JD DEGREES AWARDED

Earning a JD degree signifies the culmination of extensive academic study and practical training in the legal field. The analysis below explores variation in a key performance metric among law schools: the number of JDs awarded.

ABA-approved law schools awarded nearly 90 percent of the approximately 4,500 JDs conferred by California law schools in 2022.

In 2022, 4,531 JD degrees were granted by law schools in California (see figure 8). The vast majority (87 percent) were awarded by ABA-approved schools, while slightly more than 10 percent were awarded by CALS. In contrast, unaccredited law schools accounted for only 1 percent of the total JD degrees conferred that year. This distribution is not aligned with total JD enrollment and likely reflects disparities in attrition rates described above.

Figure 8. 2022 California JD Enrollment Compared with JDs Awarded by Type of Law School

Pie chart. Title: Figure 8. 2022 California JD Enrollment Compared with JDs Awarded by Type of Law School. The chart shows that the vast majority (87 percent) of JDs were awarded by ABA-approved schools.

The unaccredited law schools awarded just 72 JDs in 2022.

The ABA-approved schools have not publicly reported data regarding JDs awarded based on gender identity and the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender identity. Additionally, a significant share of students awarded a JD from unaccredited schools declined to report their race/ethnicity and gender identity, or the information is unknown for other reasons. In the absence of comprehensive data, an analysis comparing the racial/ethnic and gender composition of JDs awarded with total JD enrollment was not conducted. Instead, table 4 provides information on the number of JDs awarded based on race/ethnicity and gender identity.

The unaccredited law schools awarded just 72 JD degrees in 2022 compared with 530 awarded by the CALS and nearly 4,000 awarded by the ABA-approved schools. While students of color received the majority of JDs conferred by unaccredited schools and the minority of degrees conferred by ABA-approved schools, this translates to only 37 degrees awarded by unaccredited schools compared to 1,652 degrees awarded by ABA-approved schools. The number of JDs awarded for each racial/ethnic group is higher at CALS and ABA-approved schools compared to the number of degrees awarded by unaccredited schools.

Table 4. Number of JDs Awarded by Type of Law School by Gender Identity, Race/Ethnicity, and Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Gender Identity

ABA-approved (N)
CALS (N)
Unaccredited (N)
Total JDs Awarded
3,929
530
72
Gender Identity
ABA-approved
CALS
Unaccredited
Men
...
208
31
Women
...
308
24
Nonbinary
...
0
0
Unknown
...
14
17

Note: Data on JDs awarded by gender identity for ABA-approved schools unavailable. See methodology for more details.

Race/Ethnicity
ABA-approved
CALS
Unaccredited
American Indian or Alaska Native
10
10
0
Asian
502
53
9
Black or African American
197
43
8
Latino
704
161
14
Multiracial
227
10
4
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
12
3
2
People of Color
1,652
280
37
Unknown
135
51
19
White
2,005
199
16
Nonresidents
137
...
...
Intersection of Race/ Ethnicity & Gender Identity
ABA-approved
CALS
Unaccredited
White Men
...
83
11
White Women
...
113
5
Men of Color
...
100
19
Women of Color
...
173
15
White Nonbinary People
...
0
0
Nonbinary People of Color
...
0
0
Unknown Race/Ethnicity or Gender Identity
...
61
22

Note: Blank cells indicate unavailable data.

Next Page ▶