Northwestern California University School of Law

Northwestern California University School of Law
Motto"Liberty with responsibility"
Established1982 (1982)
School typePrivate online law school
DeanMichael P. Clancey
LocationSacramento, California, US
38°36′21″N 121°30′44″W / 38.60583°N 121.51222°W / 38.60583; -121.51222
Enrollment889 (613 1st year, 173 2nd year, 72 3rd year, 31 4th year)[1]
Faculty3 (FT), 17 (PT)[1]
Bar pass rate50% (July 2025, 1st time takers)[2]
Websitenwculaw.edu

The Northwestern California University School of Law is an online law school registered in Sacramento, California, founded in 1982.[3] It is approved and accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California,[4] and is authorized to award the Juris Doctor degree upon completion and graduation from the program. However, it is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Academics

NWCU offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Graduates receive the JD degree after the successful completion of their four-year part-time program, which must be completed continuously.[5]

The NWCU Law program is regulated according to the standards set by the State Bar of California, requiring 3,600 hours of verified academic engagement and study in total. Foundational classes are taught in 12-month blocks.

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.[6]

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.[7] The school is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). As a result, students are generally not permitted to take the bar exam outside of California[7] 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.[8]

Admissions

For the class entering in 2025, the school accepted 1235 out of 1697 applicants (72.8%), with 613 of those accepted enrolling, a 49.6% yield rate. The school does not require submission of LSAT scores. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.16. Its 25th and 75th percentile GPAs were 2.77 and 3.56.[9]

Employment

By 2025, 21% of the 2022 graduates who had passed the bar exam and responded to the school's survey request were employed in positions requiring bar passage (i.e. as attorneys) and a further 36% were employed in JD advantage positions.[10]

Tuition

The total tuition and fees for the four-year program is $20,975, not inclusive of books or other expenses.[9]

Notable alumni

  • Max Hardberger (1998), 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.[11] The movie The Informant starring Matt Damon[12] was based on Whitacre's role in the ADM price-fixing case.

References

  1. ^ a b "January 2026 Annual Disclosure by California Accredited Law Schools Under California Business & Professions Code Section 6061.7(a)" (PDF). nwculaw.edu.
  2. ^ "California Bar Statistics" (PDF). calbar.ca.gov.
  3. ^ "History of the School". NWCU Law.
  4. ^ "Law Schools". State Bar of California.
  5. ^ "Degree Requirements".
  6. ^ "NWCU Student Catalog" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b "Accreditation | Northwestern California University School of Law". nwculaw.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  8. ^ "Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements" (PDF). National Conference of Bar Examiners. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  9. ^ a b "January 2026 Annual Disclosure by California Accredited Law Schools Under California Business & Professions Code Section 6061.7(a)" (PDF). nwculaw.edu. Northwestern California University School of Law. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  10. ^ "January 2026 Annual Disclosure by California Accredited Law Schools Under California Business & Professions Code Section 6061.7(a)" (PDF). nwculaw.edu. Northwestern California University School of Law. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
  11. ^ "Muirhead, S. "Whiteacre paid ultimate price" Feedstuffs: The Weekly Newspaper for Agribusiness Vol. 80, No. 22, June 2, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  12. ^ IMDb The Informant! (2009)

[1]

  1. ^ "2025 Minimum Cumulative Five-Year Bar Examination Pass Rates for California Accredited Law Schools (MPR) - Minimum-Pass-Rate-Standard-Cumulative-Pass-Rates-2025.pdf" (PDF). Feb 12, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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