The American Bar Association has placed Cooley Law School on probation for failing to comply with Standard 316, which requires at least 75% of a law school’s graduates who sit for a bar exam pass within two years of graduation.
Since 2020, Cooley has not met the required ultimate bar passage rates, raising questions about the effectiveness of its academic program. The law school has had an improvement plan in place since 2020, according to Dean James McGrath.
Cooley officials have acknowledged the probation and said improving bar passage rates remains the school’s top priority.
“While we cannot predict the future, Cooley is confident that when the nationwide results of the July 2025 bar examination are known, Cooley will be able to definitively prove compliance with Standard 316,” McGrath told the ABA Journal. “Our program is solid, and our improved bar exam results are just one metric to prove it.”
The school will make its case before the ABA in February 2026.
