OHIO Bar exam passage rates vary greatly among law schools

For the second year in a row, OSU had the highest pass rate.
COLUMBUS -- Bar examination passage rate results recently released by the Ohio State Supreme Court show mixed results for Ohio's law schools.
The statewide pass rate for first-time test-takers is 80 percent, an increase over last year's 77-percent pass rate. However, this is only slightly higher than the five-year average pass rate of 79 percent.
"The Regents continue to be heartened by the improved performance of students from several of the law schools that have not fared so well in the past," observed Regents Vice Chairman Edmund J. Adams of Cincinnati. "On the other hand, many law schools need to continue to review admissions policies which permit too many unqualified students to enroll in law school.
"Society long ago stopped hungering for more lawyers, especially those on the margin. In an era of limited resources, stringent law school admissions and retention standards remain a necessity, so that university resources can be utilized in the most effective way."
Widely varying rates
Institutional results for passage rates vary considerably. Ohio State University had the highest pass rate for the second year in a row. Ohio State is the only Ohio institution to improve or maintain its pass rates over the last five years, rising from 84 percent in 1999 to 92 percent in 2003. Results are based on tests administered in July.
The University of Cincinnati, which had seen a four-year slide in pass rates from 93 percent in 1999 to 80 percent in 2002, rebounded to 87 percent in 2003. The University of Dayton, with an 86-percent pass rate, posted a sharp increase over its 2002 pass rate of 62 percent.
Capital University was the lowest-performing law school in 2003 with a 62-percent pass rate. Capital's five-year average pass rate of 65 percent is also the lowest among the nine law schools. Case Western Reserve University's 85-percent pass rate is up from its 81-percent 2002 rate, and very close to its five-year average of 83 percent. The University of Akron's 2003 82-percent pass rate is up from its 2002 level of 78 percent, but is even with its five-year average.
Significant improvements
The three remaining law schools -- the University of Toledo, Cleveland State University and Ohio Northern University -- are significantly improved from their 1999 levels. Ohio Northern University increased its pass rate from 54 percent in 1999 to 73 percent in 2003. Cleveland State University improved from 68 percent in 1999 to 75 percent in 2003, and the University of Toledo improved from 63 percent in 1999 to 77 percent in 2003.