Concord's first graduating class of 10 students sat for the California Bar Exam in February 2003 and 6 students passed. This first-time pass rate of 60 percent was more than 2.5 times the first-time pass rate of State Bar-accredited schools (22.4 percent) and also exceeded the performance level of American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law schools based in California (57.4 percent), the overall first-time passage rate in the state on that examination (50.2 percent), and the rate for ABA schools located outside of California (48.6 percent).1
Today Concord graduates continue to demonstrate the soundness of the school's online program of legal education by their successes on the California Bar Exam.
Most observers of the bar examination process would agree that the California Bar Exam is one of the most difficult bar examinations in the country, if not the most difficult. The overall passage rates, compared with much higher passing rates in other states, confirm that impression. In that context, the performance of Concord graduates is compelling.
While bar passage rates are not the only measure by which the quality of a law school (program, students, and faculty) is or should be judged, Concord’s consistent performance on the California exam over the years demonstrates that the program works well, provides a quality legal education, and can compete with more traditional and generally accepted residential law school programs.