Dean’s Letter, Fall 2024
Dear Purdue Global Law School Students and Alumni:
It’s always an exciting time at Purdue Global Law School, but I am happy to share some of the most thrilling news in the law school’s history.
Purdue Global Law School Approved for Connecticut Bar Exam
On October 4, 2024, the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee (CBEC) voted unanimously to add Purdue Global Law School to the list of schools whose graduates are approved to sit for Connecticut’s Bar Exam. This is a landmark breakthrough for Purdue Global Law School, as it marks the first time that a state besides California has allowed Purdue Global Law School graduates to sit for its bar exam immediately upon graduation without any additional requirements. This should provide Purdue Global Law School added momentum as it advocates for the ABA to allow fully online law schools to pursue approval and licensure opportunities for its graduates in additional states.
In at least three respects, this is even more significant than the recent rule change in Indiana. First, in Indiana, Purdue Global Law School graduates must petition the Indiana Board of Law Examiners for a waiver of the ABA-approved legal education requirement. By contrast, the CBEC approved Purdue Global Law School graduates to sit for its bar exam immediately upon graduation, without the need for a waiver, notwithstanding the current lack of ABA approval. Second, Indiana’s rule was amended to apply to a category of law schools (i.e., state-accredited law schools whose graduates are eligible to sit for the bar in at least one state upon graduation) that includes Purdue Global Law School. However, the CBEC’s decision applies only to Purdue Global Law School, and it does not extend to any other online or non-ABA law schools. Third, some might view Indiana’s approval as the result of a “home court advantage.” But no one can say the same about Connecticut’s approval, which necessarily acknowledges the quality of our online JD program and our successful outcomes.
Connecticut is one of the only states in the nation that authorizes its bar examining committee to approve a non-ABA law school for its bar exam without the need to amend the bar admission rules (which usually requires approval from a state’s supreme court). This is only the second time in the CBEC’s history that it has granted approval to a non-ABA law school and the first time that it has granted such approval to a fully online law school (the other school, Massachusetts School of Law, is a fixed-facility law school in neighboring Massachusetts).
This historic decision was the culmination of an eight-year effort. In late 2016, shortly after joining Purdue Global Law School (then Concord Law School), I petitioned the CBEC for approval. In January 2018, the CBEC voted down the petition by a narrow margin of 9-7. After Purdue Global Law School beat the ABA’s first-time bar pass rate on the February 2023 administration of the California Bar Exam, I petitioned the CBEC to reconsider its earlier decision. In January 2024, the CBEC voted to form a subcommittee to study Purdue Global Law School’s renewed petition. At the October 4 meeting, the full committee unanimously adopted the subcommittee’s favorable recommendation.
The CBEC made its approval effective as of the next available bar exam administration in February 2025. However, it is important to note that the CBEC granted this approval only for those who graduate(d) from Purdue Global Law School in the calendar year 2024 or later. Like Indiana, Connecticut utilizes the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which differs in a few respects from the California Bar Exam (see Indiana story below). We want graduates who take advantage of this new opportunity to be successful. Anyone considering applying for the Connecticut Bar Exam is strongly encouraged to contact our Director of Bar Support, Quentin Huff.
Congratulations to the entire Purdue Global Law community on this monumental achievement! We look forward to being able to share news of additional licensure opportunities in the near future.
Bar Exam Prep: New Purdue Global Law Partnership With BarBri
As of August 2024, Purdue Global Law School has partnered with BarBri, an industry leader in resources for legal studies, for bar preparation and student support materials.
Through this partnership, our students and bar takers will gain access to a comprehensive bank of study resources, culminating in BarBri’s bar exam preparation course. For our current students, these materials, in conjunction with our own Academic Resource Center, will complement their classroom learning and provide them with additional support for mastering complex legal concepts. For our bar applicants, BarBri’s review course will be integral to our bar exam preparation program — both during and after law school. As with our prior arrangement with Kaplan Bar Review, we continue to subsidize the cost of BarBri’s bar exam preparation course, with students who graduated after May 1, 2024, paying only $750 for a course valued at $3,000. Those who graduated prior to May 1, 2024, are eligible for an alumni rate of $1,500. Features include personalized study plans, flexible lecture access, unlimited essay grading, over 6,000 essay questions, model answers, customized reports for simulated multiple-choice assessments, and access to AdaptiBar’s adaptive multiple-choice question bank to strengthen test-taking skills.
We are excited about this new partnership and expect that it will enable our graduates to have even greater success on the bar exam in pursuit of their professional goals.
Updates on the California Bar Exam
In response to a growing budget deficit, State Bar of California staff made the decision to find a new vendor to provide multiple-choice questions for the bar exam and offer the bar exam remotely. Since the current vendor for the multiple-choice portion of the exam, the National Conference of Bar Examiners, would not allow their questions to be administered online, Kaplan Exam Services will now provide multiple-choice questions that can be used in a remote testing format. Administering the exam in a remote format will save the bar examiners a substantial amount of administrative costs.
Under this plan, starting with the February 2025 bar exam, applicants will have the option of taking the bar exam using remote proctoring or at a designated testing center. It is anticipated that many applicants will choose remote proctoring. The vendor chosen to proctor the bar exam is Meazure Learning. They provide live proctoring of exams administered online as well as a network of test centers around the country and the world.
It is important to note that the only change to the bar exam itself is the vendor who will be writing the multiple-choice questions. The questions produced by Kaplan will be written in the same style as those written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and they will test the same material, emphasizing the same areas of importance as before. The Committee of Bar Examiners has now released study guides for the Kaplan-produced multiple-choice questions.
Updates on the Indiana Bar Exam
As of July 1, 2024, the Indiana Board of Law Examiners (IBLE) is authorized to grant waivers to bar applicants who attended certain non-ABA-approved law schools, including Purdue Global Law School (formerly Concord Law School). A number of Purdue Global Law School waiver petitions have been submitted, and the IBLE has already granted at least a few of them.
If you are considering applying for a waiver to sit for Indiana’s bar exam, please contact Director of Bar Support Quentin Huff. He can review and provide feedback on your waiver petition or answer any questions you may have. However, please be aware that if you do not live in or intend to practice in Indiana, there is a strong likelihood that the IBLE may not approve your petition. You should also note that you will need to travel to Indiana twice — once for an in-person interview as part of the moral character and fitness screening process and again to sit for the bar exam.
Indiana utilizes the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The Purdue Global Law School (formerly Concord Law School) curriculum has been designed to prepare students for the California Bar Exam (CBX). In most respects, the format and content coverage of the UBE and CBX are the same. However, unlike the CBX, the UBE may test on (non-community property) Family Law as well as Article 9 UCC Secured Transactions.
In addition, the UBE contains two performance tests instead of one and six 30-minute essays instead of five 1-hour essays. Our program is making gains in California Bar Exam and UBE performance. Purdue Global Law School is developing plans to provide our bar takers with access to support and study resources to prepare them for the UBE distinctions. Interested bar applicants should contact Professor Huff.
By 2028, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will phase out the UBE in favor of the NextGen Bar Exam. The most impactful change in the NextGen Bar Exam will be its format, consisting of multiple-choice questions with multiple correct answers, integrated short-answer question sets instead of essays, and performance tasks. A number of jurisdictions around the country, including Connecticut, have decided to adopt the NextGen Bar Exam as early as July 2026, with Indiana adopting the new exam in July 2028. As always, Purdue Global Law School is monitoring these developments and will be prepared to support our bar takers with whatever format their bar exam may take.
Thanks, and all the best,
Martin Pritikin
Dean and Vice President
Purdue Global Law School