2023 Best Online Law Degree Programs Best ABA Accredited Online Law Schools for a J.D.

This is a Hybrid Juris Doctor (JD) Program with concentrations in Information Law, Intellectual Property (IP), and Technology. The program offered through the New Hampshire University Franklin Pierce School of Law is the only ABA-approved of its type in the nation.

Designed specifically for professionals working in one of the concentrations, this part-time program lets you take courses, primarily online, with intermittent immersion experiences. Taught by internationally recognized faculty, you’ll receive the same educational opportunity as resident students in curriculum and clinics, bar exam preparation, academic and career services, scholarship consideration, and more. You can earn your degree in 3.5 years with courses presented synchronously or asynchronously, discussion boards, reading/writing assignments, and more. Among the courses offered are Civil Procedure, Property, Torts, Trade Secrets, and Criminal Procedure, as well as electives. During your final year, you’ll be able to participate in the college’s Legal Residency Program (externship.)

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 92%

Both The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report agree with our ranking of the Syracuse University College of Law as one of the best online law schools. Known as the JDinteractive (JDi), this is an ABA-accredited program offered online in real-time, live, and online courses, as well as self-paced studies and brief, on-campus residencies.  This online JD program is part-time and mirrors the course content of the on-campus curriculum, and is taught by the same faculty.

This curriculum combines core courses in torts, property law, Constitutional law, civil procedures, etc., and you’ll have required on-campus residencies in Legal Foundations, Professional Skills, Legal Applications, and Advanced Legal Applications. The program offers a comprehensive slate of electives to meet your specific interests. An externship is available, working with experienced attorneys. Syracuse University has an online joint J.D./MBA you may want to explore that’s offered in partnership with the Whitman School of Management. The application deadline for this law school is July 15.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 91%

Located in Newark, Seton Hall is the only private law school in New Jersey and, since 1951, has enrolled a diverse student body. This hybrid, part-time J.D. offers the same course of study as full-time students and is taught by the same faculty.

You’ll enroll in classes that meet on alternating weekends (typically 8:30 am-5:00 pm Saturday; 9:00 am-2:15 pm Sunday) over eight weekends per semester. This J.D. can be earned in 8 semesters (88 credit hours.) The curriculum covers general law studies in tort, civil procedure, criminal law, property, and Constitutional law, with electives. After your first two years, you’ll be able to include weekday and evening classes, and up to 15 credit hours can be taken online. A unique aspect of this program is the Legal Education Opportunity (LEO) that reaches out to prospective law students who may not have access to educational, economic, or social benefits of other students. Besides mentoring, faculty support networks and financial assistance are available to those who qualify. Application to Seton Hall Law deadlines for the Fall Semester is April 1st, and transfer student applications are due June 27.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 82%

In 1909, the innovative Lincoln College of Law at Loyola University Chicago was established, and innovation continues today in the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Offering the ABA-approved Weekend J.D., you can earn this law degree with a  combination of online coursework and classroom instruction (16 weekends each academic year.) Recognized in the top 10 Best Part-Time Law Schools by U.S. News and World Report, 89% of its graduates are employed within ten months of graduation. Loyola law graduates can work in law firms as trial lawyers, state or federal judges, or government agencies.

Loyola’s nationally recognized law faculty teach the 86-credit hour curriculum in Constitutional law, torts, contracts, criminal law, civil procedure, etc. An emphasis on professional values will introduce you to professional ethics, client commitment, and more. You’ll also participate in supervised client experiences and develop skills in legal research, recognizing client needs, developing solutions to client problems, and applying legal principles.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 78%

Here’s one of the best part-time law school programs in the country. Through the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, this JD degree is one of the oldest in the country (est. 1892)  and ranks #16 in U.S. News and World Report’s Part-time program.

This is a hybrid program with about a third of your coursework provided online. On-campus classes are required every other weekend (8:15 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. on Saturdays and 8:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Sundays) to complete the first 40 credit hours. You’ll cover studies in property law, contracts, civil or criminal law, corporations, torts, and more. As you move into the second half of the program, you’ll be able to participate in externships, scheduled courses, and clinical experiences. The college encourages part-time students to join full-time students in moot courts, law journals, and mock trials. Applications are due by March 1, all students are considered for merit-based scholarships, and federal student loans are available for qualifying students.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 77%

If you have two years and want to earn a law degree, Spokane, Washington’s Gonzaga University has you covered with a two-year Executive J.D. program. This is a blended curriculum with online and on-campus coursework and participation.

You’ll begin coursework in the summer with first-year classes automatically assigned by the Registrar. Studies include 90-credit hours taught by law, leadership, and business faculty. You’ll complete 30 hours of public service work in addition to classes in tort, criminal law, legal research, writing, Constitutional law, property, etc. You’ll enter experiential learning, working with judges and attorneys on real cases with real clients. The experiential component can be done in Gonzaga’s legal clinic or through an externship. Among the requirements to apply, you need a bachelor’s degree and LSAT scores. Applications open September 1.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 72%

This Ohio university in Dayton awards a J.D. degree offered through an online, hybrid program you can complete in less than four years. You’ll study legal doctrines in torts, criminal law, civil procedures, trial practice, family law, and an externship.

Using online coursework, live instruction, and in-person participation, this school’s 90-credit hour program is collaborative in design. You’ll interact with your classmates and professors in weekly online face-to-face sessions and assigned readings, view recorded classes on policies and legal procedures, and take quizzes or answer questions. Virtual discussions with your professor and two other law students are also part of the curriculum. You’ll be required to attend weekend intensives known as “Get Relevant Experience and Applied Learning (Get REAL) Intensives” on ten specified weekends.  Each Get REAL weekend is estimated to cost between $400-500, and travel and lodging are your responsibility. Throughout the program, you’ll have 24/7 access to your coursework.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 67%

We’re including the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s FlexTime JD^SM Program in Central Islip, NY, for its flexibility for students with work and family obligations. The school receives national recognition as one of the best part-time law programs (U.S. News and World Report) and exceptional professor accessibility (The Princeton Review.)

Using evidence-based instruction and tools, this is a hybrid program that requires ten in-person classes on Sundays for Fall and Spring Semesters, and you’ll have to complete one Summer Semester. The curriculum matches the school’s full-time campus standards. FlexTime students will be offered the opportunity to participate in various activities in the legal clinic, pro bono cases, honor societies, and organizations. Those activities include Moot Court, Touro Law Review, and Trial Advocacy and Practice Society (TAPS). Externships are offered each semester in federal and state courts, private and public firms, etc. Simulation courses are part of the curriculum as well. You can take a virtual tour of the school to help with your decision.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 61%

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to earn your law degree, have work and family obligations, and can only attend part-time, you’ll want to explore the unique Part-Time Evening Juris Doctor program at Southwestern Law School. Offered in the evenings, you’ll avoid much aggravation in LA traffic.

The program uses current distance education technology, allowing you to take about half of your classes remotely and only travel to the campus twice a week in the evenings. You’ll benefit from the same curriculum as on-campus students, completing the required curriculum in your first two years and electives in the last two years. The electives allow you to participate in externships, honor programs, practical experiences, and more. Billboard Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter have named SWLA one of the best entertainment and media law schools. You’ll also benefit from a dedicated career counselor for help in job placement once you graduate. Some SWLA alumni include notable attorneys such as Marcia Clark, Gloria Alred, Tom Bradley, and others.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: 52%

For over 100 years, Mitchell Hamline School of Law in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area has catered to part-time law students. Keeping with the times, you can enroll in the hybrid JD, study online coursework, and participate in on-campus intensives. This is the first blended law degree recognized by the ABA in 2015.

In 2010, the school reimagined its hybrid program, and it’s now a four-year degree you can earn in three. The curriculum offers the best of the school’s weekend, hybrid, and executive classes. Your first two years will be a combination of 1/3 online coursework and 2/3 in-person attendance.  The last two years offer a mix of blended, on-campus, and online classes. There are no “live” online classes allowing more flexibility in your studies. Even as a non-traditional student, you’ll have the same opportunities for clinics, externships, law journals, and other activities and are trained by the same faculty who teach on-campus. You’ll want to check into the school’s Study Abroad programs.

First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rate: N/A