TALLAHASSEE—Florida State College of Law graduates had the highest passing rate on this summer’s Florida Bar exam. This is the fifth of the last 10 bar exams in which Florida State graduates out ranked the other nine law schools in the state. 

Florida State grads taking the July 2006 General Bar Examination test for the first time passed by a rate of 88.1 percent, according to statistics released Monday by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. The overall passing rate of graduates taking the exam for the first time was 75.1 percent. Florida State’s nearest competitor was the University of Miami, which had an 85.7 percent passing rate. The exam was administered July 25- 26 in Tampa to 2,410 first-time takers, including 185 from Florida State. 

“We are all thrilled,” said Dean Don Weidner. “The credit, of course, goes to our May graduates.” 

Passing rates for other Florida law school graduates were: University of Florida, 81.2 percent; Stetson, 81 percent; Florida International, 79 percent; Florida Coastal, 75.4 percent; Nova Southeastern, 74.9 percent; Barry U. of Orlando, 72 percent; St. Thomas, 63.1 percent; Florida A&M, 56.3 percent. Graduates of non-Florida law schools passed at a rate of 71.6 percent. Score results were mailed to candidates on Monday. 

The bar exam results came on the heels of the news last week that the tax law faculty at Florida State is one of the nation’s 15 most downloaded tax faculty on the Social Science Research Network. No other Florida law school is in the top 15.