Dip for Carey, increase for UB in July bar exam passage data

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Data released Friday from the July Uniform Bar Exam shows slight declines in passage rates for J.D. students at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law and increases in the pass rate for those students at the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Maryland Carey Law saw a slight decrease in the school’s total UBE pass rate — down to 70%  from 75% in July last year — and a decrease to 76% this year from from a 79% pass rate for first-time takers last year.

UB saw a slight increase in the school’s total pass rate — up to 55% from 53% in July last year — and an increase to 68% from 61% last year for first-time bar exam takers in the JD program.

Overall, of the 808 takers for the July 2023 Uniform Bar Exam in Maryland, 59% passed.

Deans of both law school programs noted the importance of financial support for students taking the bar exam.

Renée Hutchins, dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, said the school’s bar pass rate historically has exceeded the state average, but noted that the school will continue to invest in resources to ensure “an ever-increasing percentage” of students pass the bar on the first time.

“One of my priorities is to continue to work to ensure that every Maryland grad who wants to pass the bar is able to do so the first time they take it,” Hutchins said. “We’re going to continue to push toward that goal, but we need to drill down a little bit with regards to this year’s results to figure out what the message is in the underlying numbers.”

Hutchins said Maryland Carey Law has a wide range of curricular offerings that help prepare students for the bar exam, such as courses in all core subjects tested on the bar. Hutchins also noted a capstone bar readiness course that the school offers, as well as stipends for students when funding is available.

“It is rare that students succeed in the absence of a commercial bar prep course and devotion to a significant amount of time studying for the bar,” Hutchins said. “But not all students can afford that, so when we have the funding available, we do try to support students financially when we are able to help get over those hurdles.”

Ronald Weich, dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law, said the school’s recent bar stipend program, where the school awarded a total of $75,000 to 16 students taking the July 2023 bar exam, is key to the school’s improvement in pass results from last year.

“We think this highlights a key problem of students who aren’t able to ‘clear the decks’ and focus on the exam exclusively in the weeks prior to administration,” Weich said. “That’s what it takes to succeed in many cases. The stipend is a way to help them devote the time and attention that the exam needs.”

Weich also noted that nearly all of this test administration’s bar takers “were adversely affected by the pandemic” and started their law school careers online, when much of the core concepts are taught.

“I think that the challenges that these students face were related to (the pandemic), and the fact that our students nonetheless have improved from the last administration of the bar makes us proud and shows that despite that disadvantage, our students are doing better,” Weich said.

In addition to the bar stipend program, the University of Baltimore School of Law also offers courses designed to prepare students for the bar exam during their last year, as well as a mentorship program where faculty members advise and support bar takers during their test preparation.

“We are moving in the right direction and we’re proud of the students who succeeded, but we’re not complacent,” Weich said. “We have a long way to go. A 68% first-time pass rate is not where we want to end up, so we will continue to build on initiatives like bar mentorship and bar stipends so that all of our students are in a position to succeed.”

Hutchins also underscored the importance of ensuring Maryland Carey Law is on track for future bar exams.

“It is important to us that our students graduate with an ability to pass the bar exam and succeed in practice, and that will continue to be a goal that we focus on like a laser,” Hutchins said.