As the results of the July 2023 bar exam are soon to be released, attention turns to law schools that have been “overperforming” in terms of their graduates’ ultimate bar passage rates. This information comes from a recent paper highlighting several law schools exceeding expectations.
Professor Jeffrey S. Kinsler, of Belmont University College of Law, methodically analyzed data to identify schools that consistently surpass expected ultimate bar passage rates. Using Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores and undergraduate grade point averages (UGPA), Kinsler calculated a predicted bar passage rate for each school. Linear regression models were then used to evaluate the performance of these institutes, leading to the ranking of 186 law schools.
These efforts delineate schools that overperform (or underperform) relative to predicted expectations for bar passage. This process was conducted annually for each law school based on performance over a three-year period from 2017 to 2019.
The top 20 law schools that have overperformed on ultimate bar exam rates, according to Kinsler’s findings, are as follows:
- Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
- Liberty University School of Law
- Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law
- Belmont University College of Law
- Samford University Cumberland School of Law
- Georgia State University College of Law
- Saint Louis University School of Law
- Syracuse University College of Law
- South Texas College of Law Houston
- University of Oklahoma College of Law
- Florida International University College of Law
- Seton Hall University School of Law
- Northern Illinois University College of Law
- Texas A&M University School of Law
- City University of New York School of Law
- Willamette University College of Law
- University of South Carolina School of Law
- Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University
- University of Kansas School of Law
- Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
As Kinsler noted in his study, it is possible to identify the law schools that add the most bar passage value to their students, displaying a different perspective on schools’ performance over a five-year period from 2014 to 2019. This approach led to certain institutions performing vastly different in comparison to other studies, such as Professor Christopher J. Ryan Jr. and Professor Derek T. Muller’s work focusing on the same area.
For instance, in Kinsler’s report, Florida International ranked No. 11, comparing to No. 1 in Ryan and Muller’s study; Belmont was No. 4, in contrast to Ryan and Muller’s No. 6 ranking.
While this information serves as a valuable insight for law schools and their students, it should also serve as a congratulatory note for those who find their alma mater on the list and a source of comfort as they await the release of the bar results.
For a more detailed breakdown of Kinsler’s findings, refer to the full report on Law.com.