Degrees Granted


Online law school conferring Juris Doctor (JD) and Executive Juris DoctorSM (EJD) degrees. Part-time programs serve working professionals, family caretakers, and others whose circumstances make attending a bricks-and-mortar law school difficult or impossible. Online curriculum accommodates a variety of learning styles, in particular adult learners.



Accreditation


Kaplan University, of which Concord is a part, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA.) Concord is also accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council since 2001. Concord is registered as a Distance Learning Law School with the State Bar of California and operates as an unapproved law school in California. JD graduates, who meet the other regulatory requirements, are eligible to sit for the California Bar Examination and be licensed to practice in the state.



Student Body


Enrollment

Approximately 1,500 JD students and EJD students

Demographics
Gender: 47 percent male, 50 percent female

Average age of students, early 40s; majority work during law school; at least 60 percent work full-time; students from all states and a number of foreign countries (4 percent live outside of the United States).

Ethnicity
Asian American, 9 percent
African American, 11 percent
Hispanic, 7 percent
White, 61 percent
Other, 1 percent
Multiple Racial, 3 percent

Prelegal education
40% of Concord students have graduate or professional degrees prior to enrollment. A bachelor's degree is required for admission.



Student Satisfaction


Only non-ABA approved school (or school not seeking ABA approval) to participate in the 2009 Law Student Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) operated by the Indiana University Survey Research Group. More than 80 law schools participated. Concord students report very high levels of engagement and satisfaction with content, process, rigor, and overall quality of the program. In many areas, Concord results equal to or better than results of the participating law school group. 



California Bar Examination Passage Data


As of the February 2009 bar exam, 265 Concord graduates have passed the California Bar Exam, 207 of them on their first attempt.  Concord's overall passage rate for the California Bar Exam is 51.5%.


 
Concord Statistics to Date
on the California Bar Exam
Total Takers
417
First-Time Passers
169
Repeat Passers
36
Ultimate Pass Rate
49.1%
 

Alumni


Concord graduates are working as attorneys in California; practicing immigration and patent law outside of California and in family mediation. Others have transitioned to new roles such as moving from engineer to general counsel for an engineering firm; growing and expanding their own businesses; and using their legal skills in the community such as a dentist using his legal training on a FEMA/DMORT unit helping with identification on disaster victims.

Tuition


Total for Concord JD four-year part-time program: $38,400; $9,600  plus $100 application fee is the annual tuition beginning with the June 2009 term.  (Tuition subject to change.) 

Comparative costs2:
California public schools, in-state tuition = $49,587 average tuition for JD degree.
California public schools, nonresident tuition = $85,139 average tuition for JD degree.
California private schools = $80,576 average tuition for JD degree.

Comparative costs do not include cost of attendance, a further cost advantage for the Concord program as students do not have to relocate and change or reduce employment.

1.Source: Law Student Survey of Student Engagement, spring 2007; response rate, 60 percent.
2.Source: ABA - LSAC, Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools.