Ashworth College

I would caution you against SCUPS. While I personally don't have any experience with them, I do know that they are not viewed very favorably on this board. Also, I checked out SCUPS on the state of Oregon's list of unaccredited schools, and they only recognize one program offered by SCUPS, and it wasn't the JD.

If it's a distance JD you're seeking, it's best to go with a program like the Concord Law School, which is accredited by DETC. However, upon completing the program you will only be eligible to sit for the California Bar exam. Other options would include online study for an LLM or LLB, which may give you more utility, depending on what you want to do with the degree. If you decide to go the LLM or LLB route, there are programs in Great Britain and RA choices in the U.S. You could start by looking here:

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/criminal-justice/law-degree.htm


If a law degree is what you are pursuing, Ashworth is not the route to go.

 

Nah...

Never looked at Ashworth for that...I was originally going to pursue an AA in Paralegal Studies. That was the only reason I was going to Ashworth. Once I decided to go further I knew Ashworth wouldn't cut it.

I live in CA and my husband just graduated from a B&M unaccredited law school. He passed the Baby Bar and is studying for the General Bar. I don't have a problem with taking the Bar in CA.

My problem is I don't have a Bachelor's starting out. Unaccredited B&M schools here in CA will allow most folks to be admitted after passing certain CLEPs, based on CalBar requirements. My options are pretty limited.

I am willing to put in the work, but I will be bored to tears at a B&M school. Either that, or I will be in jail for choking the life out of some dimwit who thinks we all need to know everything that has ever happened to her that had to do with anything mentioned in class.

I called SCUPS...they seemed reasonable on the phone, and were very up front about how new the JD program was and that their pass rates (50% for the General Bar and 44% for the Baby Bar) were accurate but should be weighed against the numbers of people taking the tests.

Many schools do not try to warn people about that, and how numbers only mean so much. Some schools are very protective of their Bar pass rates, to the detriment of the students. Then they make a big deal out of their pass rates, without telling them that they automatically kick people out if they aren't likely (in the Dean's opinion) to pass the Bar. I'd rather know they are not just protecting their pass rates and giving folks a shot at getting to try.

Anyway, thanks for the tip...I will look around a little more.

 

Re: Not to belabor...

These schools are not B&M institutions rather distance education schools. However, before you commit to SCUPS, I would look into the following schools:

1. Nortwestern California University School of Law

http://www.nwculaw.edu/index.shtml

Very well respected and cheap too! $2800/yr.

2. William Howard Taft University (http://www.taftu.edu/)

Another highly respected school in DL law. A little more expensive but they are DETC accredited. DETC accreditation may be useful if California or any other state follows suit with Oregon and outlaws the use of "non-accredited" degrees.

These two are my personal favorites and from my research the feeling is they have much better programs than SCUPS which in turn may translate into higher pass rates?

Hope this helps!

 

Northwestern California University was good enough for a member of the FDIC's Board of Directors:

James E. Gilleran
Mr. Gilleran became Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) on December 7, 2001. As OTS Director, Mr. Gilleran is also an FDIC Board member.

Mr. Gilleran was Chairman and CEO of the Bank of San Francisco from October 1994 until December 2000. From 1989 to 1994, he was the California State Banking Superintendent. He served as Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) from 1993 to 1994, and was a member of the CSBS’s Bankers Advisory Council until 2000.

Prior to his service as the California Banking Superintendent, Mr. Gilleran was managing partner of the Northern California practice of the public accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick. Before serving as managing partner, he was in charge of KPMG’s banking practice in the western region of the U.S. He was with KPMG from 1958 through 1987.

Mr. Gilleran has also been involved in a number of educational, civic and charitable organizations, including serving as Chairman of both the American Red Cross of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Metropolitan YMCA.

Mr. Gilleran is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. He graduated from Pace University in 1955, and received his law degree from Northwestern California University in 1996.

 

This is my personal opinion but Ashworth is more of a career college for people looking to get jobs in lower level management and entry level professional positions.

It is fully accredited and recognised but for the most part seems to attract those looking for degree that leads to an entry level management position.

This is not based on statistics but what I interpret the school to be.