For decades, almost every state left that decision to the ABA. Since 2026, several are taking it back, and that can change which degree or which LL.M. qualifies you for the bar exam.
Many rules for foreign-trained lawyers hinge on one phrase: "an ABA-approved law school." New York requires your LL.M. to be from one; 32 jurisdictions require it for admission without examination; Arizona requires it for its limited license.
When a state changes who decides which law schools count, those rules can change too: which LL.M. works for you, which degree is accepted and whether your license can be taken to another state.
| Model | Who decides which law schools count | Do ABA law schools still count? | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| The ABA (almost every state) | The ABA accredits; the state accepts its list | Yes | Decades ago |
| California | The State Bar accredits its own law schools, in addition to the ABA's | Yes | Decades ago |
| Texas | The Supreme Court, with its own list | Yes: today its list is the same schools | January 6, 2026 |
| Florida | Other accreditors recognized by the Department of Education and approved by the Court | Yes | October 1, 2026 |
| Alabama | The Court names the state's law schools and accepts out-of-state ones if their graduates can take the exam there | In practice yes, although the rule no longer names it | January 1, 2027 |
| Tennessee | Accreditors approved by the Court, which may name others besides the ABA, including other supreme courts | Yes: for now the ABA is the only approved accreditor | Order of October 2, 2026 |
For decades
The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education accredits law schools' J.D., and almost every state requires graduating from one of them to take the bar exam. The ABA does not accredit LL.M. programs: it only acquiesces in an approved school offering them.
If your degree is from another country: That is why so many rules for foreign degrees ask for an LL.M. "from an ABA-approved law school."
For decades
The State Bar of California, through its Committee of Bar Examiners, accredits its own law schools; ABA schools are considered accredited. It also registers unaccredited law schools (in-person, correspondence and distance learning), whose students must pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX, the "baby bar").
If your degree is from another country: If you are already admitted as a lawyer in another country, the "baby bar" does not apply to you: you can take the California exam with no additional study. And a degree from a law school accredited only by California works in California; almost no other state recognizes it. Tennessee and Massachusetts also have state-accredited law schools.
Order of January 6, 2026, in force that day
The Supreme Court of Texas removed the reference to the ABA from its rules and now approves law schools itself. Its initial list includes all the schools already approved, and losing ABA accreditation is not enough to be removed from it. The Court says it will use simple, objective criteria, that it will work out with the Board of Law Examiners how to admit new schools, and that it wants to preserve the portability of degrees between states.
If your degree is from another country: The order does not address the rules for foreign degrees.
Opinion of January 15, 2026, in force October 1, 2026
The Supreme Court of Florida stopped depending only on the ABA. Graduates of ABA law schools can still take the exam, and now so can graduates of law schools approved by another law-degree accreditor recognized by the Department of Education, or by an institutional accreditor recognized by that department and approved by the Court. Today the ABA is still the only recognized accreditor for the law degree, and the Court has not yet defined how it will approve others.
If your degree is from another country: The opinion does not change the rule for foreign degrees (4-13.4), but that rule asks for an LL.M. from "an accredited law school," the term that is now being broadened. Once the Court approves another accreditor, an LL.M. from its schools will count the same for that route.
Order of April 30, 2026, in force January 1, 2027
The Supreme Court of Alabama names five in-state law schools, two of them without ABA accreditation (Birmingham School of Law and Miles Law School). It accepts graduates of out-of-state law schools if they can take the exam in their own state, as long as they completed at least three academic years: it no longer recognizes accelerated two-year programs.
If your degree is from another country: With a foreign degree you can take the exam if you are already admitted in a U.S. jurisdiction, if you have a graduate degree, such as an LL.M., from a U.S. law school Alabama recognizes, with at least one academic year in person, or if you show that your education is substantially equivalent.
Order of October 2, 2026
The Supreme Court of Tennessee now requires graduating from a law school accredited by an "approved accreditor": any entity the Court approves, including the supreme courts of other states. For now, the ABA is the only one, and the Court will say later whether it adds others. The route by which the Board of Law Examiners approves in-state law schools without ABA accreditation, such as the Nashville School of Law, remains. The Court also removed the requirement of having practiced three of the last five years that it imposed on graduates of law schools not approved by Tennessee, and created working groups on other paths to licensure, mobility between states and limited-license professionals. When it opened the topic, in 2025, the Court presented it as an access-to-justice issue: lowering the barriers to entering the profession and the cost of legal services.
If your degree is from another country: According to the published summaries, the order does not change the rules for foreign degrees. The working groups on other paths to licensure and mobility between states are the ones to follow.
Reviewed on October 23, 2026. This topic changes fast: confirm the current rule with your state's court or bar.
This page is for information and is not legal advice. The decision on your admission belongs to each state's supreme court and board.
We guide you on your degree, your state and your options before you invest in a program.
