The ABA requires that law schools have adequate financial resources, a dean and a governing board that ensures checks and balances between the dean and the faculty. The ABA requires administrative structures that ensure participation by students and alumni in the governance and direction of the school. The ABA prohibits discrimination in appointments and hiring.
The ABA requires a legal curriculum that assures most dedicated students can pass the bar exam. To measure this, the ABA assesses the bar exam pass-rates over the past five years. During that period, in at least three of those years, the institution's pass-rates must meet or exceed 75 percent of graduates.
A student-faculty ratio must be at least 20:1 before performance standards are invoked to assess whether the school has adequate faculty to perform its mission. A student-faculty ratio of 30:1 or higher will result in loss of approval. Full-time, tenure-track faculty must give the majority of instruction, including all instruction to first-year students. Some part-time faculty must be practicing judges or attorneys. All faculty must hold the Juris Doctor degree.
Students may only be admitted with either a bachelor's degree or, in the case of exceptionally promising students, three-quarters of the degree requirements for a bachelor's degree. The standard test to assess suitability for admission is the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Student LSAT scores are a major, though not the exclusive, factor in admission. Discrimination on any account, except academic performance or criminal background, is strictly forbidden.
ABA-approved law schools shall maintain a complete, current and competently administered law library, in addition to a general academic library. Law schools are also required -- in accordance with prevailing practices -- to have adequate access to computers and the Internet.
The ABA requires facilities that are adequate in space and resources for use by students, faculty and staff. Facilities must be safe and comfortable, with adequate technological capacity for day-to-day operation. Facilities must have "reasonable access" for handicapped students, faculty and staff.