Two-year ultimate bar passage: every U.S. law school, ranked

Across the 194 ABA-accredited U.S. law schools that report two-year ultimate bar passage, the median is 92.8%. Values span from 100% at University of Wisconsin School of Law to 0% at Marquette University School of Law, drawn from the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure cycle (trend data 2018–2026).

Schools reporting 194
Median 92.8%
25th–75th 88.025% – 96.2%
Range 0% – 100%

Distribution across 194 schools · median marked

Definition

What it is: Share of graduates who passed the bar within two years of graduating (the ABA 'ultimate' measure, which counts retakes).
Reported by: The American Bar Association, in each school’s annual Standard 509 Required Disclosure.
Unit: Percent

How to read it

The two-year rate counts retakes and is almost always higher than first-time; a wide gap between the two flags first-attempt struggles.

Every school, ranked

#	Law school	State	Two-year ultimate bar passage
1	Yale Law School	Connecticut	100%
2	Stanford Law School	California	100%
3	University of Virginia School of Law	Virginia	100%
4	Brigham Young University School of Law	Utah	100%
5	University of Wisconsin School of Law	Wisconsin	100%
6	University of Chicago Law School	Illinois	99.5%
7	Texas A&M University School of Law	Texas	99.4%
8	Columbia Law School	New York	99.3%
9	University of Michigan Law School	Michigan	99.3%
10	Duke University School of Law	North Carolina	99.2%
11	University of Alabama School of Law	Alabama	99.2%
12	Belmont University School of Law	Tennessee	99.1%
13	University of Texas School of Law	Texas	98.9%
14	University of Southern California School of Law	California	98.9%
15	University of Kansas School of Law	Kansas	98.9%
16	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Pennsylvania	98.8%
17	Boston College School of Law	Massachusetts	98.8%
18	University of Utah School of Law	Utah	98.8%
19	Harvard Law School	Massachusetts	98.7%
20	Vanderbilt Law School	Tennessee	98.5%
21	New York University School of Law	New York	98.4%
22	Cornell Law School	New York	98.2%
23	University of Notre Dame School of Law	Indiana	98.2%
24	University of Oklahoma School of Law	Oklahoma	98.2%
25	Northwestern Pritzker School of Law	Illinois	98.1%
26	Washington and Lee University School of Law	Virginia	98.1%
27	Drake University School of Law	Iowa	98.1%
28	Baylor University School of Law	Texas	97.9%
29	University of Georgia School of Law	Georgia	97.6%
30	University of North Carolina School of Law	North Carolina	97.3%
31	University of Illinois School of Law	Illinois	97.3%
32	University of Dayton School of Law	Ohio	97.3%
33	The George Washington University School of Law	District of Columbia	97.2%
34	William & Mary School of Law	Virginia	97.2%
35	Texas Tech University School of Law	Texas	97.1%
36	Louisiana State University School of Law	Louisiana	97%
37	University of San Diego School of Law	California	96.8%
38	Florida International University School of Law	Florida	96.8%
39	George Mason University School of Law	Virginia	96.7%
40	Southern Methodist University School of Law	Texas	96.7%
41	Wake Forest University School of Law	North Carolina	96.7%
42	UC Berkeley School of Law	California	96.6%
43	Temple University School of Law	Pennsylvania	96.6%
44	Villanova University School of Law	Pennsylvania	96.5%
45	University of Washington School of Law	Washington	96.4%
46	Boston University School of Law	Massachusetts	96.3%
47	Pepperdine University School of Law	California	96.3%
48	UCLA School of Law	California	96.2%
49	University of California-Irvine School of Law	California	96.2%
50	University of Pittsburgh School of Law	Pennsylvania	96.2%
51	Campbell University School of Law	North Carolina	96.2%
52	University of Minnesota School of Law	Minnesota	96.1%
53	Emory University School of Law	Georgia	96.1%
54	University of California-San Francisco School of Law	California	96.1%
55	Loyola University-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	96.1%
56	Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law	Missouri	96%
57	The Ohio State University School of Law	Ohio	96%
58	University of Denver School of Law	Colorado	96%
59	Fordham University School of Law	New York	95.8%
60	Chapman University School of Law	California	95.8%
61	University of Nebraska School of Law	Nebraska	95.7%
62	Saint Louis University School of Law	Missouri	95.5%
63	University of Arizona School of Law	Arizona	95.4%
64	University of Florida School of Law	Florida	95.2%
65	University of Richmond School of Law	Virginia	95.2%
66	Capital University Law School	Ohio	95.2%
67	Georgetown University Law Center	District of Columbia	95.1%
68	University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) School of Law	Minnesota	95.1%
69	University of Cincinnati School of Law	Ohio	95%
70	University of Maine School of Law	Maine	95%
71	Elon University School of Law	North Carolina	94.9%
72	Samford University School of Law	Alabama	94.8%
73	South Texas College of Law Houston	Texas	94.8%
74	University of Arkansas School of Law	Arkansas	94.7%
75	University of Montana School of Law	Montana	94.7%
76	Arizona State University School of Law	Arizona	94.5%
77	St. John's University School of Law	New York	94.3%
78	The Catholic University of America School of Law	District of Columbia	94.3%
79	Syracuse University School of Law	New York	94.3%
80	Northeastern University School of Law	Massachusetts	94.1%
81	University of Missouri School of Law	Missouri	94.1%
82	Florida State University School of Law	Florida	93.9%
83	Cardozo, Yeshiva University School of Law	New York	93.8%
84	Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law	Indiana	93.8%
85	University of Houston School of Law	Texas	93.8%
86	Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law	California	93.8%
87	Chicago-Kent, Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law	Illinois	93.8%
88	Howard University School of Law	District of Columbia	93.8%
89	University of California-Davis School of Law	California	93.7%
90	University of Colorado School of Law	Colorado	93.4%
91	University of Oregon School of Law	Oregon	93.3%
92	Duquesne University School of Law	Pennsylvania	93.3%
93	Seton Hall University School of Law	New Jersey	93.2%
94	New England Law/Boston	Massachusetts	93%
95	Penn State Dickinson Law	Pennsylvania	92.9%
96	Northern Kentucky University School of Law	Kentucky	92.9%
97	University of Tennessee School of Law	Tennessee	92.8%
98	University of South Carolina School of Law	South Carolina	92.8%
99	Tulane University School of Law	Louisiana	92.8%
100	University of San Francisco School of Law	California	92.8%
101	Georgia State University School of Law	Georgia	92.7%
102	Southwestern Law School	California	92.5%
103	University of Wyoming School of Law	Wyoming	92.5%
104	St. Mary's University School of Law	Texas	92.4%
105	Regent University School of Law	Virginia	92.3%
106	Stetson University School of Law	Florida	92.2%
107	University of Louisville School of Law	Kentucky	92.2%
108	Liberty University School of Law	Virginia	92.2%
109	University of North Texas at Dallas School of Law	Texas	92.1%
110	University of Toledo School of Law	Ohio	92.1%
111	Hofstra University School of Law	New York	91.9%
112	Drexel University School of Law	Pennsylvania	91.8%
113	University of Iowa School of Law	Iowa	91.5%
114	American University School of Law	District of Columbia	91.5%
115	Appalachian School of Law	Virginia	91.5%
116	Suffolk University School of Law	Massachusetts	91.4%
117	Albany Law School	New York	91.2%
118	University of South Dakota School of Law	South Dakota	91.2%
119	University of Miami School of Law	Florida	91%
120	Mercer University School of Law	Georgia	90.9%
121	Seattle University School of Law	Washington	90.7%
122	Brooklyn Law School	New York	90.6%
123	University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law	Missouri	90.6%
124	University of Memphis School of Law	Tennessee	90.6%
125	University of Hawaii School of Law	Hawaii	90.4%
126	Texas Southern University School of Law	Texas	90.1%
127	Atlanta's John Marshall Law School	Georgia	90%
128	Gonzaga University School of Law	Washington	89.8%
129	University at Buffalo School of Law	New York	89.7%
130	University of the Pacific School of Law	California	89.7%
131	Case Western Reserve University School of Law	Ohio	89.6%
132	New York Law School	New York	89.6%
133	Charleston School of Law	South Carolina	89.5%
134	University of Connecticut School of Law	Connecticut	89.3%
135	Cleveland State University School of Law	Ohio	89.3%
136	University of North Dakota School of Law	North Dakota	89.3%
137	University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Law	Nevada	89.2%
138	Widener University Delaware Law School	Pennsylvania	89.2%
139	Washburn University School of Law	Kansas	89%
140	University of Akron School of Law	Ohio	89%
141	Faulkner University School of Law	Alabama	88.9%
142	University of New Hampshire School of Law	New Hampshire	88.6%
143	Lewis & Clark Law School	Oregon	88.5%
144	University of Tulsa School of Law	Oklahoma	88.2%
145	West Virginia University School of Law	West Virginia	88.1%
146	Santa Clara University School of Law	California	88%
147	Wayne State University School of Law	Michigan	87.6%
148	Quinnipiac University School of Law	Connecticut	87.5%
149	Indiana University-Indianapolis School of Law	Indiana	87%
150	Michigan State University School of Law	Michigan	86.9%
151	DePaul University School of Law	Illinois	86.7%
152	University of Mississippi School of Law	Mississippi	86.7%
153	St. Thomas University (Miami) School of Law	Florida	86.6%
154	University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law	Arkansas	86.5%
155	Nova Southeastern University School of Law	Florida	86.4%
156	Creighton University School of Law	Nebraska	86.4%
157	University of Maryland School of Law	Maryland	86.3%
158	Oklahoma City University School of Law	Oklahoma	85.9%
159	Mississippi College School of Law	Mississippi	85.6%
160	Rutgers University School of Law	New Jersey	85.1%
161	Southern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	85.1%
162	California Western School of Law	California	84.8%
163	City University of New York School of Law	New York	84.5%
164	University of Kentucky School of Law	Kentucky	83.5%
165	Western New England University School of Law	Massachusetts	83.5%
166	University of Baltimore School of Law	Maryland	83.4%
167	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	83.3%
168	Willamette University School of Law	Oregon	83.2%
169	Mitchell/Hamline School of Law	Minnesota	83.1%
170	Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law	Louisiana	82.9%
171	Touro University School of Law	New York	82.8%
172	Northern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	82.6%
173	Ave Maria School of Law	Florida	82.4%
174	Pace University School of Law	New York	82.3%
175	Western State, Westcliff University School of Law	California	82.1%
176	University of New Mexico School of Law	New Mexico	82%
177	University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	81.3%
178	North Carolina Central University School of Law	North Carolina	81.3%
179	Lincoln Memorial University School of Law	Tennessee	81.2%
180	University of Idaho School of Law	Idaho	79.7%
181	Vermont Law School	Vermont	79.4%
182	Ohio Northern University School of Law	Ohio	79.2%
183	University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth School of Law	Massachusetts	78.7%
184	University of Illinois-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	78.6%
185	Roger Williams University School of Law	Rhode Island	78.3%
186	University of Detroit Mercy School of Law	Michigan	76.9%
187	Widener University Commonwealth Law School	Pennsylvania	76.3%
188	Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	74.2%
189	University of District of Columbia School of Law	District of Columbia	73.5%
190	Barry University School of Law	Florida	73.5%
191	Florida A&M University School of Law	Florida	72.5%
192	Cooley Law School	Michigan	68.5%
193	Southern University School of Law	Louisiana	59.5%
194	Marquette University School of Law	Wisconsin	0%

At the extremes

Top: Yale Law School (100%) · Stanford Law School (100%) · University of Virginia School of Law (100%) · Brigham Young University School of Law (100%) · University of Wisconsin School of Law (100%)

Bottom: Barry University School of Law (73.5%) · Florida A&M University School of Law (72.5%) · Cooley Law School (68.5%) · Southern University School of Law (59.5%) · Marquette University School of Law (0%)

FAQ

What is two-year ultimate bar passage?

Share of graduates who passed the bar within two years of graduating (the ABA 'ultimate' measure, which counts retakes).

What is the median two-year ultimate bar passage across U.S. law schools?

92.8%, across the 194 ABA-accredited schools that report it in the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle.

Which law school has the highest two-year ultimate bar passage?

University of Wisconsin School of Law, at 100%.

What counts as a strong two-year ultimate bar passage?

Schools above the median of 92.8% are above average; the top tenth begins around 98.47%.

How should I read two-year ultimate bar passage?