Our students achieve impressive results exceeding nationwide scores.

The law school justifiably prides itself on robust bar passage rates in every jurisdiction where graduates sit for the bar. In addition to the Pennsylvania Bar Exam, an increasing number of our graduates are electing to sit in a variety of different jurisdictions across the country- from California and Oregon to Massachusetts, New York, Alabama and Florida. Duquesne Kline Law's most recent Ultimate Bar Pass rate is 93.33%.

Graduates of the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University achieved an 83.02% first-time taker pass rate on the twice-rescheduled July 2020 Pennsylvania bar exam administered remotely in October.

  • Duquesne Kline's first-time pass rate outpaced the statewide first-time pass rate for the fifth consecutive year.
  • Duquesne Kline's overall pass rate exceeded the state's overall pass rate of 75.80%.

"Our graduates faced significant challenges during this administration of the bar examination in almost every area of their lives, from finances to health," said Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University Dean April Barton. "Through it all, they received unwavering support from our faculty, staff, and alumni. Kline Law is known for its special sense of community, and this administration of the bar examination was no exception."

The test results highlight Duquesne Kline's ability to prepare students for their legal careers, even in the midst of a global pandemic that affected every jurisdiction across the country, with many bar examinations being postponed and later administered online. Only a small number of jurisdictions went ahead with plans to administer in-person bar examinations in July as previously scheduled. The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners ultimately decided to administer a remote bar examination in October to ensure the health and safety of the graduates and others seeking licensure in the Commonwealth.

Since February 2018, the American Bar Association (ABA) requires law schools to report their "ultimate bar pass rates," which track law school graduates for a period of two years or four bar exam cycles (July and February). For its class graduating in 2018, Duquesne Kline School of Law reported an ultimate bar pass rate of 93.33%, placing Thomas R. Kline of Duquesne University ahead of other Pennsylvania law graduates in terms of bar pass rates.