Baylor Law School Tops Again on Texas Bar Exam Pass Rate

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For the 14th time since 2001, Baylor Law School students claimed the top pass rate on the Texas State Bar Exam with a 95.88 percent success rate, the highest pass rate for students from the nine Texas law schools. Of the 97 Baylor students who took the three-day exam in July, 93 passed on their first try.

The overall state pass rate was 88.36 percent, with 1,511 successful candidates out of 1,710 who took the exam for the first time. The University of Texas was second behind Baylor with a 93.66 percent pass rate, while the University of Houston was third with a 92.27 percent pass rate.

Dean Brad Toben said the achievement reflects the effectiveness of Baylor Law School's program.

"This is yet again proof that our longstanding and proven approach of integrating the teaching of legal theory with practical skills training is a model for legal education that works," Toben said.

Baylor Law School has an unsurpassed record of success on the State Bar Exam, which is given twice a year and qualifies a candidate to practice law in Texas. Baylor Law School had a 94.64 percent success rate on the July 2010 exam; a 97.06 percent success rate on the February 2009 exam; a 95.83 percent success rate on the February 2008 exam; a 97.85 percent success rate on the July 2007 exam; a 100 percent pass rate on the February 2007 exam; and also the highest pass rate for the exams given in 2006.

About Baylor Law School

Established in 1849, Baylor Law School was the first law school in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,000 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide on a career in public service. The Law School boasts two Texas governors, members or former members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature among its notable alumni. In 2010, Baylor Law received the Law School Commitment to Service Award that is presented by the Texas Access to Justice Commission. The School's advocacy program also is ranked third in the nation by U.S. News.

About Baylor

Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.
Media contact: Lori Fogleman, director of media communications, (254) 710-6275