FSU College of Law students show improvement on first-time bar exams; FAMU, UF grads far behind

First-time Florida State University law school graduates posted a nearly 20-percent higher passage rate on bar exams in February compared to last year.

The gains in the passing rate placed FSU second among State University System schools, according to results released by the Florida Supreme Court Monday.

The University of Florida and Florida A&M law school graduates posted the lowest and second lowest passing rates respectively among Florida public and private law schools. 

FSU ranked behind the state-funded Florida International University College of Law (85 percent) and privately-run Ave Maria law school (84.6 percent).

“We’re very happy to see that our internal bar prep efforts led to a rise in our February exam results over last year and we look forward to seeing further improvements on future exams,” FSU College of Law Dean Erin O’Hara O’Connor said. “Students who take February administrations of the Florida Bar Exam typically have less time to prepare than students who take July administrations, so this latest success is very positive and we’re extremely proud of our graduates.”

Of the 30 Florida State University College of Law students taking the February exam, 23 passed, or 76.7 percent.

Thirty FAMU graduates took the exam, with 11 passing, or 36.7 percent. UF grads posted a 31.8 percent passage rate.

“While we are far from satisfied with the most recent passage rate, we remain committed to our efforts to improve bar performance as part of a series of initiatives designed to strengthen our entire legal education program,” said LeRoy Pernell, interim dean of FAMU's College of Law. 

In February 2017, 22 FSU students took the exam with 13 passing, or 59.1.

At the same time, 39 FAMU students took the exam, 18 passing, or 46.2

This year's results show 57.9 percent of the 637 candidates taking the exam February in Tampa passed. That compares to 57.7 a year ago.

“If you go back over time, it has gone down over the past four years,” said Michele Gavagni, executive director of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.

In 2013, 80.2 percent of students taking the Florida Bar for the first time passed.

The Florida Supreme Court has approved 445 candidates for admission to the Florida Bar.

A second exam will be given in July. There is no limit on the number of times a candidate can sit for the Florida Bar.

Bar exam passing rates:

Ava Maria College of Law: 13 taking, 11 passing, 84.6

FSU College of Law: 30 taking, 23 passing, 76.7.

Florida Coastal School of Law:  29 taking, 18 passing, 62.1

Stetson University College of Law: 25 taking, 14 passing, 56.0

University of Miami School of Law: 25 taking, 14 passing, 56.0

Nova Southeastern University College of Law: 36 taking, 18 passing, 50 percent

Barry University School of Law: 39 taking, 16 passing, 41.0

St. Thomas University College of Law: 36 taking, 14 passing, 38.9

Florida A&M University College of Law: 30 taking, 11 passing, 36.7

University of Florida College of Law: 22 taking, 7 passing, 31.8

Non-Florida schools: 112 taking, 41 passing, 36.6

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.