Florida Bar Exam Pass Rate Drops 3% in February 2026 Administration
First-time Florida Bar exam takers saw pass rates drop to 61.8% in February, down from 64.9% last year, with wide variation among law schools.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Aspiring attorneys who took the Florida Bar exam for the first time in February achieved a pass rate of 61.8%, marking a 3% decline from the previous year’s winter examination.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners reported that 332 of 537 first-time test takers successfully passed the examination administered in Tampa on February 24-25. This represents a decrease from last year’s February results, when 359 of 553 students passed for a 64.9% success rate.
Students from accredited Florida law schools performed similarly to the overall pool, with 61.3% achieving passing scores.
Law School Performance Varies Widely
Florida State University achieved the highest pass rate among state institutions at nearly 86%, though the school had the smallest number of test takers with six of seven students passing.
Barry University sent the largest contingent of students to the examination with 48 first-time takers, of whom 28 passed for a 58% success rate. This marked an improvement for Barry, which had the lowest success rate in last year’s February administration.
The University of Miami recorded the poorest performance among Florida schools, with only 11 of 28 first-time test takers passing for a 39.3% rate.
Comparison to Previous Examinations
The February results contrast sharply with the July 2025 bar examination, when more than 2,000 students took the test and 78.4% passed. The summer administration traditionally sees higher pass rates than the winter exam.
Last year’s February examination saw Ave Maria School of Law achieve the highest pass rate with seven of eight first-time takers successfully completing the exam.
Recent Changes to Bar Admission
The examination results come after changes to Florida’s bar admission requirements. Earlier this year, the Florida Supreme Court agreed that students from schools accredited by organizations other than the American Bar Association could sit for the exam, ending the state’s three-decade reliance on ABA accreditation.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners, which operates as an administrative board of the Florida Supreme Court, continues to administer the examination twice yearly. The next administration is scheduled for July 2026.
