccreditation in 2020. Somehow, the ABA has concluded that although no internal processes have changed and there have been no alterations to STU Law’s budgeting, what was reported and compliant in 2020 is now in breach. Nevertheless, we will continue to cooperate with the ABA to ensure that we remain in full compliance while maintaining the College of Law’s upward trajectory and record-breaking momentum.”
Updated March 22 at 2:30 p.m. to add the statement from the university.
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