Regent University’s School of Law ranks 11th nationally for overperformance on the bar exam, according to The National Jurist magazine. These results are based on a five-year study of bar exam results (2015-19) that identifies law schools whose graduates surpass predicted outcomes on the bar exam.
“Regent Law is committed to preparing every student to pass the bar exam, and
this ranking affirms that what we are doing is working,” said Regent Law Dean
Mark Martin. “Our director of bar passage initiatives and entire faculty
have worked really hard to achieve this ranking, and I am very proud of their
work. It really shows that we are providing value to our students.”
Regent Law’s J.D. program focuses on developing excellent legal
analysis and legal writing skills, mastering black-letter law, and equipping
students with a Christian worldview and ethical-decision making framework. Starting
the first semester of law school, Regent Law students have access to bar prep
study aids through Regent’s relationship with Themis Bar Review, one of the leading bar
prep companies in the nation, and begin practicing actual bar exam questions. Additionally,
Regent Law requires that every student take the core classes tested on every
bar exam and a bar prep course during their fourth semester of law school. In
this class, students review the law on key subjects, practice applying the law,
and then take a mini bar exam that mimics the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). Students
also have the option of taking elective credits for additional bar exam
preparation and attending panels on passing the bar exam. And during bar prep,
each graduate is assigned a faculty mentor to encourage them while they study.
For the study on overperformance, predicted bar-passage rates were calculated
for 187 ABA-approved law schools, based on each school’s median undergraduate
GPAs and LSAT scores, plus other key metrics.* It then compared actual passage
rates to determine which schools exceeded expectations and those that
underperformed.
“Our six-semester bar-prep program is really working,” said Professor Benjamin
Madison, director of bar passage initiatives at Regent Law. “From day 1, we are
teaching our students the skills they need to pass the bar. And then halfway
through law school, all students must take a class that is solely dedicated to assessing
students’ knowledge and skills in core topics. In this way we can assess
whether the students are on track and also catch any that are falling behind before
it is too late.”
Other noteworthy accomplishments include the following: Regent Law ranked 20th
in the Nation for the Ultimate Bar Passage, 2019, and 95% of graduates of the
class of 2019 were employed within 10 months of graduation. Likewise, Regent
Law was ranked #5 in the Nation for Teaching Quality (Interesting Professors)
by Princeton Review – Best Law Schools, 2020. While these accolades are a
testament of the academic quality of Regent Law, the school is also distinctive
because of its commitment to first principles of law and to preparing practice-ready,
purpose-driven lawyers.
*According to The National Jurist (January/February 2021, p. 17) this study “used
four metrics to assess a law school’s performance for each of the five calendar
years: median LSAT and composite average first-time bar passage rate; median
GPA and composite average first-time bar passage rate; median LSAT and composite
average first-time time bar pass rate differential; and median UGPA and
composite average first-time bar pass rate differential. An average
annual rank was calculated based on the school’s performance during the
five-year period.”
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Regent Law’s more than 3,300 graduates practice law in 49 states and over 20 countries and include 38 currently sitting judges. The School of Law currently ranks 14th in the nation for obtaining judicial clerkships and ranked 20th in the nation for Ultimate Bar Passage in 2019. The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) in three-year and part-time formats, an online M.A. in Law, an online M.A. in Financial Planning & Law, an on-campus and online LL.M. in Human Rights and an on-campus and online LL.M. in American Legal Studies.
Founded in 1978, Regent University has more than 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in 135+ areas of study including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare and psychology. Regent University, ranked among top national universities (U.S. News & World Report, 2020), is one of only 23 universities nationally to receive an “A” rating for its comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum.