collageThe 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Approval Withdrawn: August 2020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Approval Withdrawn: 2018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
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