Passing
the
bar
exam
is
the
ultimate
rite
of
passage
for
would-be
attorneys,
but
for
one
law
school,
bar
exam
passage
rates
continue
to
serve
as
an
albatross,
and
the
American
Bar
Association
has
finally
decided
to
do
something
about
it.
Longtime
Above
the
Law
readers
will
recall
the
trials
and
tribulations
Cooley
Law
School
has
had
with
its
bar
exam
passage
rates,
and
now,
he
ABA
has
officially
placed
the
school
on
probation
over
its
bar
exam
woes.
Specifically,
the
ABA
Section
of
Legal
Education
and
Admissions
to
the
Bar
found
that
the
school
was
out
of
compliance
with
Standard
316,
which
requires
a
passage
rate
of
at
least
75%
within
a
two-year
timeframe.
It
seems
that
Cooley
has
been
out
of
compliance
since
2020,
and
the
ABA
found
that
the
school
failed
to
take
appropriate
action.
In
its
probation
notice,
the
ABA
notes
that
Cooley’s
noncompliance
is
“sufficiently
serious
that
it
raises
concerns
about
the
quality
of
the
student
learning
experience
provided
by
the
Law
School.”
Cooley
Law
was
first
found
to
be
out
of
compliance
with
the
bar
passage
rate
standard
five
years
ago,
and
was
given
two
years
to
make
things
right.
Law.com
has
the
details
on
what
happened
next:
In
2022,
the
council
determined
the
school
was
still
out
of
compliance
and
granted
a
good-cause
extension
of
up
to
three
years.The
extension
required
the
law
school
to
submit
a
plan
to
come
into
and
remain
in
compliance
and
“make
the
significant
financial
investment
it
has
pledged
to
implement”
in
its
plan,
according
to
the
notice.During
its
August
meeting,
however,
the
council
found
Cooley
had
not
made
the
required
improvements.
The
council
of
the
ABA
Section
of
Legal
Education
and
Admissions
to
the
Bar
has
found
Western
Michigan
University’s
Thomas
M.
Cooley
Law
School
to
be
not
compliant
with
law
school
accreditation
standards.
From
2018
to
2022,
Cooley
Law’s
bar
passage
rates
have
ranged
from
62.3%
to
57.4%,
with
2022’s
passage
rate
being
the
lowest
among
all
ABA-accredited
law
schools.
Dean
James
McGrath
told
the
ABA
Journal
he
was
“surprised”
that
the
school
had
been
placed
on
probation.
“While
we
cannot
predict
the
future,
Cooley
is
confident
that
when
the
nationwide
results
of
the
July
2025
bar
examination
are
known,
Cooley
will
be
able
to
definitively
prove
compliance
with
Standard
316,”
he
said.
“Our
program
is
solid,
and
our
improved
bar
exam
results
are
just
one
metric
to
prove
it.”
Cooley
Law
will
make
its
case
before
the
ABA
in
February
2026
—
and
hopefully,
this
is
a
test
the
school
is
able
to
pass.
Cooley
Law
School
found
noncompliant
with
ABA
accreditation
standard
[ABA
Journal]
ABA
Places
Cooley
Law
School
on
Probation
Over
Low
Bar
Pass
Rates
[Law.com]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
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