Latest results show 56.3% of Florida law students who took bar exam passed

Some 56.3% of law students who took the Florida Bar Examination this year passed.

Just over half of the Florida law students who took the most recent bar examination this year passed the test.

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners this month released the results of some 593 people who took the exam for the first time Feb. 27 and 28 in Tampa. The Bar Exam is a tough test as only 56.3% — or 334 people — passed.

There were a dozen Florida law schools that had students who took the bar exam in February. Barry University School of Law in Miami Shores had the most students represented during the test. A total of 45 Barry law school students underwent the examination but only 22 — or 48.9% — passed it.

Florida International University College of Law in Miami had the highest percentage of students taking the exam who passed. FIU saw 82.6% of its students clear the exam, amounting to 19 out of 23 of the people who passed the test.

Ave Maria School of Law in Naples had the lowest percentage of students who cleared the exam. There were six students from the Gulf Coast school who underwent the test, but only one cleared it, amounting to 16.7% pass rate.

There were officially two students from the now-defunct Florida Coastal School of Law from Jacksonville who took the bar exam. But that school closed earlier this decade after financial issues led to its demise. Those two students did not pass the exam.

Two of the big three universities with law schools in the state had some challenges passing the bar exam. The University of Miami School of Law produced 37 students who took the test. But only 15 Hurricanes were successful, amounting to a 40.5% passing rate.

Florida State University College of Law products had an equally tough time passing the bar. There were 20 Seminoles who took the test but only 40% passed, amounting to eight people who cleared it.

The University of Florida Levin College of Law fared better on the bar exam. There were 19 Gators who took the test and 12 were successful, accounting for a 63.2% passing rate.

Other notable law school performances included St. Thomas College of Law in Miami Gardens which had a 72% passing rate, which amounts to 18 out of 25 of those students who cleared the test.

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport saw 18 out of 26 of its students who passed the bar, accounting for a 69.2% passing rate.

Florida administers the bar exam twice a year.