FSU bar exam scores rise to second best in state; FAMU falls to lowest rate in state

Florida State University College of Law graduates who took the summer Florida bar exam for the first-time in July passed at the second highest rate in the state, moving up from the third highest in the year prior.

Florida A&M University College of Law – which is based in Orlando – graduates who took the exam for the first time passed at the lowest rate in the state, moving down from the third lowest last year.

At a passing rate of 83.4%, 121 of 145 FSU College of Law graduates are one step closer to joining the Florida Bar. The college only scored lower than Florida International University College of Law, which had 113 of 124 graduates pass at a rate of 91.1%.

Behind FSU is Stetson University College of Law and University of Florida College of Law, whose passage rates were both 80.6 %, University of Miami School of Law at 79.6% and Ave Maria School of Law at 71.7 %.

On last July’s exam, 137 of 183 FSU College of Law graduates passed a rate of 74.9%, the third best in the state. The school trailed UF and FIU graduates, who scored 78.7 and 81.2% , respectively.

For the February bar exam, which is typically taken at significantly lower rates compared to its summer counterpart, 10 of 15 FSU graduates passed: 66.7%.

“Our primary goal is preparing students for successful careers, and providing them with the support needed to pass the bar exam is a large part of that goal,” FSU College of Law Dean Erin O'Hara O'Connor said. “We are pleased to be one of the top law schools in the state in terms of passage rate on the July 2023 exam, but moving forward, we are determined to keep improving the support we provide.”

At the FAMU College of Law, 25 of 60 test-takers passed (41.7%), making the school the lowest-performing law school in the state on the bar exam. The passage rate is about 10 points lower than last July’s result of 52.6%, where 50 of 95 graduates were successful. For that test, FAMU had the third lowest passing rate in the state.

Tied for the second and third lowest passing rates this year were Cooley Law School (Riverview, Florida) and Florida Coastal School of Law, whose graduates passed at a rate of 50%. Florida Coastal had only four graduates sititng for the exam.

Ahead of those schools were Barry University School of Law and St. Thomas University College of Law, which passed at a rate of 57.6% and 59.8%, respectively.

For the February test, FAMU College of Law tied Ave Maria School of Law for the third lowest performing in Florida with a passage rate of 40%. That percentage dropped from February 2022 when 56% of graduates passed the bar.

Over the years, Florida A&M University has invested heavily in financial resources for the College of Law, hoping to graduate students who are prepared to pass the bar exam on the first try.

“The success of our students on the bar exam is the college’s top priority.” FAMU College of Law Dean and law professor Deidré Keller said. “We are proud of every graduate who passed this exam. 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.

We continue to implement a comprehensive plan to improve the college’s bar performance as part of a series of initiatives intended to fortify our entire legal education program.”

Benny Taubman is editor of the FSView student newspaper, which serves Florida State University's campus.

This article originally appeared on FSU News: FSU bar exam scores rise to second best in state; FAMU falls to worst