Accreditation and Affiliations

Overview of Accreditation

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accreditation in the United States involves non-governmental entities as well as governmental agencies. Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency’s evaluation and that meet an agency’s criteria are then “accredited” by that agency.

The United States has no federal Ministry of Education or other centralized authority exercising single national control over postsecondary educational institutions in this country. The states assume varying degrees of control over education, but, in general, institutions of higher education are permitted to operate with considerable independence and autonomy.

In order to insure a basic level of quality, the practice of accreditation arose in the United States as a means of conducting nongovernmental, peer evaluation of educational institutions and programs. Private educational associations of regional or national scope have adopted criteria reflecting the qualities of a sound educational program and have developed procedures for evaluating institutions or programs to determine whether or not they are operating at basic levels of quality.

The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency.

Accreditation

Taft Law School, as an educational division of The Taft University System, is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (www.deac.org) is a non-profit section 501(c) (6) educational association located in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1926 to promote sound educational standards and ethical business practices within the correspondence field. The independent nine-member Accrediting Commission of the DEAC was established in 1955.

The DEAC is a voluntary, non-governmental, educational organization that operates the nationally recognized accrediting association, the DEAC. The DEAC defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence in distance education institutions. The Commission is dedicated to fostering quality assurance, protection of the rights of the students and institutional self-improvement through voluntary accreditation via peer evaluation. DEAC accreditation aims to instill public confidence in DEAC institutions’ missions, goals, performances, and resources through rigorous application and peer-developed accreditation standards.

With its 80-plus years of history and its highly refined and federally recognized accreditation program, DEAC offers distance learning institutions the most current, relevant and practical services for the 21st Century.

While the law school is accredited by DEAC, its degree-granting authority in connection with its students qualifying to take the California Bar Examination and obtain admission to the practice of law in California is based on its registration as an unaccredited law school with the Committee of Bar Examiners.

Distance Education Accrediting Commission

1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808

Washington, D.C. 20036

Phone: (202) 234 – 5100

The Distance Education Accrediting Commission has provided Taft Law School with a DEAC Student Achievement Disclosure for the Public detailing it’s Aggregated Institutional Data on Student Achievement.

California State Bar Registration and Program Compliance

Taft Law School is recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) of the State Bar of California as an unaccredited correspondence law school. We are classified as a “correspondence school” because we offer fewer than 135 hours of live, interactive classes per year. Given our students’ diverse time zones, requiring live class attendance would be impractical, so we do not mandate it. This classification does not affect a student’s eligibility to sit for the California Bar Examination or practice law in California.

Taft Law School underwent a comprehensive onsite evaluation by the CBE, including reviews of our administrative operations, educational technology, faculty credentials, and academic programs, to achieve this status. Our graduates are eligible for the California Bar Examination, a crucial step toward obtaining a law license in California.

JD students must register with the State Bar of California within 90 days of starting their studies. The registration form is available on the State Bar’s website at http://www.calbar.ca.gov. Students need to submit the completed form, certified transcripts, proof of pre-legal education, and a registration fee. Accuracy on the form is critical, as it is submitted under penalty of perjury.

Completion of the First-Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSX) is required after the first year of study. Passing the FYLSX is a key milestone for taking the California General Bar Examination. Taft Law School is dedicated to supporting students in preparing for these exams. For more details on our bar exam passage rates and other statistics, please review our Business & Professions Code Section 6061.7(a) disclosure by clicking HERE.

In line with Guideline 2.3(D) of the California State Bar Guidelines for Unaccredited Law School Rules, the JD program at Taft Law School is delivered primarily online. Prospective students should be aware that a Taft Law School degree may not meet bar exam or licensure requirements in states other than California. Those intending to practice outside California should verify with the relevant licensing authority to ensure our program meets their specific educational and admission requirements.

“The method of instruction at this law school for the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree program is principally by correspondence.

Students enrolled in the J.D. degree program at this law school who successfully complete the first year of law study must pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination required by Business and Professions Code § 6060(h) and Title 4, Division 1, Chapter 1 Rule 4.3(I) of the of the Rules of the State Bar of California as part of the requirements to qualify to take the California Bar Examination. A student who passes the First-Year Law Students’ Examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it will receive credit for all legal studies completed to the time the examination is passed. A student who does not pass the examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it must be promptly disqualified from the law school’s J.D. degree program. If the dismissed student subsequently passes the examination, the student is eligible for re-enrollment in this law school’s J.D. degree program, but will receive credit for only one year of legal study.

Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California. A student intending to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding the legal education requirements in that jurisdiction for admission to the practice of law.“

Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)
TLS is approved to operate by means of accreditation by the State of California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. https://www.bppe.ca.gov/

Institutional Outcomes

The principal objective of the JDAT program is to maintain educational programs that are designed to qualify its graduates for admission to the California Bar. The programs offer instruction in the traditional theoretical subjects generally regarded as the core of the law school curriculum while providing exposure to and training in the approach and skills necessary to successfully complete the GBX.

TLS is committed to providing a quality education responsive to the needs of society, now and into the future. Valuing the rich variety of cultures, races, ages, religions, and ethnic backgrounds in the world today, TLS seeks students from all regions of the United States, and English-speaking students from around the world.

It is an objective of TLS to utilize advancing technologies in the delivery of its educational services to support the mission of the school, the administration and faculty have committed themselves to the attainment of the following objectives for the JDAT:

• To offer courses in law which contribute to any diligent student becoming a better-informed citizen, voter and/or businessperson.

• To explore the art of the argument and develop the students’ ability to apply the law to the facts in a logical and persuasive manner.

• To develop students’ abilities and skills in legal fundamentals and practical legal skills.

• To make students aware of the ethical responsibilities of attorneys.

• To develop in students an understanding of common law, analytical skills and writing approach necessary to perform well on the GBX.