Western New England University School of Law - Bar Exam Stipend and Training Program (“The BEST Program”)

Program: Directed Grants Program
Grantee: Western New England University School of Law
Grant Amount: $140,117

Summary of Grant Outcomes

Pilot Program Reveals Limited Effect of Stipends on Bar Exam Success

This project examined whether replacing employment obligations during the bar preparation period with a stipend would improve bar passage rates. Researchers recruited participants from those graduates who were Pell Grant eligible and divided them into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received $6,500 and agreed not to work in June and July after graduation. The control group received $500 and agreed to complete 90% of their commercial bar preparation course, with no employment restrictions. Both groups were required to attend weekly meetings with an accountability coach to create study plans and complete practice tests.

Findings showed no evidence that employment restrictions and stipends improved bar passage rates. For the first cohort, the intervention group had a lower bar passage rate than the control group. The coach noted several mitigating circumstances, such as family obligations, that may explain why the intervention participants were unsuccessful on the bar exam. For the second cohort, program adjustments introduced stricter timelines and engagement requirements, but passage rates were merely equal between the two groups.