Abraham Lincoln University

ALU was founded in 1996 by Hyung J. Park, a tax attorney and graduate of Loyola Law School. [6] 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.[7]

Park established ALU with the philosophy of "flexibility and affordability" for working professionals to maintain current employment while studying law at an accredited institution under California law. In addition to its core law school curriculum, ALU programs have expanded to include diplomas and certificates and undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in business administration, criminal justice, general studies, law, and legal studies. [8][6]

Abraham Lincoln University offers online associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees, plus diplomas and certificates.[9]

ALU is a 100% online institution, offering alternative venues to engage students via online, live-engagement sessions and recorded lectures. Classes are archived online for review during each class. Students have full-time access to lectures. Students and professors also participate in online discussion boards.[10][11]

Abraham Lincoln University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[12] The DEAC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

ALU School of Law is not accredited by the American Bar Association, and as of 2017 graduates qualify to sit for the state bar examination only in California.[13][14] 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.[15][16]

The ALU online law degree program is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as an unaccredited distance learning law school. ALU's authority to grant a Juris Doctor degree, required by prospective attorneys to take the California Bar Examination and practice of law in California, is through the CBE. ALU's academic programs, with the exception of the Juris Doctor degree program, have been licensed by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) by institutional license through accreditation. ALU's Juris Doctor distance learning degree is exempt from BPPE oversight and is instead under the authority of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California.

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.[17] Law students are encouraged to volunteer.[18]

More than 90% of Abraham Lincoln University faculty have earned doctoral degrees (PhD, EdD, DBA, or JD) from accredited institutions and currently work as practitioners in their respective fields as professors, attorneys, instructional designers, owners/CEOs, police chiefs, and paralegals. [19]

ALU's pass rate for the July 2021 California Bar Examination (CBX) reached 89% for first-time examinees and 11.4% for repeat examinees, compared to overall pass rates of 71% and 19%, respectively, as reported in the State Bar's preliminary statistics for the July 2021 CBX.[20]

In 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Abraham Lincoln University actively recruits students without the LSAT exam.[21] The university has confirmed this.[22]

• Official website