MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Ranks High on Graduates Admitted to the California State Bar

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 27, 2008) — The road to law school begins in the first year of college, according to the American Bar Association. That academic journey began at California State University, Northridge for thousands of law school graduates who have passed the state bar exam.

Northridge leads the CSU system in the number of graduates admitted after law school to the California State Bar, according to a demographic analysis of members of the bar done by the bar.

CSUN also ranks 9th among the 25 undergraduate schools with the largest number of graduates who have passed the general bar examination, a prerequisite to practicing law in this state. Other Cal State campuses ranked in that top 25 include: San Diego State, Long Beach, Fullerton, San Francisco State, San Jose, Sacramento and Cal State Los Angeles.

The California bar exam, considered among the most difficult in the nation, posted a pass rate of 56.1 percent for the test held in July, the most recent data available. However, only 36.8 percent passed the spring 2007 exam.

Success may result from many factors, but it is rooted in a strong academic foundation. While the American Bar Association does not recommend specific undergraduate majors for students who want to become lawyers, it has identified core skills that they need, including: analytic and problem-solving skills, critical reading abilities, writing skills, oral communication and listening abilities, general research skills and task organization and management skills, as well as the ability "to produce lengthy and well-researched papers."

Northridge graduates who have become lawyers earned undergraduate degrees in a number of fields such as business and economics, political science, psychology and English. At CSUN, undergraduates can choose from more than 60 areas of concentration, from accountancy, art, biology, business law, to political science, psychology, sociology and ethnic, racial, gender or religious studies.

California State University, Northridge has 35,200 full- and part-time students and offers 62 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.