The 10 Worst Law Schools in New England
Law students in the Northeast part of the United States have many top-rated institutions to choose from. Some of the more prestigious schools such as Harvard University, The Vermont Law School, and a few others. Some law schools are hard to get into or they’re not affordable. Then there are the other law schools that may offer more affordable tuition rates, but the bar exam passage rates are low. New England is made up of six states including Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts. If you’re planning to attend law school, here are the ten worst law schools in New England and what makes them a poor choice for some students.
10. Northeastern University School of Law
Northeastern University School of Law is in Boston, Massachusetts. The school is one of the worst if you’re looking for affordable tuition rates. Full-time law students pay $50,700 per year. The acceptance rate for all applicants for admission is 41.5 percent, which means that less than half of the applicants are accepted. Data shows that the library is ranked as number 158 with just 265,391 volumes available. The Bar Passage rate has improved from 80.4 percent in 2017 to 90.1 percent in 2020. ten months after graduation, 79.6 percent of students are employed, while 45.1 percent are employed at the time of graduation. It’s among the worst for high tuition, with moderate competition for admission, and mediocre employment rates for graduates. Nearly ten percent of graduates fail to pass the bar exam.
9. Suffolk University Law School
The Suffolk University School of Law is a small private school in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a school that hasn’t done great with its passage rate for graduates taking the state bar exam for the first time. Just 63.6 percent pass on the first try. the overall passage rate for the bar is 77.3 percent, with over ten percent passing on their second or subsequent attempts. The acceptance rate is 65.2 percent of all applicants. The annual tuition rate for full-time law students is $42,540. the tuition is more affordable, and it’s easier to get into Suffolk University Law Shool than for Northeastern University, but the odds of passing the bar exam on the first attempt are lower.
8. Western New England University School of Law
Western New England University School of Law is a private institution in Springfield, Massachusetts. The institution has been in operation for more than a century with its history going back to 1919. The affordability is moderate with full-time tuition for law students at $44,720 per year. The school is BA accredited, however, the bar exam passage rate is just 54.5 percent for graduates making their first attempt. The pass rate is exceptionally low. Students enrolled in the school have the option of attending part-time or full-time. The acceptance rate is 58.7 percent, which makes it one of the easier law schools to gain admission.
7. New England Law Boston
New England Law Boston is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s listed among the worst schools to attend if your goal is to pass the bar exam on the first try. First-time graduates of New England Law Boston pass at a rate of 74.3 percent, which is on the low side, falling below overall state averages. The annual tuition and fees for full-time law students are $41,780, which is cheaper than some of the other law schools in New England. The acceptance rate for all applicants is 68.3 percent. It’s one of the easiest schools in the region for gaining admission. There are plusses and minuses associated with this institution. While it’s more affordable than most, and not hard to get into, it’s difficult to imagine spending a few hundred thousand on education to struggle when it’s time to take the ultimate test of your knowledge of the law. There are law schools in New England with much higher bar exam pass rates to check out.
6. University of Maine School of Law
The University of Maine School of Law is a public school in Portland, Maine. It is an ABA-accredited institution with a 53.3 acceptance rate of all applicants. More than half of all students who apply for admission get into the program. The annual tuition cost for in-state full-time law students is $21,630. The out-of-State full-time tuition fees are $31,110. It is the most affordable law school in New England, and it’s reasonably accessible for most aspiring law students with a solid academic history. The bar passage rate is up from its 2017 numbers of 75.9 percent for graduates attempting it for the first time, to 79.1 percent. While this is an improvement, it doesn’t counter the fact that more than twenty percent of graduates fail the test on their first attempts. If you’re looking for an affordable law school in the New England region, then the University of Maine School of Law is one of the better options, but there are schools with far better bar pass rates.
5. Boston College School of Law
Boston College School of Law is a private law school in Newton, Massachusetts. We placed it as the fifth-worst law school in New England for students who are looking for affordable tuition fees and a school that they can get into reasonably. It’s an expensive school with tuition and fee costs of $60,202 per year. You pay a lot for your education here, but getting in is another story. Only 28.6 percent of all applicants are accepted for admission. Just a little of one-quarter of all applicants can expect to get into this law school. Competition for admission is high, and only those with stellar academic records and high results on the SAT need to apply. You must also have your record of community involvement on hand to show that you are a well0rounded and capable student. While the current bar exam pass rate is moderate at 88.6 percent for graduates, the pass rates have declined from 90.9 percent since 2017. For a school that is this expensive and hard to get into, there is a reason for concern when the pass rates for the bar exam decline.
4. University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law is a public law school in Concord, New Hampshire, associated with a private university. It’s not difficult for most applicants to gain entry to law programs. The acceptance rate is fairly high at 61.93 percent of all applicants. The current tuition rates are varied, depending on the program selected. Students entering the undergraduate programs pay $19,500 per semester up to $39,000 per year. the JD program is $23,000 per semester up to $46,000 per year. The bar pass rates are a bit of a concern. In 2017, the pass rate for first-time test takers was exceptional at 93.33 percent. Within a few short years, the rate dropped to 87.09 percent. There is always a concern when we see declining bar exam pass rates for law school graduates. More than ten percent of graduates fail on their first attempts. The tuition is moderately priced, and the law program isn’t that hard to get into, but other New England law schools are not on a slope of decline in bar exam passage rates.
3. Roger Williams University School of Law
The Roger Williams University School of Law is a private institution in Bristol, Rhode Island, as well as the only law school in the state. It’s among the easiest schools to gain admission with an acceptance rate of 69.3 percent. Competition is low and students with satisfactory academic records stand an above-average chance of being approved for entry. Tuition for undergraduate students taking 15 credits or more pays $19,632 per term. graduate courses cost $671 per credit. There are also other fees usually under $1,000 per term. The cost of attendance is not cheap, but it’s not difficult to get into the law program. The percentage of gradated students passing the bar exam on the first attempt was 80.2 percent in 2017, dropping to 78 percent. As with some other law schools in New England, Roger Williams University School of Law has a respectable pass rate that is above the state average, but some schools have better stats.
2. Quinnipiac University School of Law
The Quinnipiac University School of Law is the most recent law school to open its doors to students in Connecticut. The institution is in North Haven. Quinnipiac received accreditation from the American Bar Association and has been since 1992. It’s not difficult to gain acceptance if you have an acceptable academic record. The school accepts 64.5 percent of all applicants, making it one of the least competitive in New England. The average cost of attendance is $50,760 per year for full-time law students. The bar pass rate is 80.2 percent for graduates taking the test for the first time in 2020. The following year, Quinnipiac celebrated an improvement to 88 percent, a milestone. It’s not the worst law school in New England, but the cost of attendance is high for a school with less than 90 percent. One would expect the money you pay to reflect higher levels of success from students graduating from the programs.
1. UConn School of Law
The UConn School of Law is one of the only four public law schools in New England. It is in Harford, Connecticut. This school isn’t as easy to get into as some other public law schools. In 2020, just 39 percent of applicants got approved for admission. Tuition for full-time undergrad students who reside in the state is $31,218 per year. Out-of-state students pay $62,330 per year. It’s not as affordable for students who are not already living in Connecticut. The bar pass rate for graduates taking the exam for the first time was 89.7 percent in 2017, dropping to just 83 percent. There are many positives associated with this school, and it’s most viable for residents, but the dropping bar pass rates are an area of concern. Seventeen percent of graduates fail the bar exam on the first go-round.
Final thoughts
None of the law schools on our list are considered to be “bad,” but they’re not the best options in the New England region. It’s a highly competitive area with Harvard and Yale among the contenders for the best law schools. It’s wise to be aware of the pros and cons associated with each school before making your final decision. We’re merely pointing out what the statistics reveal about each.
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