80% first time pass rate on July 2023 Massachusetts Bar Exam among best in state
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The Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners recently released the July 2023 bar exam results, which saw UMass Dartmouth's School of Law reach an 80% pass rate for first time test takers. The first time test taker pass rate is among the most important metrics demonstrating an institution's ability to prepare the next generation of legal professionals.
The Commonwealth's newest and only public law school ranks fifth in Massachusetts, finishing behind Harvard University, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern University.
"Once again, our Law students are showing the power of public higher education," said Chancellor Mark Fuller. "Their remarkable performance on the Massachusetts Bar Exam reflects their hard work and is a testament to the exceptional education our law faculty provide. These outstanding outcomes are part of what makes us the fastest-growing law school in New England, and as the only public law school in the state, we are proud to offer an unparalleled value proposition for students."
UMass Law is a national leader and innovator in bar support and academic success. Significant investment in programming and preparation for students taking the bar includes in-depth doctrinal lectures on heavily tested essay topics, multi-state bar exam (MBE) workshops, one-on-one support and accountability meetings, individual tutoring, additional essay review and critiques, on-campus exam simulations, access to live three-day intensive MBE immersion. In addition, UMass Law provides courses, workshops, mentoring, and individual meetings to improve law school study skills and exam success for all law students throughout their law school career.
"As the state's public law school, UMass Law provides a top-notch legal education without burdening our students, many of them first-generation law students, with unreasonable debt. Our performance on the Massachusetts bar exam is further evidence that our focus on excellence, accessibility, and opportunity in legal education is paying huge dividends for our students and for the individuals and communities they will serve as lawyers," said UMass Law Dean Samuel Panarella. "I am tremendously proud of our outstanding faculty and staff and our phenomenal students for this great accomplishment."
Because of UMass Law's commitment to its students, the school was ranked #2 in Massachusetts and #3 in New England in 2023 for practical legal training by preLaw Magazine. The success of UMass Law students earned it the #1 ranking for public service employment after graduation in New England and #7 in the entire U.S. by Reuters. As part of its mission, UMass Law is dedicated to public service, and since its founding in 2010, students have contributed more than 215,000 hours of pro bono legal services through five distinct community-focused law clinics.