The American Bar Association (ABA) regulates law school education by accrediting law schools using strict criteria. Because the law is extremely country specific, the ABA does not accredit international universities. They do, however, approve study abroad programs that may last up to one year. The association puts restrictions on how many credits can be given during study abroad and how many students may attend. The result is a list of approved study abroad programs run by ABA-accredited Law Schools.

A listing of ABA-approved law schools that have closed, merged with another school, been acquired by another school, or underwent a name change.

Statement on Law School Rankings

Neither the American Bar Association nor its Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar endorses, cooperates with, or provides data to any law school ranking system. No ranking or rating system of law schools is attempted or advocated by the ABA. Rather, the ABA provides only a statement of the accreditation status of a school. Fully approved schools have demonstrated that they are operating in compliance with each of the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. Their compliance is regularly monitored and comprehensive reviews are conducted every tenth year. Provisionally approved schools, also considered “ABA-Approved,” have been determined to be operating in substantial compliance with the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. Prospective law students should consider a variety of factors in making their choice among schools. 

ABA-Approved Law Schools Archive

Below is a listing of ABA-Approved law schools that have either closed, merged with another school, been acquired by another school, or underwent a name change.

Antioch School of Law
Provisionally Approved: 1973
School closed and was acquired by the District of Columbia Council to establish the District of Columbia School of Law (DCSL): 1986
DCSL Provisionally Approved: 1991
DCSL was absorbed by the University of the District of Columbia: 1996
School is named University of District of Columbia School of Law and keeps provisional approval date of 1991

Arizona Summit (formerly Phoenix)
Approved: 2007
Approval Withdrawn: August 2020

University of California Hastings College of the Law
Approved: 1939
Law school name officially changed to University of California College of the Law, San Francisco: 2023

Charlotte School of Law
Provisionally Approved: 2008
Fully Approved: 2011
Approval Withdrawn: 2018
Law School Closed: 2018

Cleveland-Marshall Law School 
Approved: 1957
Merged with Cleveland State University to become Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law: 1969 
Law School name officially changed to Cleveland State University College of Law: November 2022

Concordia University School of Law
Provisionally Approved: 2015
Fully Approved: 2019
Approval Withdrawn: 2020
Law School Closed: 2020

Cumberland School of Law
Approved: 1949
Acquired by Howard College (now Samford University): 1961
Howard College officially became Samford University: 1965

Detroit College of Law
Approved: 1941
Entered into a contractual affiliation with Michigan State University: 1995
Law School moved to Michigan State University campus: 1997
Law School name was officially changed to Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law but was not a merger and Law School remains an independent institution

Dickinson School of Law
Approved: 1931
Merged with Pennsylvania State University: 1997
Separated into two fully-approved law schools to become Pennsylvania State University Penn State Law and Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law: June 2014

Florida A&M College Law School
Approved: 1951 (date approximate)
Closed: 1968
Re-approved as Florida A&M University College of Law: June 2004

Franklin Pierce Law Center
Approved: 1974
Becomes affiliated with the University of New Hampshire School of Law: August 2010

Hamline University School of Law
Approved: 1975
Merged with William Mitchell College of Law to form Mitchell | Hamline School of Law: December 2015

Indiana Tech Law School
Provisionally Approved: March 2016
Provisional Approval Withdrawn: August 2017
Law School Closed: June 2017

John Marshall Law School (Atlanta, GA)
Provisionally Approved: 2005
School name changed to Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School: 2007
Fully Approved: 2009

John Marshall Law School (Chicago, IL)
Approved: 1951
Acquired by University of Illinois at Chicago to become UIC John Marshall Law School: November 2018 
Official name changed to University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: July 2021

Oral Roberts University, O.W. Coburn School of Law
Fully Approved: 1981
Law School Closed: May 1986

Phoenix School of Law
Provisionally Approved: June 2007
Fully Approved: June 2010
Changed name to Arizona Summit Law School: 2013

Richmond, University of,  T.C. Williams School of Law
Fully Approved: 1928
Changed name from University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law to University of Richmond School of Law: September 2022

Rutgers Law School Camden
Approved: 1950
Merged with Rutgers Newark to become Rutgers Law School: August 2015

Rutgers Law School Newark
Approved: 1941
Merged with Rutgers Camden to become Rutgers Law School: August 2015

Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Approved: 1959
Merged with Northern Kentucky State College to become Northern Kentucky State College Salmon P. Chase College of Law: 1972
Northern Kentucky State College became Northern Kentucky University: 1976

St. Thomas University School of Law
Approved: 1988
Changed name to College of Law: 2020

Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Approved: 1994
Acquired by Texas A&M and becomes Texas A&M University School of Law: August 2013

Thomas M. Cooley School of Law
Approved: 1975
Affiliated with Western Michigan University to become Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School: June 2014

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Approved: 1983
Re-named Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center: 2022

University of Bridgeport School of Law
Approved: 1979
Renamed Bridgeport School of Law at Quinnipiac College; then Quinnipiac University School of Law after merger of Bridgeport School of Law and Quinnipiac College School of Law
Provisionally Approved: 1992
Fully Approved: 1995

University of Puget Sound School of Law
Approved: 1973
Council acquiescence granted in change of structure to Seattle University School of Law and must file application for provisional approval as new entity: 1989
Seattle University School of Law granted Provisional Approval: 1994
Fully Approved: 1996

Valparaiso University School of Law
Approved: 1929
Approval Withdrawn: August 2020

Western State College of Law at Argosy University
Changed named to Western State College of Law at Westcliff University: 2019

Whittier Law School
Approved: 1978
Approval Withdrawn: August 2020

Widener University School of Law
Approved: 1975
Branch campus established in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: 1989
Separated into two fully-approved law schools to become Widener University Commonwealth Law School and Widener University Delaware Law School: March 2015

William Mitchell College of Law
Approved: 1938
Merged with Hamline University School of Law to form Mitchell | Hamline School of Law: December 2015

A list of foreign programs.

List of Programs Offered by ABA-Approved Law Schools in a Location Outside the United States

Below is a list of programs approved in compliance with the Criteria for Programs Offered by ABA-Approved Law Schools in a Location Outside the United States. The programs listed below are open to students from other ABA-approved law schools. Law schools may have other foreign summer programs open only to their own students, which would not appear in this list. For law schools with more than one sponsor, only the primary sponsor is listed.

Contact the law school listed to determine exact program dates and to confirm that the program is being offered in a given year. Programs not offered in two-consecutive years are no longer considered approved and are removed from this list.

Akron, University of 
Nagoya, Japan and Seoul, South Korea – Summer

American University 
London, Brussels, and Geneva – Summer
The Hague, The Netherlands – Summer

Baltimore, University of 
Aberdeen, Scotland – Summer

Baylor University 
St. Andrews, Scotland – Summer

Brooklyn Law School 
Bologna, Italy – Summer
Beijing, China – Summer

Catholic University of America, The 
Rome, Italy – Summer
Cracow, Poland – Summer

Cornell Law School
Paris, France – Summer

Creighton University 
Nuremburg and Marburg, Germany; and The Hague, The Netherlands – Summer

Denver, University of 
Sorrento, Italy – Summer

DePaul University 
Berlin, Germany – Summer
San Jose, Costa Rica – Summer
Madrid, Spain – Summer
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Intersession
Havana, Cuba – Intersession

Drake University 
Nantes, France – Summer

Duke University 
Leiden and The Hague, The Netherlands – Summer

Duquesne University
Dublin, Ireland and Belfast, Northern Ireland – Summer
Cologne, Germany – Summer

Florida International University 
Seville, Spain – Summer

Florida State University
Oxford, England – Summer

Fordham University 
Belfast/Dublin, Ireland – Summer
Seoul, South Korea – Summer
Accra, Ghana – Summer

George Washington University 
Oxford, England – Summer
Munich, Germany – Summer

Georgetown University 
London, England (CTLS) – Fall and Spring Semester

Golden Gate University 
Paris, France – Summer

Gonzaga University 
Florence, Italy – Summer

Hofstra University 
Pisa, Italy – Summer
Curacao, Dutch Antilles – Intersession

Howard University 
Cape Town, South Africa – Summer

Indiana University – Indianapolis 
Beijing, China – Summer

Inter American University of Puerto Rico 
Bologna, Italy – Summer
Beijing, China – Summer

Iowa, University of 
London Law Consortium – Intersession
Arcachon, France – Summer

Louisiana State University
Lyon, France – Summer

Loyola University-New Orleans 
Panama City, Panama – Summer
Spetses, Greece – Summer
Vienna, Austria – Summer

Marquette University 
Giessen, Germany – Summer

McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific 
Salzburg, Austria – Summer

Michigan State University 
Bialystok, Poland – Summer
Kyoto, Japan – Summer
Rijeka and Dubrovnik, Croatia – Summer

Mississippi, University of 
Cambridge, England – Summer

Mississippi College 
Havana, Cuba – Intersession
Seoul, Korea and Beijing, China – Summer
Merida, Mexico – Intersession
Lille, France – Summer
Lille, France and Berlin, Germany – Summer

Missouri-Columbia, University of 
Cape Town, South Africa – Summer

Missouri-Kansas City, University of 
Dingle/Galway/Dublin, Ireland and Bangor, Wales – Summer

Mitchell | Hamline School of Law
London, England (CILE) – Summer
London, England – Summer
Jerusalem, Israel – Intersession

Montana, University of 
Beijing, Guiyang, and Chongqing, China – Summer

Nevada-Las Vegas, University of
Singapore, Macau, and Japan – Summer

New England Law | Boston 
Galway, Ireland (CILE) – Summer

New Mexico, University of 
Madrid, Spain – Summer

New York Law School 
London, England – Summer

New York University 
Shanghai, China – Fall and Spring Semester

Notre Dame, University of 
London, England – Fall and Spring Semester
London, England – Summer

Ohio Northern University 
Reykjavik, Iceland – Summer

Ohio State University 
Oxford, England – Summer

Oklahoma, University of 
Oxford, England – Summer

Pepperdine University 
London, England – Fall Semester

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico 
Toledo, Spain – Summer

Puerto Rico, University of 
Barcelona, Spain – Summer
Buenos Aires, Argentina / Santiago, Chile – Summer

Quinnipiac University 
Dublin, Ireland – Summer

Richmond, University of 
Cambridge, England – Summer

Saint Louis University 
Madrid, Spain – Summer

Samford University 
Cambridge, England – Summer

San Diego, University of 
London, England – Summer
Paris, France – Summer

Santa Clara University 
Geneva, Switzerland – Summer
Sydney, Australia – Summer
Tokyo, Japan – Summer
Oxford, England – Summer
Munich, Germany – Summer
San Jose, Costa Rica – Summer
Singapore – Summer
The Hague, Netherlands – Summer
Vienna, Austria – Summer
Shanghai, China – Summer

Seattle University 
Madrid, Spain – Summer

South Texas College of Law – Houston 
Santiago, Chile (CILE) – Summer
Valletta, Malta (CILE) – Summer
Prague, Czech Republic (CILE) – Summer

Southwestern Law School 
London, England – Summer

St. John’s University 
Rome, Italy – Summer

St. Mary’s University 
Innsbruck, Austria – Summer
Beijing, China – Summer

St. Thomas University
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, and Delft, The Netherlands – Summer

Stetson University 
Cape Town, South Africa – Summer
Granada, Spain – Summer
The Hague, Netherlands – Summer
Oxford, England – Summer
Cayman Islands – Intersession

Syracuse University 
London, England – Summer

Temple University 
Tokyo, Japan – Spring Semester
Rome, Italy – Summer

Thomas M. Cooley Law School 
Melbourne, Australia / Hamilton, New Zealand – Spring Semester
Toronto, Canada – Summer
Oxford, England – Summer

Tulane University 
Cambridge, England – Summer
Rhodes, Greece – Summer
Berlin, Germany – Summer
Siena, Italy – Summer
Paris, France – Summer

Tulsa, The University of 
Dublin, Ireland – Summer

Vanderbilt University 
Venice, Italy – Summer

Wake Forest University 
London, England – Summer
Venice, Italy – Summer
Vienna, Austria – Summer

Washburn University 
Cave Hill, Barbados – Intersession

West Virginia University 
Geneva, Switzerland – Summer
Guanajuato, Mexico – Summer

Western New England University 
Rishon Letzion, Israel – Intersession

ABA-Approved Law Schools With Approved Part-Time Programs

AKRON, UNIVERSITY OF
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
ARKANSAS, LITTLE ROCK, UNIVERSITY OF
ATLANTA’S JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL
BALTIMORE, UNIVERSITY OF
BARRY UNIVERSITY
BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL
CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW
CAPITAL UNIVERSITY
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW-IIT
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
CONNECTICUT, UNIVERSITY OF
DAYTON, UNIVERSITY OF
DENVER, UNIVERSITY OF
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
DETROIT MERCY, UNIVERSITY OF
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY
HAWAII, UNIVERSITY OF
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
HOUSTON, UNIVERSITY OF
ILLINOIS CHICAGO, UNIVERSITY OF
INDIANA UNIVERSITY – INDIANAPOLIS
INTER AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO
LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY-LOS ANGELES
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY-CHICAGO
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY-NEW ORLEANS
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
MARYLAND, UNIVERSITY OF
MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH, UNIVERSITY OF
MITCHELL|HAMLINE
NEVADA – LAS VEGAS, UNIVERSITY OF
NEW ENGLAND LAW | BOSTON
NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY OF
NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
NORTH TEXAS AT DALLAS, UNIVERSITY OF
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
PACE UNIVERSITY
PACIFIC, U. OF – MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW
PONTIFICAL CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF P.R.
PUERTO RICO, UNIVERSITY OF
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY
REGENT UNIVERSITY
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
SAN DIEGO, UNIVERSITY OF
SAN FRANCISCO, UNIVERSITY OF
SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF LAW HOUSTON
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL
ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY
STETSON UNIVERSITY
SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
TOLEDO, UNIVERSITY OF
TOURO COLLEGE
WAYNE STATE
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY
WESTERN STATE COLLEGE OF LAW
WIDENER UNIVERSITY-DELAWARE
WIDENER-COMMONWEALTH