ABA-Approved Law Schools

Number of Law Schools

A total of 203 institutions are ABA-approved: 202 confer the first degree in law (the J.D. degree); the other ABA approved school is the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School, which offers an officer's resident graduate course, a specialized program beyond the first degree in law. Four of the 203 law schools are provisionally approved.

Provisionally Approved Law Schools (+):

+Belmont University College of Law
+University of California-Irvine School of Law
+University of La Verne College of Law
+University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth 

Law Schools on Probation (**):

None

Rating of Law Schools

No rating of law schools beyond the simple statement of their accreditation status is attempted or advocated by the official organizations in legal education. Qualities that make one kind of school good for one student may not be as important to another. The American Bar Association and its Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar have issued disclaimers of any law school rating system. Prospective law students should consider a variety of factors in making their choice among schools.