<p>
Liberty’s bar pass rates on the VA bar exam are respectable, but not remarkably high. If you compare the LSAC data sheets, you will find several schools with higher (e.g. Georgetown, UVa, Richmond, George Mason, George Washington) or equivalent (Wahington & Lee, William & Mary) VA bar pass rates than Liberty.</p>
<p>Granted, these are all good schools, which suggests that Liberty is doing something right. However, note that:</p>
<p>(1) these other schools, for the most part, are successfully preparing much larger numbers of students for the VA bar exam than Liberty, and</p>
<p>(2) some of these other schools are not sending their best students to the VA bar exam. At the University of Virginia, for example, the Virginia bar exam is not particularly popular. UVa graduates are more likely to take the New York bar exam (because New York City is the top legal market in the country). </p>
<p>
Liberty is a small school; the LSAC form shows only 37 JDs awarded. The small size could make admissions statistics volatile. </p>
<p>But also, Liberty is gradually expanding enrollment. If you look at the entering class [url=<a href=“http://www.liberty.edu/academics/law/index.cfm?PID=17821]profiles[/url”>http://www.liberty.edu/academics/law/index.cfm?PID=17821]profiles[/url</a>], you will see that the only 50 students entered in 2005, but this climbed steadily to 109 in 2008. It’s often necessary to sacrifice admissions standards for enrollment growth. LSAT scores dropped slightly over the same period. </p>
<p>This happened at Ave Maria, for example. The first few classes were small, had relatively high LSATs, and high Michigan bar pass rates. As they expanded, the LSATs and bar pass rates dropped significantly.</p>