Georgia State University College of Law graduates passed the February bar exam with a 70.6 rate for first-time test-takers, well ahead of the overall state rate of 53.9 percent.
“Our students earned the highest pass rate among all exam takers and the second highest among first-time test takers. They also had the highest average MBE score in the state,” said Steven J. Kaminshine, dean and professor of law. “Nevertheless, as the rates reflect, all Georgia schools continue to have a pass rate below historical norms as is true for law schools across the nation.”
The February bar results can be difficult to interpret because fewer students take the exam than in July.
For first-time test-takers, Georgia State Law had 24 of 34 students passing the exam, just behind the University of Georgia School of Law with five of seven students for 71.4 percent. Emory University School of Law had five of nine first-timers passing at 55.6 percent.
Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law finished with one of five students passing the exam at 20 percent. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School finished with 11 of 28 students passing at 39.3 percent. Savannah Law School had two of six students passing at 33.3 percent.
For all applicants, Georgia State Law finished with 40 of 56 test-takers passing at 71.4 percent, again well ahead of the overall state rate of 48.6 percent with 134 of 276 passing and leading among ABA approved schools in Georgia.
For all test-takers, Georgia had 18 of 28 passing at 64.3 percent. Emory had 14 of 27 passing at 51.9 percent. Mercer had 23 of 46 passing at 50 percent. John Marshall had 34 of 104 passing at 32.7 percent. Savannah had 5 of 15 passing at 33.3 percent.
In addition, Georgia State Law had two of four LL.M. students pass the bar. No LL.M. students from any other law school passed. The average MBE score of 139 for Georgia State Law LL.M. graduates rivaled the average score of all J.D. students.