ASU Law again No. 1 in state for bar passage

For the sixth consecutive year, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University leads in average score for bar passage in Arizona, according to the July 2019 results released Oct. 25. ASU Law graduates also received the second and third highest scores on the exam.

Results of the Arizona Bar Exam show ASU Law first-time test takers had an 88% passage rate, which is up 9% from last year. This is well above the state’s overall first-time taker passage rate of 78% and more than 20% higher than the next highest bar passage score in Arizona.

ASU Law graduate Claire Eichmann had the second highest score on the exam followed by Trevor Kortsen with the third highest score. Both graduated in May 2019.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and their recent success on the bar. Year after year, we are more impressed by the caliber of students who want to attend ASU Law and it shows in the exam results,” ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester said. “Additionally, our renowned faculty provide the highest quality of instruction to ensure that our students graduate with the knowledge and experience needed to succeed as they pursue a career in law.”

This fall, ASU Law also welcomed its most highly credentialed class in its history and ranks No. 27 among all law schools in the country and No. 9 among public law schools, according to U.S News & World Report.

ASU Law graduate Claire Eichmann (at left) had the second highest score on the Arizona Bar Exam followed by Trevor Kortsen with the third highest score.

Additionally, ASU Law is ranked No. 24 in the nation for employment by the American Bar Association and has been ranked in the top 25 for the past five consecutive years. Within nine months of graduation, 89% of ASU Law's Class of 2018 graduates found employment in long-term, full-time positions where bar passage is required or a Juris Doctor (JD) is preferred. The national employment average is 75%, according to data collected by the American Bar Association on the nation’s 201 ABA-accredited law schools.

ASU Law has led the state in bar-passage percentage and average score on the summer exam every year since 2014 while posting one of the nation’s highest bar-exam differentials, which compares a school’s bar-passage rate to the overall rate in its state.

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.

The state bar exam is administered biannually, every February and July, although a majority of students take the summer test.