Summary: The University of Florida’s Levin College of Law has significantly improved its bar exam passage rate as well as its position in various national rankings.
The University of Florida’s Levin College of Law is moving up the charts, according to Alligator.org. After slipping last year, it is now ranked Number 1 in Florida for the percentage of students that pass the bar exam and ranks Number 13 for “Best Value Law School” in a list compiled by The National Jurist.
The interim dean of the law school, George Dawson, said that students are able to earn a good education that is reasonably priced. He added that the school will continue to provide students with resources needed for their success. “If we continue to do what we’re doing and our tuition continues to stay the same, I think we’ll continue to be high on the rankings,” he said.
The law school was ranked below Florida State University this past spring in the U.S. News & World Report. During that time, Levin was transitioning as it searched for a new dean. Dean Robert Jerry had retired, and President Bernie Machen had paused the search for a new dean in the spring until Dawson began serving as interim dean.
Of the 266 students who took the bar exam, 241 passed, which was a 2.4 percent increase from the July 2013 bar results according to Matt Walker, a University of Florida Law Communications spokesman. The incredible 90.6 percent passing rate is higher than past scores, which averaged from 86 to 88 percent. “We’re pleased with the ranking and bar exam results,” Dawson said.
Florida State University currently has a 81.8 percent passing rate, which is higher than that of the University of Miami School of Law.
Kristy Pinedo-Pimentel, a 19-year-old college sophomore, said finances were her biggest concern in selecting an out of state law school. She said, “If I couldn’t afford to go to any other school, I would go to UF Law.” She toured the campus and enjoyed a sample course that she sat in. “The energy of the professors and students would definitely make me want to go to UF Law because they want to see you succeed.”
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