Western State College of Law 16715 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA 92606

"In the 2000s, Western State changed its graduation requirements for students in their last year of school in a desperate attempt to prevent people from taking the bar so their bar pass rates would improve. The new requirements prevented people from graduating and they financially ruined hundreds of students. They specifically went after minorities and first generation students in America. Professor Jafke stated in class that low bar pass rates were due to the high number of minorities they admitted. They are comfortable luring in minorities and taking all their tuition and then throwing them to the wolves to protect their already terrible bar pass rates. Western State should be investigated by the state bar and shut down for this scheme that defrauded hundreds of students. Please do not attend this school."

"Mixed review overall. Positives for the school were that they did have intensive bar prep for the last semester and even had a very helpful summer course focused solely on the MPT. I passed the California bar exam on my first attempt and felt Western State prepared me well for the bar exam. Aside from a few diamonds in the rough, the professors at this school are awful. Their curve is extremely arbitrary and they do try to weed people out. Also, the value for your money is well below average. It is extremely overpriced for what it is. Employers do not hold Western State in high regard."

"I'm not one to speak negatively about others, but sometimes the truth must be told - even when it is negative. This law school is very dishonest :(. First, Western is a for - profit school that prioritizes its financial interest over its students' welfare. Its Financial Aid Office told me the attendance cost, and the financial aid award amount only to change those numbers shortly after my financial aid was disbursed.  At the time, Western did not provide the cost of attendance on its website. The school withheld over $15,000 in financial aid from me (funds I relied on to cover living expenses such as rent and utilities, and school expenses such as books, for example). Yet the federal government held me responsible for funds I never received. Western did this to many students over the years as well. This mishandling of student financial aid caught up with the school several years ago, when it went into receivership and was subsequently purchased by Westcliff (another for - profit institution). Moreover, in 2017 the ABA began to crack down on poor performing law schools - law schools with a high tuition cost, but low graduation, Bar passage and employment rates. Because of this, some schools such as Whittier Law School closed down. As a response, Western changed its for - profit status to nonprofit (which changed again to private, for - profit after it was purchased by Westcliff). Second, Western admits a large 1L class, only to fail most of them during 2L and 3L. As a result, only a small number of the incoming class actually graduate - and an even smaller number take the Bar following graduation. The school relied on those small numbers to boast about its "high" Bar passage rate. In recent years, Western has been forced to provide accurate information on its Bar passage - which is very poor. According to the July 2021 Bar results, only 59 Western students took the Bar, and a dismal 29 students from that group passed. Seriously consider those numbers. Of 200+ incoming 1Ls, only 59 took the Bar, and only 29 passed. 29 out of 200+ students is very poor, to say the least. I encourage those who are considering Western State to thoroughly research this school before you decide to attend. Had I conducted thorough research on Western, I would not have wasted a year and - a - half of my life; my time, my mental and physical well-being; and (costly) loans on this school. I hope this review is helpful. Take care. :)"

"Earning my J.D. at Western State was the best decision I have made in many years. The curriculum was challenging but also very rewarding, and it thoroughly prepared me to pass the California Bar Exam on my first attempt and laid a solid foundation for my career in law. It was also far more enjoyable than I’d expected. When I first considered law schools, Western State stood out due to its large alumni network and high Bar pass rate. Once enrolled, however, I found that these practical factors paled in comparison to more subtle dynamics. Western State's culture is wonderfully encouraging and supportive. The faculty is student-focused and readily available through office hours, e-mails, etc. – far more accessible and helpful than at my undergraduate school. More importantly to me, Western State students are mutually supportive – you won't find the aggressive, cutthroat, "Paper Chase" culture that pervades some other law schools. I've met people who truly hated law school or who posted "sour grapes" negative reviews when they couldn't hack the workload or found themselves on academic probation. Don't be dissuaded by such negativity. If you devote yourself to the study of law, Western State will repay your efforts many times over."

"I attended Western State in my fifties, following my son into the legal profession. My profs and the support staff were very accessible and willing to give me any assistance I needed. The excellent preparation I received at Western State enabled me to pass the most difficult bar exam in the nation, the California exam that was at that time three days long, on my first try--despite my memory not being what it had been in my younger days."