Bar Exam Performance


Overview

Our graduates routinely exceed the state average for first-time test takers. The key is careful preparation for the exam, aided by KU Law's Free Bar Prep Program.

Graduates of the University of Kansas School of Law who took the bar exam for the first time in 2021 had one of the highest success rates in the country.

KU Law posted the 11th-highest first-time bar exam pass rate nationally, according to an analysis by Reuters. Nearly 96% of KU Law graduates who took a bar exam for the first time during the 2021 calendar year passed, according to data recently released by the American Bar Association.

Read a news release about KU Law's bar exam pass rates for the 2021 calendar year.

Below are links to recent ABA bar passage reports and historical data for the bar exam in Kansas and Missouri. Kansas is the primary jurisdiction for the bar exam in most years, followed closely by Missouri. Additional information about bar passage is available on the ABA Required Disclosures page.


Kansas Bar Exam Detail

Kansas Bar Exam Detail
 KU First TimeState Average
Calendar YearTakingPassingKU Pass RateState Pass RatePercent Difference
2023423890.48%77.16%13.32%
2022534992.45%80.37%12.08%
2021545398.15%77.78%20.37%
2020454191.11%89.4%1.71%
2019322887.5%87.12%0.38%
2018333090.91%74.78%16.13%
2017504386%81.51%4.49%
2016604880%77.4%2.6%
2015222090.91%82.01%8.9%
2014534483.02%86.36%-3.34%
2013665887.88%89.16%-1.28%
2012635790.48%88.57%1.91%

Missouri Bar Exam Detail

Missouri Bar Exam Detail
 KU First TimeState Average
Calendar YearTakingPassingKU Pass RateState Pass RatePercent Difference
20232525100%84.37%15.63%
2022282485.71%79.16%6.55%
20212727100%82.22%17.78%
2020363494.44%85.25%9.19%
2019474187.23%82.41%4.82%
2018544685.19%82.1%3.09%
2017363186.11%86.3%-0.19%
2016282692.86%83.48%9.38%
2015757296%87.34%8.66%
2014373389.19%87.59%1.6%
2013484491.67%90.44%1.23%
2012424095.24%92.11%3.13%

KU Law graduates have also consistently performed well on bar exams in other states including California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania.

Ultimate Bar Exam Passage

Ultimate Bar Passage
  KU - Bar Exam Within 2 Years of GraduationNational AverageAddtl. Details
Calendar YearGraduatesTakingPassingKU Pass RateNatl. Pass RatePercent DifferenceNo Info (KU)Did Not Take Exam (KU)
2021989797100%----01
2020101989495.92%----30
201998949095.74%----22
201812011710892.31%----03
201712111611296.55%89.47%7.08%50
20161131069387.74%88.7%-0.96%43
201513412912697.67%88.32%9.35%23

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