USC Gould School of Law’s Bar Passage is Second Highest in California

Contact: Gilien Silsby, USC Gould School of Law News Service, (213) 740-9690 (office) (213) 500-8673 (cell) or [email protected]  

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USC Gould School of Law posted its strongest bar passage in five years and the second highest in California for two years in a row.

With a bar passage rate of 88%, USC Gould was second only to Stanford Law's 91%. Bar passage rates among other top California law schools were 84% at Berkeley Law, 82% UCLA Law, and 81% at UC Irvine Law.

USC Gould's impressive bar passage is especially significant given that the California bar had the lowest pass rate in years – only 56% of first-time takers passed in 2016. Less than 44% of overall exam takers passed in the state.

"These results are tremendous, and I couldn't be more proud of our graduates," said Andrew Guzman, dean of USC law. "This is truly a great achievement given the California Bar had the lowest pass rate in more than 30 years."

The California bar exam is a three-day test that examines analytical rigor, creativity and in many cases, sheer stamina. For more than a decade, USC Gould has been one of the top performers among California law schools. USC's bar passage rate rose from 86.7 percent in 2015 to 88 percent in 2016.

Michael Figgers '16 said the faculty and coursework at Gould prepared him to endure the grueling exam, especially the one-hour essays. However, he added that the "sense of camaraderie" among his classmates also helped fuel his success. 

That's what sets USC apart from other top law schools. "We are small, we are collegial and no one slips through the cracks," Guzman said.