University of Dayton School of Law Partners with Kaplan to Provide All Students with Comprehensive Bar Exam Preparation

Partnership expands affordable, equitable access to bar-aligned readiness tools and comprehensive bar prep for all students

The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) is providing its students with comprehensive bar exam preparation through a new institutional partnership with global education company Kaplan, as part of Kaplan's award-winning All Access License®. Starting in the Fall 2026 semester, all UDSL students enrolled in its J.D. and LL.M. programs will be able to take advantage of this new offering.

Through the partnership, Kaplan will provide UDSL and all its students with robust academic and bar-readiness services from orientation through graduation, including integrated curriculum tools, diagnostics, and assessments, along with bar-aligned practice resources designed to support the transition from law school to practice. After graduation, all Residential and Hybrid J.D. graduates will have access to Kaplan's bar review course for the jurisdiction in which they plan to sit for the bar exam.

UDSL pursued an institutional bar-prep partnership to provide early access to more predictable, comprehensive, equitable, and affordable bar preparation.

UDSL's focus on bar readiness is reflected in recent outcomes. Nearly 90 percent of its J.D. graduates passed the July 2025 bar exam on the first attempt. Since the Hybrid J.D. program launched in 2019, its graduates have maintained a first-time pass rate above 90 percent. Additionally, 94 percent of its graduates who participated in the law school's post-graduation bar preparation support program passed the bar exam on the first attempt.

"Our goal is to support the transition from law school to practice in a way that is comprehensive, robust, and equitable," said UDSL Interim Dean Christopher Roederer. "This partnership lowers the total cost of bar prep by moving away from a single, high price point at the end of law school, and it expands meaningful support earlier, when students can benefit from diagnostics, skills development, and bar-aligned practice throughout their education and up to the bar exam."

Earlier access is central to the effort, said Tommy Sangchompuphen, director of bar preparation at UDSL. "With earlier diagnostics and bar-aligned practice, we can identify needs sooner, reinforce core skills throughout the curriculum, and help students enter bar prep with greater momentum," Sangchompuphen said.

UDSL's selection of Kaplan followed a months-long evaluation process, led by a cross-functional team that included bar preparation leadership, academic success, and administrators in academics, admissions, and finance. The group met with major providers, requested proposals, and compared options based on cost/value, in-school resources and post-graduation support, analytics and faculty tools, student support services, and readiness for the transition from the Legacy Uniform Bar Examination to the Nextgen UBE.

"We were focused on expanding access to bar-prep and academic success resources with the lowest possible financial impact to students," Dean Roederer said. "Kaplan stood out for the depth of in-school resources, the strength of its data and faculty tools, and its readiness to evolve as jurisdictions shift to NextGen."

UDSL also cited strong outcomes among its students using Kaplan in recent years. Based on UDSL's internal analysis of results from 2023 to 2025, more than 90 percent of UDSL students enrolled in Kaplan Bar Review passed the bar exam on the first attempt. Kaplan also showed strong first-time pass rates across quartile bands of law school GPA, including a 75-percent first-time pass rate in the bottom 25th percentile band and a 100-percent first-time pass rate in each higher band.

"The University of Dayton School of Law has demonstrated real strength in preparing students for the bar exam, and we appreciate the confidence UDSL has shown in Kaplan as it expands access to bar preparation," said Kimberly Hytree, executive director of legal programs at Kaplan. "This partnership is about building on what's already working, like its program of legal education, its bar readiness efforts, and its commitment to student success, while now giving students earlier, more consistent support from day one. We're looking forward to working side-by-side with UDSL in a true partnership to help students stay on track, perform at their best, and enter the profession."

By investing in Kaplan's All Access License, institutions of higher learning can provide all of their students with access to Kaplan's industry-leading test prep for admissions exams, licensure, credentialing programs, and workforce readiness programs, helping them reach their ultimate career goals. Since Kaplan's All Access License was launched in 2022, tens of thousands of students have collectively saved more than $65 million in out-of-pocket costs for these programs. Kaplan's other law school-specific partners include Rutgers Law School and Syracuse University College of Law.

Reporters can contact Russell Schaffer at [email protected] for more information.

About University of Dayton School of Law

The University of Dayton School of Law prepares students for legal practice and beyond by teaching them how to use their knowledge of the law as a tool to help people resolve their legal problems as well as community and global issues. Founded in 1922, closed during the Great Depression, and reopened in 1974, UDSL has become known nationally for innovative programs, including one of the nation's first online hybrid J.D. programs. UDSL is a part of the University of Dayton, which was founded in 1850 as a Catholic, Marianist institution dedicated to educating the whole person and is recognized as a top-tier research university.

About Kaplan

Kaplan, Inc. is a global education company that helps individuals and institutions advance their goals in an ever-changing world. Our broad portfolio of solutions helps students and professionals further their education and careers, universities and educational institutions attract and support students, and businesses maximize employee recruitment, retention, and development. Stanley Kaplan founded our company in 1938 with a mission to expand educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Today, our thousands of employees working in 27 countries/regions continue Stanley's mission as they serve about 1.3 million students and professionals, 16,000 corporate clients, and 2,700 schools, school districts, colleges, and universities worldwide. Kaplan is a subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC). Learn more at kaplan.com.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC).

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Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, [email protected]