There are many tools available to help you research ABA-accredited law schools (often called “ABA-approved law schools”). While there are state-accredited law schools that permit you to sit for the bar exam in that state, ABA-approved schools will allow you to sit for the bar exam in any U.S. jurisdiction. There can also be significant reputational benefits to attending an ABA-approved law school, even if the state-accredited school is in the state you wish to practice.
To research ABA-approved law schools that may be a good fit, you can use:
Law School Transparency, powered by LawHub, which you can use to browse law schools or get a free personalized report
Regional law school recruitment events and LSAC Law School Forums
LSAC’s Candidate Referral Service (CRS), which enables schools to contact you directly after you sign up
Personalize Your School Search
In under five minutes, you can get a free, personalized report that will help you find schools that match your job preferences, budget, admission profile, and more with your LawHub account.
Your personal report allows you to:
Filter schools based on where you want to work. Most schools function in local markets, so national comparisons are irrelevant for many students. In fact, two out of three employed law school graduates don’t leave their school’s state for their first job.
Find schools suited to your job preferences. Make a strategic decision on where to attend law school based on your job outcome preference, such as public service, law firms, and more.
Determine your chances of getting in. Based on your LSAT score and GPA, the tool is able to calculate your chances of admission for each school.
This report is available through Law School Transparency, which is powered by LawHub.
Non-ABA Law Schools
Non-ABA-approved law schools include U.S. law schools that are not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), Canadian law schools, and international schools that use LSAC services such as the LSAT, the Credential Assembly Service, and the Candidate Referral Service.
Note that some non-ABA-approved U.S. law schools are in the process of seeking ABA approval. This process can take two to four years and does not guarantee eventual ABA approval.
Before you enroll in a law school not approved by the ABA, you should research the bar admission limitations of obtaining a degree from the school and enroll only if it is clear that the school will provide adequate legal training. Questions regarding the acceptability of a JD from such schools should be addressed to the law licensing authority of each state or jurisdiction.
You can research non-ABA-approved law schools on LSAC.org.
Canadian Law Schools
To research Canadian JD programs, prospective law students can take advantage of the Official Guide to Canadian JD Programs. In addition, you can take advantage of regional law school recruitment events and the Toronto LSAC Law School Forum each fall.