UNC School of Law Tops NC Bar Passage Rate for First-Time Test Takers

The University of North Carolina School of Law had the highest bar passage rate among all North Carolina law schools for first-time test takers on the July 2023 exam, according to results released by the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners.

Carolina Law had 117 first-time test takers, of which 108 passed for a 92.31% passage rate. This was nearly 15 percentage points higher than the overall state passage rate of 77.52% for first-time test takers. 

Combining first-time test takers and repeaters, Carolina Law’s overall passage rate was 90.08% – over 21 points higher than the state average of 68.92%.

The Academic Excellence Program at Carolina Law provides students with resources to aid their legal study, including for-credit bar preparation courses and individual and group bar preparation for 3L students.

“The Academic Excellence Program continues to support Carolina Law students even after they have graduated,” said O.J. Salinas, AEP director and clinical professor of law. “This year, our graduates got the opportunity to supplement their traditional bar vendor programs with an expanded bar preparation boot camp that included personalized presentations that reviewed the substantive law most commonly tested on the multiple-choice portion of the bar exam. Our graduates also had the opportunity to participate in online group discussions about their bar preparation with each other and with me, which gave graduates the ability to feel more connected to the bar support we were providing no matter where they may have been studying. I am very proud of the work that the Class of 2023 did to prepare themselves for the bar exam. And I am very proud of their success.”