ASU Law again No. 1 in state for bar passage

Photo of Beus Center for Law and Society

The Beus Center for Law and Society is home to ASU Law in downtown Phoenix.

By Julie Tenney |
November 10, 2020

For the eighth consecutive year, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University received the highest overall bar passage rate in Arizona, taking into account all first-time takers for the February and July Uniform Bar Exams, according to the July 2020 results released this month.

July results of the Arizona Bar Exam show ASU Law first-time test takers had a 90.1% passage rate, which is up from 88% last year. ASU Law’s results are also above the state’s overall first-time taker passage rate of 86.5% and better than the next highest bar passage score in Arizona, which was 84.1%. For overall bar passage rate, ASU Law exceeds the state and nearest law school average by 7.3% and 13.7% respectively.

“These results by our ASU Law students on the bar exam – especially during this time that is like no other – are truly amazing. I commend them on their tenacity and perseverance in attaining this very high mark – only the second time in at least the last 20 years they’ve earned a 90% or higher,” ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester said. “This is also a testament to our faculty and staff who work hard every day to not only give our students an exceptional law school experience, but help prepare them to be the next generation of top lawyers.”

This fall, ASU Law also welcomed its most highly credentialed and diverse class in its history, and ranks No. 24 among all law schools in the country and No. 7 among public law schools, according to U.S News & World Report.

Additionally, within 10 months of graduation, 89.1% of ASU Law’s class of 2019 graduates found employment in long-term, full-time positions where bar passage is required or a JD is preferred. This is significantly higher than the national employment average of 80%, according to data collected by the American Bar Association on the nation’s 200 ABA-accredited law schools.

The passage percentages are broken down by first-time test-takers and repeat test-takers, and ASU Law topped all other Arizona law schools — as well as test-takers from all other out-of-state schools accredited by the American Bar Association — in both categories.