# Northwestern California University School of Law

The Northwestern California University School of Law is an online-only law school registered in Sacramento, California, founded in 1982. It is accredited by the State Bar of California, and is approved to award the Juris Doctor degree upon completion and graduation from the program. Although it is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California, it is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

## Online law education

The school delivers courses entirely through a distance education format. The main teaching medium is the internet by means of virtual classrooms, discussion boards, live online audio and video lectures, online study groups, and the use of videoconferencing. NWCU Law offers its courses through eJuris, an online law school platform developed by the school. All students are also provided with access to LexisNexis and to CALI.
NWCU is a part time program spanning four years of continuous study. As a part time program the NWCU Law program is regulated according to the standards set by the State Bar of California, requiring a cumulative 3,600 hours of verified academic engagement and study. Foundational classes are taught in year long blocks requiring a 12-month course of study.
In 2024, Sophia Park, a graduate of Northwestern California University School of Law, become the youngest person to pass the California bar exam at 17 years, 8 months old.

## Accreditation

The Northwestern California University School of Law is approved and accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. Students to whom the school awards the JD degree are eligible to take the California Bar Examination and become licensed in the State of California. The school is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) due to being an online-only institution and the failure to meet the ABA 75% bar passage within two years of earning a diploma. As a result, students are generally not permitted to take the bar exam outside of California immediately after graduation. Currently 23 states allow graduates to take their respective bar exams and be admitted to practice law after passing the bar in California and practicing for a set number of years.

## Admissions

For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 1057 out of 1254 applicants (84.29%), with 569 of those accepted enrolling, a 53.83% yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who enrolled). The school does not require submission of LSAT scores. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.07. Its 25th/75th percentile GPAs were 2.69/3.46.

## Degree offered

NWCU offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree. Graduates receive the J.D. degree after the successful completion of their 4L year.

## Employment

For 2020 graduates, by 2023, 47% of the 35 member graduating class were employed in positions requiring bar passage (i.e. as attorneys) and 53% were employed in JD advantage positions.

## Tuition

Per year, NWCU's tuition is $4,980 plus $100 for registration fees, not inclusive of books or other materials approximated at $825 to $1,325 annually. The total tuition and fees for the four-year program is $20,020, not inclusive of books or other expenses. The university is one of the least expensive state accredited law schools in California.

## Notable alumni

* Max Hardberger, adventurer, ship captain, aviator, ship recovery specialist, and author.
* Mark Whitacre, president of Archer Daniels Midland's bioproducts division, who became a whistleblower under U.S. federal whistleblower statutes. The movie The Informant starring Matt Damon was based on Whitacre's role in the ADM price-fixing case.