ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, Notice of Finding of Significant Noncompliance With Standards 501(a) and 501(b) (May 31, 2023):

At its May 11-12, 2023, meeting, the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (the “Council”) considered the status of Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law (the “Law School”) and concluded that the Law School is not in compliance with Standards 501(a) ["A law school shall adopt, publish, and adhere to sound admission policies and practices consistent with the Standards, its mission, and the objectives of its program of legal education."] and 501(b) ["A law school shall only admit applicants who appear capable of satisfactorily completing its program of legal education and being admitted to the bar."].

In accordance with Rule 51(b)(7), the Managing Director shall provide public notification of the Council’s conclusions and decision concerning a law school’s significant noncompliance with one or more ABA Standards under Rule 11(a)(4). The Council considers any finding of noncompliance with Standard 501 to be such a finding. …

The Law School has been asked to submit a report by January 12, 2024, and to appear before the Council at its May 16-18, 2024, meeting. The Council will consider the written report at its February 22-24, 2024, meeting. If the information provided in the written report demonstrates compliance with the Standards listed above, then the Council will find the Law School to be in compliance with the Standards and cancel the hearing.

ABA Journal, 'Significant Noncompliance' in Admissions Standard for Pontifical Catholic Found by ABA Legal Ed Council:

Fernando Moreno Orama, the law school’s dean, told the ABA Journal that he is surprised by the decision. “In the past decade, our school has made great progress in all areas, including admissions and bar passage,” he told the Journal in an email.

According to its Standard 509 Information Report, the median LSAT score for full-time students at Pontifical Catholic is 137, and the median undergraduate grade-point average is 3.26. Its two-year bar passage rate, based on the class of 2020, is 72.63%.