UCI’s law school receives provisional accreditation

The American Bar Assn. approved UC Irvine School of Law’s provisional accreditation, officials said Tuesday.

The law school, which opened in August 2009, joins five other universities with provisional accreditation from the ABA, according to a news release.

“The ABA Council of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar said the Law School … fulfills the criteria necessary for provisional accreditation,” according to the release.

Provisional accreditation means the school’s graduates can take the bar exam without first taking a qualifying exam.

Schools become eligible for provisional accreditation after two years, and for full accreditation after five. There are 200 accredited institutions in the U.S., according to the ABA’s website.

The law school attracted 60 students its first year and 84 the next year, according to the school’s website.

The school’s first two classes boasted LSAT scores and median grades on par with those of students from the country’s most prestigious law schools, according to the release.

— Britney Barnes