You can earn an online law degree and become a licensed attorney, but how far that degree will take you depends on one choice: whether the program is accredited by the American Bar Association or not. An ABA-accredited online JD carries the same weight as a traditional degree and lets you sit for the bar in any state. An unaccredited online JD costs less and offers more flexibility, but it generally limits you to practicing in California and adds an extra exam most students find brutal.
ABA-Accredited Online JD Programs
The ABA now grants specific accredited law schools permission to offer distance-education JD programs, and the list has grown well beyond a handful. Schools with approved online or hybrid JD tracks include Southwestern Law School, Syracuse University, Mitchell Hamline, Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve, Cleveland State, the University of Dayton, and Albany Law School, among others.1American Bar Association. Distance Education J.D. Programs
Because these programs carry full ABA accreditation, their graduates can sit for the bar exam in every U.S. jurisdiction. ABA standards still require meaningful interaction between students and faculty, and schools must show their distance education meets the same rigor as in-person instruction.2Cornell Law. ABA Standard 306 Distance Education In practice, that usually means a mix of live virtual classes, recorded lectures, and short on-campus residencies, though some programs are almost entirely remote.
This is the safer route. Tuition at accredited online programs tends to mirror the same schools’ in-person tuition, so the savings come from skipping relocation and commuting rather than from a cheaper degree. What you get in return is a credential that works everywhere.
Unaccredited Online Law Schools
A separate group of fully online law schools operates outside the ABA system. California runs the most established pathway for these programs through state-registered law schools, which operate under State Bar of California oversight without meeting the tougher standards required for ABA or California state accreditation.3The State Bar of California. Committee of State Bar Accredited and Registered Schools
These schools can enroll California residents and out-of-state students in fully online programs. Students must register with the State Bar within 90 days of starting classes, and the general applicant registration fee is $155.4The State Bar of California. Schedule of Charges and Deadlines Tuition often runs a fraction of what ABA-accredited programs charge, sometimes under $10,000 per year. Only a few states beyond California allow graduates of unaccredited law schools to sit for the bar at all, so if you plan to practice outside California, check that state’s specific rules before you enroll.
The Baby Bar
Students at California registered law schools have to pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, commonly called the Baby Bar, after their first year. It covers contracts, torts, and criminal law.5California Legislative Information. California Code BPC Division 3 Chapter 4 Article 4 – Section 6060 As of 2024, the exam is 100 multiple-choice questions with no essay component.6The State Bar of California. First-Year Law Students Examination
The stakes are high. Pass within three attempts and you get credit for all your law school work up to that point. Fail three times and eventually pass on a later try, and you only get credit for one year of study, which means repeating most of your coursework.5California Legislative Information. California Code BPC Division 3 Chapter 4 Article 4 – Section 6060 The Baby Bar has historically had low passage rates, and repeated failures can turn a four-year program into something much longer and more expensive. This is where the unaccredited path breaks down for many students.
Paying for an Online Law Degree
Federal student loans require enrollment in an eligible degree program at an institution with recognized accreditation.7Federal Student Aid. Eligibility Requirements ABA-accredited online JD programs meet that standard, so students can use federal loans the same way they would at any traditional law school.
Unaccredited online schools generally don’t qualify for Title IV federal funding. Students at those programs typically pay tuition out of pocket, through private loans, or on payment plans from the school. The lower sticker price offsets some of this, but you carry the full financial risk. If you don’t pass the Baby Bar, or you decide the path isn’t for you, there’s no federal loan forgiveness for what you’ve already paid.
Licensing Exams and Costs After Graduation
A JD isn’t a license to practice. Every state requires you to pass the bar exam, and nearly every state also requires you to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination on legal ethics. Only Wisconsin and Puerto Rico waive the MPRE.8NCBE. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination It’s a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice test administered three times a year, with a 2026 registration fee of $185.9NCBE. MPRE Exam Registration Each state sets its own passing score on a 50 to 150 scale, and most land in the 80 to 86 range. Many students take the MPRE during their second or third year of law school.
You also have to pass a moral character evaluation, which is a background investigation covering employment, education, and any criminal history. It typically takes eight to ten months to process, so most applicants file well before graduation.10The State Bar of California. Instructions for Application for Determination of Moral Character
Costs pile up. In California, the bar exam application fee alone is $850 for general applicants, and the moral character application adds $745. Late fees can add $50 to $250 more. Across states, bar exam application fees range from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000. Add the MPRE, fingerprinting, and a bar review course, and the licensing process after law school can easily run $2,000 to $4,000 before your first client pays you anything.
Bar Passage Rates for Online Graduates
Performance tracks accreditation more than delivery format. Syracuse University’s online JD posted an 88% first-time bar passage rate across its first 125 test-takers. Mitchell Hamline’s blended-learning graduates passed at about 74% on the July 2023 bar, compared to roughly 84% for its in-person graduates.11American Bar Association. Mythbusters: What Do We Really Know About Online Law Schools
The picture is different for unaccredited programs. Purdue Global Law School, a fully online unaccredited program, had a 30% first-time pass rate on the July 2024 California bar.11American Bar Association. Mythbusters: What Do We Really Know About Online Law Schools The ABA itself notes that broad conclusions are hard to draw because most online programs are still young, but the early numbers point in a consistent direction.
Practicing in Other States
This is the sharpest dividing line between the two paths. Graduates of ABA-accredited programs can sit for the bar in any state, and after several years of practice most can transfer their license to another state through “admission on motion” without retaking the bar.
The ABA’s model rule for admission on motion requires five years of active practice within the prior seven, and it also requires that the applicant graduated from an ABA-accredited school.12American Bar Association. Proposed Model Rule on Admission by Motion That second requirement locks unaccredited graduates out of the streamlined transfer process in most states. Some states may still let them take the bar from scratch; many won’t.
If you earn a JD from a California registered school, plan to build your career in California. Moving your license later may be possible after years of practice, but it isn’t guaranteed, and some states will never recognize the degree regardless of your experience.
Skipping Law School Entirely
A few states offer a path to the bar with no law school at all. California, Virginia, Washington, and Vermont allow candidates to prepare through supervised apprenticeship in a practicing attorney’s office, sometimes called “reading the law.” Each state structures the requirement differently, but the common thread is several years of mentored study under a licensed attorney followed by the standard bar exam.
This route is rarely used today. Pass rates for apprenticeship candidates run low, mentorship arrangements can be hard to find, and the degree-free path carries even greater portability problems than an unaccredited online JD. Worth knowing about, but go in with realistic expectations.