Accreditation Statement

The University Of West Los Angeles School Of Law, UWLA has been continuously accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California (CBE) since 1978.

CBE Accreditation

• UWLA’s accreditation by the CBE exempts its regularly admitted students from the requirement to sit for the First-Year Law Students’ Examination (commonly referred to as the “Baby Bar”).
• UWLA graduates who have passed the general California Bar Examination and completed the other requirements outlined in the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California are entitled to practice law in the State of California.
• This accreditation also entitles UWLA graduates who have met the requirements stated above to the same rights and privileges in the State of California as those afforded graduates of schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).

CBE Accreditation vs. ABA Approval

Graduates of a school approved by the ABA may routinely sit for the Bar Examination in other states while California accredited law school graduates are sometimes required to meet additional requirements. For example, graduates of CBE-accredited schools may be required to have completed a number of years in practice in California before they may sit for the bar examination in another state.

Graduates of CBE-accredited schools who wish to practice in another state should check with the State Bar of that state to determine if any additional admissions requirements must be met.

Accreditation and UWLA’s Mission

The School of Law has made a decision not to seek ABA approval because we believe that meeting the standards for ABA approval would be in conflict with the University’s Mission to offer affordable, quality legal education to the non-traditional student (one who must work, attend to family issues, and so on). We also believe that adoption of ABA criteria would impose increased financial burdens on students while severely limiting admission opportunities to the students we want to reach.

For more information, refer to The Success of UWLA Graduates and Practicing Law Outside of California.