Elle Woods might have never taken virtual classes, but more and more law school applicants are looking for the opportunity to attend online law school. There are many reasons a student might want to pursue online legal studies: maybe they don’t want to relocate for school or maybe they just appreciate the flexibility. While online law schools are not yet mainstream, there are a few options to get your law degree.
The ABA (that’s the American Bar Association!) has only recently started accrediting online and hybrid law schools—right now in the United States, there are only about a dozen ABA-approved J.D. programs. Additionally, there are several non-accredited schools that offer online J.D. programs. While many states allow students from non-accredited law schools to sit for the state bar exam, attending an ABA-accredited school makes the process easier and ensures that your law school’s legal education is approved.
Here are five ABA-approved online J.D. programs for any law student:
St. Mary’s School of Law: Online J.D.
Location: San Antonio, TX
Ranked: 147
LSAT Percentiles: 148 | 151 | 155
GPA Percentiles: 2.67 | 3.14 | 3.44
Acceptance Rate: 48.46%
Bar Passage Rate: 87.05%
St. Mary’s online J.D. program is unique because it is the only ABA-approved fully online law program. The program was introduced in 2021. St. Mary’s only requires an in-person, two- to three-day personal development program once every other semester. This means that St. Mary’s students will only spend a few weeks total on campus.
Syracuse University College of Law: JDinteractive
Location: Syracuse, NY
Ranked: 103
LSAT Percentiles: 154 | 157 | 160
GPA Percentiles: 3.19 | 3.51 | 3.72
Acceptance Rate: 32.74
Bar Passage Rate: 93.05%
Syracuse University’s JD interactive is a part-time evening program that prioritizes real-time interaction. A typical course includes about 50% live instruction and 50% asynchronous work. Students take six residential courses throughout their time, each of which is a week long. The first four must be taken on Syracuse’s central New York campus, while the other two can be taken in other cities, like New York or Washington, D.C.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law: Blended Learning
Location: St. Paul, MN
Ranked: 147
LSAT Percentiles: 149 | 152 | 157
GPA Percentiles: 2.81 | 3.2 | 3.55
Acceptance Rate: 62.38%
Bar Passage Rate: 84.45%
Mitchell Hamline’s Blended Learning program was the first to be approved by the American Bar Association. The program requires students to come to campus twice per semester for their first four semesters, after which on-campus attendance is optional. Mitchell Hamline advertises their online classes as having no synchronous portion, meaning students have the flexibility to complete work at any time.
Northeastern University School of Law: FlexJD
Location: Boston, MA
Ranked: 73
LSAT Percentiles: 154 | 160 | 164
GPA Percentiles: 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.66
Acceptance Rate: 24.4%
Bar Passage Rate: 94.06%
Northeastern’s FlexJD is a part-time program that includes live and asynchronous classwork. During the four-year degree program, students are required to attend six on-campus intensives, each over a long weekend.
University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law: Hybrid JD
Location: Concord, NH
Ranked: 105
LSAT Percentiles: 153 | 156 | 158
GPA Percentiles: 3.06 | 3.46 | 3.63
Acceptance Rate: 49.7%
Bar Passage Rate: 93.65%
The University of New Hampshire’s Hybrid JD program is unique in that it specializes in intellectual property (IP), technology, and information law. As IP law is a growing field, this program is great for STEM professionals looking to change careers. Students come to campus once or twice each semester for a period of 3-5 days.
With online learning becoming more and more popular post-pandemic, it’s likely that the ABA will continue to approve hybrid and online programs, allowing students more flexibility. One thing is certain, though: students put their best foot forward when applying to any legal program with a strong LSAT. Blueprint Prep is the best investment you can make while studying for the LSAT and the LSAT question types. Sign up for an account today to access our free resources and start your LSAT prep journey.
