• Florida International University (FIU) School of Law graduates performed best on the Florida bar exam administered in July with a passage rate of 81.2 percent. This marks the 8th consecutive year FIU held a better passage rate than the other 10 law schools in the state
• The University of Florida and Florida State University trailed slightly behind FIU, with passage rates of 78.7 percent and 74.9 percent, respectively 
• Florida Coastal School of Law performed the worst with a paltry 30.8 percent of graduates passing the exam 
• The overall state passage rate of 64.4 percent is the lowest in a decade

Florida International University (FIU) law graduates earned the highest passage rate of all state law schools on the Florida bar exam, marking the eighth consecutive year the university attained the feat. In sum, graduates taking the Florida Bar exam for the first time had the lowest July passing rate in a decade.

81.2 percent of FIU school of law graduates passed the bar exam during its most recent administering. With the most recent results, more than 88 percent of FIU law graduates have passed the bar exam on their first attempt – the highest passage rate of any Florida law school since 2015.

“This year’s graduates overcame many unusual challenges during their law school experience, and they should all be commended for their resilience,” said FIU Law Dean Antony Page in a press release. “They did so with a poise that served them well for the remainder of their studies and will continue to serve them well in their professional endeavors.”

The University of Florida had a 78.7 percent passage rate for its graduates, positioning itself as the second-most university, according to data released by the Florida Supreme Court. Florida State University trailed slightly behind at 74.9 percent.

Florida Coastal School of Law performed the worst, with just 30.8 percent of graduates passing the bar exam.

Among all 11 of Florida’s law schools, just 2,225 first-time participants passed, amounting to a passage rate of 64.4 percent, the lowest in a decade. The previous lowest passage rate was 67.2 percent in 2018.

A decisive cause for the low passage rate has yet to be determined, though it is noteworthy that the July 2022 exam marked the first time in two years that the summer administration of the Florida bar exam was offered in person.

The exam was administered remotely in July 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the 2021-22 academic year was the first time since the onset of the pandemic in which classes were available in person.

Those taking the bar exam this summer would have had to take a majority of the classes across their three years in law school via online sources or Zoom. While an analysis of the most recent results has yet to be conducted, a multitude of studies shows that online learning in most cases inhibits academic progress.