Georgia State University College of Law has the No. 2 bar passage rate in Georgia. The school’s pass rate has increased steadily over the last four years.

The College of Law July bar passage rate for first-time takers was 87.6 percent compared to the state average of 79.6 percent. The University of Georgia School of Law ranked first with a pass rate of 93.7 percent.

“Our curriculum is designed for our students to graduate bar-exam ready,” said Alexis Martinez, associate dean of students in the College of Law. “Our faculty, in addition to being legal scholars, have practice experience and understand what is needed in the profession. Through our hands-on curriculum, students are gaining skills that are reflected in the types of questions on the exam.”

In addition, Georgia State boasts outstanding bar passage for graduates who sat for the July exam in other states. For jurisdictions that have reported, 87.95 percent of College of Law alumni passed the bar out-of-state. Graduates passed in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina and Virginia

Interim dean Leslie Wolf attributes the increase in the school’s bar passage rate to the programs, under the leadership of Kim D’Haene, the director of law academic success, that the school has put in place to help prepare its graduates for the bar. These include a mandatory bar example boot camp for graduating students.

“I’m delighted to see our bar passage rate continue to increase,” said Wolf. “But, we also see room for improvement and will continue our efforts to support all of our graduates.”

Georgia State experienced an overall bar passage rate of 84.8 percent — the state average is 65.8 percent.

The College of Law was named a “Best Value” college by the National Jurist and No. 2 in Health Care Law by the U.S. News & World Report.