TaxProf Blog

Law School Rankings: Bar Passage

May 24, 2026

Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education

Following up on my previous posts:

Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage Rate (May 10, 2026)
Law School Rankings: Ultimate Bar Passage Rate (May 17, 2026)

This post ranks law schools based on the combined First-Time Bar Passage and Ultimate Bar Passage for the most recent data, using the weighting in the current U.S. News methodology: First-Time Bar Passage Rate (Class of 2025): 18%, and Ultimate Bar Passage Rate (Class of 2023): 7%:

School	First-Time Bar Passage Rank 18%	2-Year Ultimate Bar Passage Rank 7%	Overall Bar Passage Rank
Stanford	1	1	1
Belmont	2	13	2
SMU	3	40	3
Yale	5	1	4
Duke	4	11	5
Harvard	6	20	6
Chicago	9	6	7
Texas	8	14	8
BYU	11	1	9
Alabama	10	11	10
UCLA	7	51	11
Texas A&M	13	8	12
Texas Tech	12	36	13
NYU	16	22	14
Vanderbilt	17	21	15
Boston College	18	18	16
Ohio State	15	57	17
Virginia	25	1	18
Michigan	22	9	19
UC-Berkeley	20	43	20
USC	28	15	21
Pittsburgh	19	50	22
North Carolina	23	33	23
Kansas	31	16	24
Illinois	27	31	25
Boston University	24	48	26
Baylor	30	29	27
Penn	32	18	28
Minnesota	26	55	29
Utah	34	17	30
Arizona State	21	77	31
Washington & Lee	33	26	32
Campbell	29	49	33
Oklahoma	37	25	34
Columbia	40	10	35
Georgetown	36	69	36
William & Mary	39	35	37
UC-Davis	35	90	38
Florida	38	65	39
Cornell	43	23	40
Univ. of Wash.	41	46	41
Northwestern	45	27	42
Wisconsin	52	1	43
Florida State	44	83	44
Iowa	42	114	45
Richmond	47	65	46
Villanova	49	45	47
Regent	46	106	48
Pepperdine	53	47	49
Seton Hall	48	94	50

School	First-Time Bar Passage Rank	2-Year Ultimate Bar Passage Rank	Overall Bar Passage Rank
Samford	51	73	51
Temple	58	44	52
Duquesne	50	93	53
Catholic	56	79	54
Notre Dame	61	24	55
Wake Forest	60	40	56
Colorado	55	91	57
Maine	59	71	58
South Carolina	54	101	59
Georgia	63	30	60
UC-Irvine	62	51	61
Dayton	67	31	62
Florida Int’l	68	38	63
Northeastern	64	82	64
Washington Univ.	69	59	65
Fordham	73	60	66
St. Thomas (FL)	57	154	67
Georgia State	70	102	68
Penn State	72	97	69
Lewis & Clark	66	144	70
UNLV	71	137	71
St. Louis	77	63	72
Stetson	75	108	73
Emory	79	54	74
Miami	74	120	75
San Diego	82	39	76
Louisiana State	83	37	77
Cincinnati	80	70	78
Mercer	76	121	79
George Wash.	87	34	80
Puerto Rico	65	178	81
Nebraska	84	62	82
Loyola-Chicago	86	56	83
Univ. of Arizona	85	64	84
Tennessee	81	99	85
UC Law SF	91	53	86
George Mason	94	42	87
Connecticut	78	139	88
Liberty	88	107	89
Wyoming	89	103	90
Louisville	90	108	91
Cardozo	97	88	92
South Texas	98	74	93
Indiana (Maurer)	99	84	94
St. John’s	100	79	95
Gonzaga	92	129	96
Drexel	96	113	97
SUNY-Buffalo	93	130	98
American	95	116	99
Missouri-Col.	106	81	100
Albany	102	119	101
Houston	107	85	102
St. Mary’s	104	105	103
Syracuse	108	78	104
NY Law School	103	132	105
Maryland	101	158	106
St. Thomas (MN)	110	68	107
DePaul	105	152	108
Denver	113	58	109
Montana	112	75	110
Brooklyn	109	125	111
Arkansas-Fay.	115	75	112
Oregon	119	92	113
Rutgers	111	162	114
Mississippi Col.	114	160	115
Santa Clara	116	147	116
Chapman	127	61	117
San Francisco	124	100	118
Chicago-Kent	126	85	119
Michigan State	118	151	120
Missouri-KC	125	124	121
Ind-McKinney	121	150	122
Drake	140	28	123
Arkansas-LR	120	155	124
Toledo	128	111	125
Quinnipiac	123	149	126
Kentucky	117	167	127
Loyola-L.A.	135	87	128
Suffolk	132	117	129
North Texas	134	110	130
Hawaii	133	126	131
West Virginia	129	146	132
Western State	122	176	133
Seattle	137	122	134
Case Western	138	133	135
Wayne State	139	148	136
N. Kentucky	144	96	137
Ave Maria	131	174	138
Lincoln Memorial	130	180	139
Mississippi	141	152	140
Charleston	142	134	141
Widener (DE)	143	140	142
New Mexico	136	177	143
Howard	150	88	144
Hofstra	149	112	145
New Hampshire	147	135	146
Tulane	152	98	147
Nova	145	156	148
Capital	154	67	149
Oklahoma City	146	159	150
North Dakota	153	138	151
Cleveland State	156	136	152
Detroit Mercy	151	187	153
Memphis	159	123	154
Florida A&M	148	192	155
New England	160	95	156
Southern Illinois	158	161	157
Idaho	155	181	158
Baltimore	157	168	159
Washburn	161	141	160
Southwestern	166	104	161
Tulsa	163	145	162
Akron	165	142	163
Creighton	162	157	164
Elon	174	72	165
Loyola-NO	164	171	166
Pacific	170	131	167
South Dakota	171	118	168
Cal-Western	169	163	169
Mitchell \| Hamline	167	170	170
Vermont	168	182	171
Western NE	173	166	172
Faulkner	179	143	173
Willamette	177	165	174
Widener (PA)	172	188	175
Illinois-Chicago	176	185	176
Inter-Am. (PR)	175	189	177
CUNY	181	164	178
Roger Williams	180	186	179
J. Marshall (GA)	183	128	180
Touro	182	172	181
Southern	178	194	182
Pace	184	175	183
Texas Southern	185	127	184
Northern Illinois	186	173	185
Massachusetts	187	184	186
Barry	188	190	187
NC Central	189	179	188
Pon. Cat. (PR)	190	169	189
Appalachian	193	115	190
Ohio Northern	191	183	191
DC	192	191	192
Cooley	194	193	193

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About the Author

Paul Caron was named Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine University School of Law on June 1, 2017. Dean Caron joined the Pepperdine faculty in 2013 after serving as the Dorothy and Leonard Straus Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law in the spring semesters of 2010 through 2013. He served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at Pepperdine in 2015-2017. Before coming to Pepperdine, he was Associate Dean of Faculty and Charles Hartsock Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

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