Investigation Finds High Dropout Rates at Unaccredited Law Schools

Nearly nine out of 10 students who attend unaccredited law schools in California drop out within four years, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times.

The schools offer four-year programs, and their students are allowed to take the state bar examination, although the schools are not required to meet the same academic standards as those that are accredited nationally or by the state bar. Students at the unaccredited schools are generally not eligible for federal financial assistance.

Operators of some of the unaccredited schools say their institutions offer opportunities to students who don’t have the means or qualifications to attend a traditional law school. And some lawyers told the newspaper that they had embarked on successful careers after attending unaccredited schools. But state records reviewed by the Times said just one in five students who completed classes at such institutions ever became a lawyer.