The University of Florida Levin School of Law is located in Gainesville, in central Florida. The school has admitted only 28.8 percent of the 3,373 students who applied in 2011, as the state continues to weather a rough economic downturn that's even affected the legal profession. About 85 percent of its graduates pass the Florida bar exam; 9 of 10 stay in the south Atlantic region, stretching from Florida to Washington, D.C.
Located in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee, the Florida State University College of Law offers a wide range of activities for law students. The school claimed a 99 percent employment rate for its 2009 graduates, using the same methodology as the U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings. Three quarters of its graduates stayed in Florida, with most of those remaining to practice law in Tallahassee.
Florida A&M University School of Law in Orlando is affiliated with the largest historically black college in the nation. The school was created in 1949 to educate black lawyers and closed in 1965 before being reopened in 2002. After struggling in the middle of the decade, the school won full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2009, as well as recognition from U.S. News & World Report for being the most diverse law school in the nation.
Florida International University in Miami admitted 506 students of 2,570 who applied in 2010. Like other state public law schools, it's done well in placing its graduates into full-time jobs. About 91 percent of 2009 graduates had found work within nine months of graduating. Slightly more than 80 percent passed the state bar examination.