The University of Kansas Law School has a new No. 1 national ranking — a greater percentage of its students pass the bar exam within two years of graduation than any law school in the country.

KU had 100% of its 2021 law school graduates pass a state bar exam within two years of graduation, which put the university at the top of a list of 195 law schools reviewed by the American Bar Association. In a more narrow measurement, 92% of all KU law school graduates who took the bar exam in 2023 passed the exam on their first try, which ranked the school 26th in the country.

When looking just at students who took the bar exam in Kansas, KU Law School graduates had a first-time pass rate of 90.5%, compared to a 77.2% first-time pass rate for all other individuals who were taking the Kansas bar exam for the first time.

KU officials were touting both rankings. In a press release, KU Law School Dean Stephen Mazza credited a program the school began in 2018 that automatically offers a free post-graduation bar review course to every law school student. The course includes a simulated bar exam and other study aides.

Mazza said KU’s program is unique because its cost is entirely funded by donors, meaning that KU law students don’t have a charge or a special fee added to their tuition for the course.