FSU, FAMU law school's bar exam results show decreased scores in first-time passage rates
After test-takers across the state who hope to become lawyers recently took the Florida Bar exam in February, results show that Florida State University and Florida A&M University’s Colleges of Law passing scores took a plunge compared to last year.
Besides FAMU and FSU, other law schools across the state with lower passage rates in this year's February exam are from Stetson University, the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, Ave Maria and Barry University.
While 78.9% of FSU’s graduates passed after taking the exam for the first time in February 2022, the percentage dropped to 66.7% of the law school's students passing this year during their first time, according to the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
FSU College of Law's passage rate ranked highest in the state in students' first-time passing scores for the February bar exam in 2022.
With the 15 graduates who took the exam in February and 10 of them passing, the rate puts the university in third place following Florida International University College of Law’s passage rate of 72.2% and the University of Florida College of Law’s rate of 70.8%.
Related news: FSU Law has top passing rate for February Florida bar exam; FAMU Law improves
Besides the February exam, the tests taken over the summer in July reveal the results of first-time test takers as well, where FSU’s passage rate in July 2022 was 74.9% with 137 out of 187 test-takers passing.
“It is concerning that the state bar passage rate is down, but because the February bar exam is usually taken by a much smaller group of recent grads than the July exam, February passage rates tend to fluctuate widely,” FSU College of Law Dean O'Hara O'Connor said. “With that said, preparing our students to pass the bar exam is a top priority, and we are always looking for creative ways to improve their chances of passing in the future.”
At FAMU’s College of Law, the passage rate went from 56% in February 2022 to 40% this year, which shows the continuation of its struggle when it comes to having high first-time passing scores compared to the other law schools in Florida.
The percentage gives FAMU's law school a next-to-last-place ranking, tied with Ave Maria School of Law. The school in Florida with the lowest passage rate was Florida Coastal School of Law after 33.3% of its first-time test takers passed. The school closed in 2021.
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Out of the 20 students from FAMU’s College of Law who took the bar exam this year, 8 of them passed — less than half — compared to 14 out of 25 who passed last year in February.
In July 2022, 50 out of 95 test takers passed the bar exam, giving FAMU’s law school a passage rate of 52.6% that summer.
“We are proud of every graduate who passed this exam following an unusually tough law school experience that included remote learning because of COVID,” FAMU College of Law Dean and law professor Deidré Keller said. “The College remains committed to supporting every graduate to success on the bar and in the profession. We will work closely with our repeat takers to ensure that they, too, succeed.”
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Graduates who will have to retake the test were encouraged to connect with Interim director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation Eurilynne Williams for resources that could help them succeed on the bar exam the next time they take it, according to Keller.
In addition, FAMU’s College of Law hosted an Oath of Admission Ceremony Wednesday evening to celebrate the individuals who passed the exam, where the event featured judges from the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Here are how the state's 12 law schools ranked this February when considering each of their first-time test-taker passage rates, along with the percentages they received in February of last year:
Accredited Law Schools | Passage Rate(February 2023) | Passage Rate(February 2022) |
|---|---|---|
Florida International University College of Law | 72.2% | 70.8% |
University of Florida College of Law | 70.8% | 64.7% |
Florida State University College of Law | 66.7% | 78.9% |
Stetson University College of Law | 48.1% | 77.8% |
University of Miami School of Law | 46.2% | 60.5% |
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School | 43.6% | N/A |
St. Thomas University College of Law | 41.7% | 29.4% |
Nova Southeastern University College of Law | 40.7% | 42.1% |
Ave Maria School of Law | 40.0% | 66.7% |
Florida A&M University College of Law | 40.0% | 56.0% |
Barry University School of Law | 39.3% | 45.5% |
Florida Coastal School of Law | 33.3% | 28.6% |
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU, FAMU law school's bar exam results show decreased scores
