Georgia State Law Holds Highest Bar Passage Rate for First Timers

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Jaya Franklin

ATLANTA — Georgia State University College of Law achieved the highest bar exam passage rate on the February 2025 exam for first-time test takers in the state of Georgia at 73.9 percent.

This passage rate surpassed the 50 percent passage rate for first timers at both Emory University School of Law and the University of Georgia School of Law.

Georgia State Law also had significantly more graduates sit for the exam.

Fifty-five alums from the College of Law took the February 2025 bar exam compared to Emory Law’s 21 participants sitting for the bar exam and 18 participants from UGA Law.

Guided by Georgia State University’s best practices in student success and with the support of Dr. Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, GSU's executive vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, the College of Law has enhanced its bar success efforts.

Bar preparation is a top priority at Georgia State Law and several programs, including “Pounce the Bar,” have been implemented to provide resources and guidance for law students preparing to take the exam.

“This achievement underscores that there is no silver bullet or cheat sheet to a successful bar program. The 'Pounce the Bar' program thrives because we equip students with valuable information, and they choose to follow it. Their hard work and accountability are the true keys to their success,” said Tia Gibbs, director of Academic Advisement and Bar Success.

Gibbs launched the “Pounce the Bar” program in August 2023 to align with the college’s goals for achieving bar success. “Pounce the Bar” is a robust bar preparation program that offers law students programming opportunities and support to study and practice for the bar exam and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).

“Raising our bar passage rate has been a goal of the college for the last several years. This type of progress is an institutional endeavor and is possible because of all the hard work our faculty, staff and students do inside and outside of the classroom,” said Tameka Lester, associate dean for Student Success Programs & Strategic Enrollment Management. Read the article here. 
Posted by CHA