Drexel University’s Kline School of Law jumped 30 spots to rank No. 79 in bar passage percentage among all ABA-accredited law schools nationwide, writes Jeff Blumenthal for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Eighty-five percent of Drexel Law graduates passed state bar exams last year, the highest gain among law schools in the Philadelphia region. According to annual data from the American Bar Association, the school’s pass rate for first-time test takers rose significantly from 76.7 percent in 2023. The pass rate was also 5.5 percent above the 79.5 percent weighted average in the jurisdictions where the exams were taken.
This increase pushed Draxel into the Top 100 for the first time, from No. 109 in 2023. In 2024, Drexel had 140 first-time test takers, and 142 in the year prior.
Founded in 2006, Drexel Law was fully accredited in 2011. The school received a massive $50 million donation in 2014 from Tom Kline of Kline & Specter, which focused on strengthening its trial advocacy offerings. Today, Drexel boasts one of the nation’s top trial advocacy programs and went from 129 in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings a decade ago to No. 75 last year.
Read more about Drexel University’s Kline School of Law and the rise of other local law schools in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA Today in March 2025.
