There are accredited and unaccredited law schools in the US but it’s best you apply for schools that are ABA accredited. In this blog post, we have curated a list of ABA accredited law schools in California to help you find the best one to apply for.
California is home to some of the best higher institutions in the US and in the world. Some of these prestigious institutions include UC Berkeley, UCLA, California Institute of Technology, and Stanford University which is one of the Ivy League schools. These institutions are consistently ranked among the world’s best and are known for offering world-class degree programs.
Among these many programs, one of the most popular in California is law. Students from other parts of the US and from other countries strive to get into one of the law schools in California because of how prestigious the law education in the state is and also because of the accreditation behind it.
Law schools in the US are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), a widely recognized legal association that every successful lawyer in the United States has passed through. According to Princeton Review, ABA accreditation is a rigorous process that lasts a minimum of three years. The process is meant to insure a level of national uniformity in legal education and practice.
If you attend a law school accredited by the ABA, you will be eligible to take the bar exam in any state. Yes, there are law schools that are not ABA-approved and if you attend such a law school most states will not let you sit for the bar. Also, graduating from an ABA-accredited law school gives you a competitive edge in the workforce over those who did not graduate from a law school approved by ABA.
In this article, you will find out about the ABA accredited law schools in California for those who wish to pursue a career in law. There are also other options outside of the US to pursue a prestigious law degree. There are world-class law schools in the UK and Singapore that are approved by the accreditation bodies in the countries.
Having said that, let’s dive into the main topic.
ABA Accredited Law Schools In California
There are 199 ABA-approved law schools in the US but this blog post only extensively discusses the ones in California. Let’s get started.
- Stanford Law School
- USC Gould School of Law
- UC Davis School of Law
- Caruso School of Law
- UC Berkeley School of Law
- San Joaquin College of Law
- Loyola Law School
- California Western School of Law
- McGeorge School of Law
- Fowler School of Law
1. Stanford Law School
From its name, you must have already known that this is the law school of Stanford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world and its law school also shares in this prestige. The US News & World Report has consistently ranked Stanford Law School among the top best in the United States and most recently, it got ranked at the 2nd position.
Of course, Stanford Law School is ABA-approved, else why would it be on this list? The Bar pass rate is 98.25% and it is a highly competitive law school with an acceptance rate of just 6% making it one of the law schools in the country with the lowest acceptance rate. Academic programs are offered in full-time and part-time study formats for students to go for the one that suits them best.
2. USC Gould School of Law
USC Gould School of Law is another ABA-accredited school in LA, California. It is actually the law school of the University of Southern California. It is a private law school and admits about 780 students to various law programs annually. Depending on the program that you apply for, you can graduate with a JD, LL.M., and MCL law degree.
You can study your program in part-time or full-time mode or even online. The Bar pass rate of USC Gould School of Law is 86% and the total cost of attendance is up to $82,000 per year covering tuition, fees, and living cost.
3. UC Davis School of Law
This is the law school of the University of California, Davis. This is a prestigious law school that prides itself as the best among public law schools in California. UC Davis Law School only offers degrees leading to Juris Doctor (JD) and LL.M. with areas of study in business law, international law, public interest law, criminal law and procedure, intellectual property law, and others.
The college also offers certification programs and a Pro Bono program. International students are welcome to apply to UC Davis Law School.
4. Caruso School of Law
Caruso School of Law is the law school of Pepperdine University and one of the ABA accredited law schools in California. This college offers quality academic programs leading to JD, Master of Laws, Master of Dispute Resolution, and Master of Legal Studies. There are also other certificate programs, joint degrees, continuing legal education, and online programs offered by the college.
Pepperdine University is a Christian school and its law school also follows this same part. If you are seeking a Christian faith-based law school to earn a world-class law degree, you may want to put the Caruso School of Law at the top of your list.
5. UC Berkeley School of Law
Berkeley Law, as it is commonly referred to, is an ABA-approved law school within the University of California Berkeley responsible for educating and training students in the legal field. The school contributes to producing highly-qualified lawyers in the nation.
UC Berkeley School of Law offers JD, LLM, JSD, joint degrees, and other individual courses. The academic programs are tailored to fit students so that even if you are employed, it can still be possible for you to earn a law degree in an easy and stress-free way. The college has a Bar pass rate of 95.5% and the tuition is over $40,000 per year.
6. San Joaquin College of Law
This is a private law school in Clovis, California approved by the American Bar Association. It was founded in the late 1960s by a group of judges and attorneys which makes the college a strong legal foundation. To be considered for admission into the college, candidates must have strong analytical and communication skills and must have incorporated writing, philosophy, and research courses into their pre-law curriculum.
Even after checking all these boxes, there are also other factors that influence admission decisions such as GPA, LSAT score, outstanding academic performance in undergraduate study, community service, and graduate education. The Bar pass rate of San Joaquin College of Law is 53%.
7. Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is one of the ABA-approved law schools in Los Angeles, California where you can either pursue your degree in a part-time or full-time format depending on the one that suits you best. The college offers a Master of Law (LLM) degree, hybrid JD program, and JD programs as well as other online degree and joint degree programs.
8. California Western School of Law
This is a private law school situated in San Diego, California approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and also a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Annually, the school enrolls about 800 students altogether in all of its degree programs which are the JD degree, LLM, and other dual degrees.
International students are accepted into these programs and about 84% of students receive financial aid to support their law studies.
9. McGeorge School of Law
McGeorge School of Law is the law school of the University of the Pacific. It is a private law school established in 1924 and located in Sacramento, California. The school is ABA approved therefore follows the standard curriculum of legal education in the country and allows students to take the bar exam in any state. The Bar pass rate is 86%.
Degree programs offered by McGeorge lead to JD, LLM, MPA, MPP, and the Doctor of Juridical Sciences. Students can complete their program in either the full-time or part-time format. The tuition at McGeorge School of Law ranges between $43,000 to $57,000 per year.
10. Fowler School of Law
Last but not least is the Fowler School of law, the law school of Chapman University. This is a law school that has since received accreditation from the ABA and strives to train high-quality and disciplined lawyers. The law school is a private non-profit type located in Orange, California. The school offers degrees in criminal law, taxation, international law, etc. leading to JD and LLM degrees.
Programs are offered in part-time and full-time formats to make learning flexible for all students even the working ones. The bar pass rate of Fowler School of Law is 81%.
These are some of the ABA accredited law schools in California and from this list, you can find one that suits you best just in case you want to apply. And with that, this article is concluded. See the recommendation below to find other helpful guides and other articles on our blog.