California is the only state that has an independent system of law schools that are not governed and approved (accredited) by the American Bar Association. Decades ago, the California Legislature and Supreme Court created two separate, but related tiers of law schools. The two tiers include California Accredited and California Registered (unaccredited) law schools, both of which share the same mission of offering affordable legal education for those who hope to become a licensed California attorney.
The difference between schools in the different tiers is based upon history and California’s public policy. Historically, California’s Registered law schools were smaller, more urban and charged lower tuition. Also, with the advent of the Internet, all California distance learning law schools (synchronous and asynchronous) once operated only as unaccredited law schools since they were not subject to California accreditation. California accredited schools typically had larger enrollments, and, at one time, could only offer a curriculum consisting of on-campus classes. As a result, they charged higher tuition.
Both tiers of law schools are governed by the same regulator, the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) which has adopted two sets of rules and guidelines of academic, scholastic, and operational standards schools in each tier must abide by. All such schools are subject to periodic inspections and oversight by the CBE to ensure that each is compliant with their respective regulations.
Finally, the biggest difference between the two tiers of law schools is that students at a registered, unaccredited law schools are required, by law, to take and pass the First Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSX or the “Baby Bar”) before they may complete their four years of law study to become eligible to take the California Bar Examination. Students at accredited schools are exempt from the FYLSX.