UCI ranks No. 2 in state bar

UC Irvine School of Law’s first graduating class has outshined almost every other law school in California by passing the state bar at a higher rate.

Ninety percent of UCI’s 51 graduates passed the exam administered in July, and only Stanford, with a 94% pass rate for first-time test takers, ranked higher.

UCI squeaked by schools like UCLA, 89% and USC, 88%, according to State Bar of California numbers.

In November, UCI announced its 90% pass rate, well above the 77% average, but the state bar did not release a school-by-school breakdown until late last month.

UCI School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky has previously said his goal is to build a top-20 law program at UCI.

To help with this, UCI recruited staff from prestigious schools, offered free tuition to its inaugural class and approved only 4% of its applicants.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck