Degrees Granted
Online law school conferring Juris Doctor (JD) and Executive Juris Doctor (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 separately and specifically 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 1,200 JD students and EJD students
Demographics
Gender: 48 percent male, 49 percent female (3 percent of survey respondents did not identify)
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, 8 percent
African American, 18 percent
Hispanic, 4 percent Mexican or Mexican American, 2 percent
White, 54 percent
Other, 3 percent
Multiracial, 4 percent
Prelegal education
Approximately 35-40% 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 in US (or school not seeking ABA approval) to participate in the 2011 Law Student Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) operated by the Indiana University Survey Research Group. More than 90 law schools participated. Concord students report 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 2011 bar exam, 343 Concord graduates have passed the California Bar Exam, 250 of them on their first attempt. Concord's overall passage rate for the California Bar Exam is 50.9%.
Concord Statistics to Date
on the California Bar Exam |
|
Total Takers |
674 |
First-Time Passers |
250 |
Repeat Passers |
93 |
Ultimate Pass Rate |
50.9% |
Alumni
The more than 1300 Concord graduates are working as attorneys in California; engaged as in-house counsels, practicing immigration and patent law outside of California. Others have transitioned to new roles such as moving from engineer to general counsel for an engineering firm; growing and expanding their own businesses; working in risk management and compliance; 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: $39,936; $9,984 plus $100 application fee is the annual tuition beginning with the June 2010 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.