ABA Required Disclosures (Standard 509)
Standard 509 of the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools requires the Law School to disclose a variety of consumer information on its website. This page provides convenient access to that information.
Washington and Lee University School of Law has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1923. For more information regarding ABA accreditation: Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610,(312) 988-5000.
Standard 509 Information Report
The ABA Standard 509 information reports contain basic information about the Law School regarding admissions, curriculum, enrollment, financial aid, tuition and other required areas in an ABA-approved format.
Employment Outcomes
Detailed employment statistics about our recent graduates, including the ABA employment summary reports, are available below.
ABA Employment Reports: Class of 2021 | Class of 2020* | Class of 2019
*Information on employment outcomes for the Class of 2020 may not reflect a particular law school's typical results in this area. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, bar admission exams were canceled or delayed in many jurisdictions, thus making it more challenging for graduates to secure employment by the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.
NALP Reports: 2021 | 2020 | 2019
Bar Passage Data
Compliance with 34 CRF 688.43 - State Bar Requirements
ABA Bar Pass Reports: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2022
W&L graduates from the Class of 2022 had a 92.59% (25/27) bar passage rate for first time takers in Virginia on the July 2022 examination. Nationally, W&L Class of 2022 graduates had a 91.07% (102/112) passage rate on bar exams in all states.
Class of 2022 graduates took the bar in 27 jurisdictions. In 21 of those jurisdictions, all graduates sitting for the exam passed. Those jurisdictions include Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. Below are the pass rates in jurisdictions with a significant number of first-time bar takers.
- Virginia - 92.59% (25/27)
- New York - 100% (17/17)
- Maryland - 90.91% (10/11)
- District of Columbia - 80% (12/15)
2021
W&L graduates from the Class of 2021 had a 79.3% (23/29) bar passage rate for first time takers in Virginia on the July 2021 examination. Nationally, W&L Class of 2021 graduates had a 89.5% (102/114) passage rate on bar exams in all states.
Class of 2021 graduates took the bar in 26 jurisdictions. In 21 of those jurisdictions, all graduates sitting for the exam passed. Those jurisdictions include Alaska, Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Below are the pass rates in jurisdictions with a significant number of first-time bar takers.
- Virginia - 79.3% (23/29)
- District of Columbia - 95% (19/20)
- New York - 93% (14/15)
- North Carolina - 100% (9/9)
- Texas - 100% (8/8)
- Delaware - 100% (5/5)
2020
W&L graduates from the Class of 2020 had a 100% (19/19) bar passage rate for first time takers in Virginia on the July 2020 examination. For the one-day September examination, the passage rate was 86.4% (19/22). The total passage rate in Virginia for all first time takers from the Class of 2020 was 92.68%. Nationally, W&L Class of 2020 graduates had a 92.59% (125/135) passage rate on bar exams in all states.
Class for 2020 graduates took the bar exam in 28 jurisdictions, with 100% pass rates in in North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Georgia, Illinois, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico, West Virginia, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Alaska, Arkansas and Colorado. The five most popular jurisdictions for the Class of 2020 were Virginia, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey. The Class of 2020 pass rates for these jurisdictions are listed below.
- Virginia - 92.68% (38/41)
- District of Columbia - 92.86% (13/14)
- North Carolina - 100% (13/13)
- New York - 90% (9/10)
- New Jersey - 87.5% (7/8)
2019
W&L graduates from the Class of 2019 had an 82% (23/28) bar passage rate for first time takers in Virginia on the July 2019 examination. The passage rate in Virginia for all first time takers, including three members of other classes, was 80.65%. Nationally, W&L Class of 2019 graduates had a 90.5% (95/105) passage rate on bar exams in all states.
Class of 2019 graduates took the bar exam in 23 jurisdictions, with 100% pass rates Alaska, Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. The five most popular jurisdictions for the Class of 2019 were Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Texas, the District of Columbia, and Alabama. The Class of 2019 pass rates for these jurisdictions are listed below.
- Virginia - 82% (23/28 )
- New York - 100% (10/10)
- NC - 100% (9/9)
- Texas - 100% (9/9)
- DC - 100% (7/7)
- Alabama - 100% (7/7)
2018
W&L graduates from the Class of 2018 had an 96.55% (28/29) bar passage rate for first time takers in Virginia on the July 2018 examination. Nationally, W&L Class of 2018 graduates had an 89% (97/109) passage rate on bar exams in all states.
Class of 2018 graduates took the bar exam in 25 jurisdictions, with 100% pass rates in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. The five most popular jurisdictions for the Class of 2018 were Virginia, New York, North Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. The Class of 2018 pass rates for these jurisdictions are listed below. The numbers in parentheses represent total number of 2018 graduates who passed the bar exam divided by the total number of 2018 graduates who sat for the bar exam in that jurisdiction:
- Virginia - 96.55% (28/29)
- New York - 100% (13/13)
- North Carolina - 78% (7/9)
- District of Columbia - 100% (8/8)
- Maryland - 83% (5/6)
Admissions Data
Current Entering Class Profile
ABA Scholarship Retention Data
Washington and Lee Law School does not award scholarships that are conditional on law school academic performance; therefore we do not post an ABA ‘conditional scholarship retention worksheet.’
Definition of Law School Credit Hour
The American Bar Association and Department of Education require that schools adopt, publish, and enforce written policies on the determination of credit hours.
Transfer of Credit
Our transfer of credit policy is available here.
Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid
Information about tuition and fees is available here.
Information about financial aid is available here.
Refund Policies
Information about the refund policies that apply to students who leave school during the semester is available here.
Curricular Offerings
Other Policies and Statements
For more policy information, including the University's non-discrimination statement, click here.