Vanderbilt University Law School-2026 - First-Time Bar Admission Report - Bar Passage and Two-Year Ultimate Admission Rates

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Gelato

Vanderbilt University Law School’s 2026 bar admission report summarizes first-time and two-year ultimate bar outcomes for graduates across multiple calendar years. It presents totals for takers, passers, pass rates, and the difference versus Council-accredited law school averages, with additional breakdowns by jurisdiction for 2025, 2024, and 2023. The document also defines weighted pass metrics, jurisdictional comparisons, alternative pathways to licensure, and alignment with Standard 316 requiring at least 75% passage within two years.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

First-Time Bar Admission

Overall Results by Graduation Year

Jurisdiction Details (2025, 2024, 2023)

Two-Year Ultimate Bar Admission

Ultimate Admission Rates (2023-2021)

Definitions and Additional Information

Key Bar Pass Rate Metrics

Alternative Pathways to Licensure

Standard 316 Context

Vanderbilt University Law School-2026 Phone: (615) 322-9800 Website: [https://law.vanderbilt.edu/](https://law.vanderbilt.edu/) First-Time Bar Admission | Calendar year of graduation | Graduatesin the calendar year | Graduates who took the bar exam before graduation | Graduates who took bar exam after
graduation | Grads who have
not
taken the bar | Grads with no bar info | First time takers from prior gradyears | Total firsttime takers | Total who passed the bar | Law school bar pass rate | Council weighted average bar pass rate | Difference in bar pass rate | Graduates admitted
via
alternative pathways to licensure | Total First
Time Bar Admission Rate: first
time
takers and alternative pathways to licensure | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 | 168 | 0 | 163 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 168 | 159 | 94.64% | 81.93% | 12.71% | 0 | 94.64% | | 2024 | 166 | 0 | 159 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 164 | 155 | 94.51% | 81.05% | 13.46% | 0 | 94.51% | | 2023 | 200 | 0 | 192 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 198 | 192 | 96.97% | 77.81% | 19.16% | 0 | 96.97% | Details 2025: | Jurisdiction | Takers | Passers | Pass % | State Pass % for Council-accredited law schools | Difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CALIFORNIA | 15 | 15 | 100.00% | 82.67% | 17.33% | | ILLINOIS | 14 | 14 | 100.00% | 81.09% | 18.91% | | NEW YORK | 29 | 27 | 93.10% | 87.27% | 5.83% | | TENNESSEE | 40 | 38 | 95.00% | 79.71% | 15.29% | | TEXAS | 17 | 16 | 94.12% | 82.67% | 11.45% | | 22 REMAINING JURISDICTIONS | 53 | 49 | 92.45% | 78.74% | 13.71% | Details 2024: | Jurisdiction | Takers | Passers | Pass % | State Pass % for Council-accredited law schools | Difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 16 | 16 | 100.00% | 85.01% | 14.99% | | NEW YORK | 35 | 34 | 97.14% | 86.30% | 10.84% | | TENNESSEE | 38 | 37 | 97.37% | 78.25% | 19.12% | | TEXAS | 24 | 24 | 100.00% | 81.48% | 18.52% | | 18 REMAINING JURISDICTIONS | 51 | 44 | 86.27% | 78.27% | 8.00% | Details 2023: | Jurisdiction | Takers | Passers | Pass % | State Pass % for Council-accredited law schools | Difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CALIFORNIA | 11 | 9 | 81.82% | 72.33% | 9.49% | | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 17 | 17 | 100.00% | 83.41% | 16.59% | | ILLINOIS | 12 | 12 | 100.00% | 78.28% | 21.72% | | NEW YORK | 45 | 45 | 100.00% | 82.96% | 17.04% | | TENNESSEE | 35 | 32 | 91.43% | 73.76% | 17.67% | | TEXAS | 26 | 26 | 100.00% | 79.17% | 20.83% | | 21 REMAINING JURISDICTIONS | 52 | 51 | 98.08% | 73.50% | 24.58% | Two-Year Ultimate Bar Admission | Calendar year of graduation | Total graduates in calendar year | \# of grads with no info | \# who did not take a bar | Graduates who sat for a bar exam within two years of their date of graduation | | | Graduates who have been admitted via an alternative pathway to licensure | Ultimate Bar Admission Rate Total %(incl. alternative pathways) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | \#
of takers | \#
who passed | %
who passed | | | | 2023 | 200 | 0 | 4 | 196 | 193 | 98.47% | 0 | 98.47% | | 2022 | 179 | 0 | 2 | 177 | 169 | 95.48% | 0 | 95.48% | | 2021 | 191 | 0 | 2 | 189 | 187 | 98.94% | 0 | 98.94% | Definitions and Additional Information on the Bar Admission Report First-Time Bar Admission Section • Law School Bar Pass Rate. This percentage reflects how the law school’s graduates performed across all jurisdictions where they took the bar examination for the first time. • Weighted Average Bar Pass Rate. This percentage is the average pass rate for graduates from Council accredited law schools for each jurisdiction in which the law school’s graduates sat for the bar exam. This number is weighted so that bar pass rates from jurisdictions where more of the law school’s graduates sat for the bar exam have a greater impact on the weighted average bar pass rate than bar pass rates from jurisdictions where fewer of the l

FAQs

What does the “Law School Bar Pass Rate” represent in the report?

It reflects how the law school’s graduates performed across all jurisdictions where they took the bar examination for the first time.

How is the “Weighted Average Bar Pass Rate” calculated?

It is the average pass rate for graduates from Council-accredited law schools in each jurisdiction, weighted so jurisdictions with more takers from the law school have greater impact.

What are “alternative pathways to licensure” in this report?

They include diploma privilege admissions, certain honors program waivers that permit licensure without sitting for a bar exam, and apprenticeship programs that provide temporary authorization while awaiting full authorization.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Gelato