Abraham Lincoln University

Abraham Lincoln University (ALU) is a private, for-profit online university based in Glendale, California.

History

ALU was founded by Hyung J. Park, a tax attorney and graduate of Loyola Law School, in 1996.[1] Classes initially were held in a conference room in his office. Park named his school after Abraham Lincoln partly because Lincoln had taught himself law.

Admissions

In 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Abraham Lincoln University actively recruits students who score poorly on the LSAT exam, and the university confirmed this.[2] In the same article, a former admissions officer described it as "aiming at the total bottom of the barrel."

Academics

Abraham Lincoln University offers online Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees, plus diplomas and certificates, in Law, Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies, Business Administration, General Studies, and Information Technology, among other fields.[3] ALU is also works with Advanced Security Concepts, Inc., so that students may earn security certificates while working toward a degree.

Students may attend class in one of four ways: in person on campus; online via live lectures; online via archived recorded lectures; or a hybrid of in-person and online. Classes are archived online for review during each class. Students have access to lectures 24/7. Students and professors also participate in online discussion boards.[4]

Non-accreditation

Abraham Lincoln University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.[5] However, ALU School of Law is not accredited by the American Bar Association, and as of 2017, graduates only qualify to sit for the state bar examination in California.[6][7] ALU School of Law is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California in the unaccredited distance learning school category.[8][9]

Upon the completion of required classes, students are awarded a Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree and are eligible to sit for the California Bar Examination.[1]

Community work

Abraham Lincoln University offers free law clinics to women in need of legal advice at the Downtown Women's Center, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles. These include a forthcoming divorce clinic and an ongoing expungement clinic to help reduce recidivism rates.[10] Law students are encouraged to volunteer.[11]

Faculty

Abraham Lincoln University faculty include practicing lawyers and professionals in the field. Some of the institutions that faculty members come from include Stanford University, UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, and Loyola.[12]

Bar pass rate

Cumulatively, as of July 2015, 386 graduates have sat for the General California Bar Examination since 1999 and 166 (43.0%) have passed the exam, including repeat test takers.[13]

References
  1. "Guidelines for Unaccredited Law School Rules" (PDF). The State Bar of California. January 1, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  2. Song, Jason; Kim, Victoria; Poindexter, Sandra (June 25, 2015). "Times Investigation: Nearly 9 in 10 students drop out of unaccredited law schools in California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  3. "Abraham Lincoln University Online Programs". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  4. "Abraham Lincoln University Online Learning Center". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  5. Varident. "The official website of the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) | Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)". www.deac.org. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  6. "ABA Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions 2017" (PDF). American Bar Association. American Bar Association. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  7. "Abraham Lincoln University". Abraham Lincoln University. Abraham Lincoln University. Archived from the original on 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  8. "Registered Unaccredited Correspondence Law Schools in California". State Bar of California.
  9. "Law Schools". The State Bar of California. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  10. "Downtown Women's Center".
  11. "Abraham Lincoln University Student Life". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  12. "Abraham Lincoln University Faculty and Staff". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  13. "State Bar of California".
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