The UT School of Law jumped from seventh to fourth place in the state for the highest passage rate for first-time state bar exam test takers, according to the Texas Board of Law Examiners.
In July, 268 of 297 UT School of Law students passed the exam, which allows applicants to practice law in Texas. The school improved from an 89.6 percent passage rate in 2007 to 90.2 percent this year.
“I think it’s great,” said Associate Dean Alex Albright. “We should be higher than we are. We take it very seriously.”
The Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University led the rankings with an almost 94 percent passage rate. The University of Houston and Baylor University ranked second and third in passage rates with 93.3 percent and 91.6 percent, respectively.
Scoring lowest of the state’s nine law schools was Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, with a passage rate of 59.7 percent.
UT School of Law Dean Lawrence Sager said state bar exam passage rates should not be thought of in terms of rankings between schools. There are better ways to do that, he said.
“This is not something we view as a competition between schools,” Sager said. “Rather, we regard it as a pact between our school and our students. We care greatly for those students who don’t pass the exam the first time.”
