Good afternoon. I’m Allison Muth with Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit research, policy, and student veteran advocacy organization. We have helped more than 5000 students in the last decade, many of whom had negative experiences at low-quality schools that did not deliver on their promises and left students in debt.
WSCUC accredits at least 10 law schools in California that are not recognized by the American Bar Association because they fail to meet the minimum ABA standards of a legal education. Two of these schools even lost ABA accreditation following concerns about the education quality. Because these schools are not recognized by the ABA, their graduates are not eligible to sit for the bar exam in the vast majority of states.
On the California bar exam, which has more flexible standards than most states and allows the graduates of these schools to take the bar, the schools have demonstrated abysmally low bar pass rates for their graduates. Only 24% of test-takers from California-accredited schools passed the July 2024 California bar exam, compared to 73% of test-takers from ABA-accredited schools in-state. Under a 2021 bipartisan law, these schools lost eligibility for GI Bill benefits. One could reasonably question why these schools remain eligible for Title IV funds. Their access to Title IV is only due to WSCUC’s stamp of approval.
However, WSCUC lacks the legal expertise to assess law school quality and lacks the applicable standards to ensure that law students receive a thorough legal education and are prepared to work as licensed lawyers. WSCUC has not established rigorous alternatives to credibly deem these law schools legitimate, calling into question whether it is “a reliable authority regarding the quality of the education or training provided by the institutions or programs it accredits,” as required by regulation.
We are concerned that accreditation of these schools places a false and misleading stamp of approval on subpar schools with a track record of poor outcomes. Students should not be recruited to take on the considerable financial burden of earning a law degree without a reasonable assurance that the education they pay for will adequately prepare them to not only sit for, but also pass, the bar exam and to have the skills and knowledge necessary to serve in the legal profession. Otherwise, they may end up with a large amount of debt but no increase to their earning potential or path to employment in their field.
We urge NACIQI to consider whether WSCUC is meeting its obligation as an institutional accreditor of these specialized programs.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Comments on WSCUC at NACIQI- December 2025