New Hampshire law school found noncompliant with ABA accreditation standard
The front entrance of the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law in Concord, New Hampshire, in October 2021. (Photo by Ken_Gallager, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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.
The notice, posted on the council’s website, states that the school was noncompliant with Standard 202(a), a core standard, stating, “current and anticipated financial resources available to the law school shall be sufficient for it to operate in compliance with the Standards and to carry out its program of legal education.”
“We look forward to providing the ABA with additional information that we believe will address the matter,” wrote Megan Carpenter, the dean of the law school, to the ABA Journal.
She noted that “enrollment is at an all-time high, and our student outcomes are excellent.”
The Concord, New Hampshire-based law school had a JD enrollment of 657 in fall 2024, according to the school’s latest Standard 509 Information Report, and 81.29% of its first-time bar takers passed the bar in 2024. Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is $41,000 for residents and $49,000 for those from out of state.
The law school’s administrators must submit a report by June 27, which will be considered at the council’s August meeting, according to the notice. If the information provided doesn’t show compliance with Standard 202(a), administrators must appear at the council’s November meeting.
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