Huge Growth In Law School Applicants

Arizona State Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

For-Profit Law School May Merge With ASU

Arizona Summit Law School may merge with Arizona State University if the school loses its accreditation.
azcentral reports that Arizona Summit Law officials filed an appeal on July 18 with the American Bar Association after the association planned to remove the law school’s accreditation.
ABA Probation
The law school was placed on probation by the ABA in March 2017, according to the ABA Journal, after the association found the school to be out of compliance with ABA standards for program rigor and academic support.
“The council determined that the law school’s admissions practices, academic program…and outcomes…have resulted in the law school now being in a position where only immediate and substantial action can bring about sufficient change to put the law school on a realistic path back to being in compliance within the time allowed by the Standards and Rules of Procedure,” the council’s decision reads.
Teach-Out Plan

Arizona Summit officials say their main concern is ensuring that its students have a clear path to graduate and take the Bar Exam.
Peter Goplerud, the school’s new president, tells the board that Arizona and ASU may reach an agreement, in principle or on paper, within 10 days.
“The proposed teach out plan will help students finish their credit hours to graduate and complete their degree at Arizona Summit,” a statement by ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law reads. “We are currently in discussions but nothing has been finalized.”
Struggle In Recent Years
Enrollment at Arizona Summit has dropped to about 100 students. And the school expects that 30 to 40 students will transfer to other law schools this fall as a result of the schools accreditation uncertainty, according to azcentral.

Low bar passage rates have also plagued the school, where only 31% of Arizona Summit graduates passed the Arizona Bar on first try in February. For repeat test takers, that number was 14%.
Sources: azcentral, ABA Journal, ABA