Plan To Require Unaccredited Law Schools In California To Disclose Dropout Rates OKd
by Jason Song and Corina Knoll, Los Angeles Times
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A panel of the State Bar of California approved a plan on Friday to require unaccredited law schools to disclose their dropout rates, in an effort to improve transparency for prospective students.
The unanimous decision comes about a month after a Times investigation found that about 90% of students drop out before their final year.
The move is considered to be part of a larger push to elevate the academic standards of unaccredited law schools where low tuition and few entrance requirements attract those who typically find themselves struggling with the coursework or unable to finish for other reasons.
Prospective students have the right to know dropout rates, which could help them assess their potential success before enrolling, said Karen Goodman, a member of the bar’s committee that oversees unaccredited law schools.
“They can make that decision being well armed to the possibility they might not make it all the way through,” she said.
But supporters of the unaccredited institutions say the requirement is a cloaked attempt to bar them from doing business.
“I don’t have a problem with the transparency — I welcome it, if that’s all it was. But I think it’s a concerted effort to shut down all unaccredited schools,” said Garo Ghazarian,
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