Advice on flexible JD programs for personal goals and disability

[Juris]

Hi everyone!!!!

I’m exploring JD programs and could really use some advice. I live in California and would only consider living in California or New York. I’m not planning to practice law due to my condition, but earning a JD is a personal goal and would be a huge milestone for me. If I were to change my mind in the future and recover, I would still prefer taking the California bar unless there is an easier path, but right now my focus is solely on obtaining the degree.

Background
• Bachelor’s from TESU (BSBA)
• Master’s from UMPI MAOL (completed a year ago)
• Volunteered in public service in my community
• My disability limits my energy and capacity, so I need a program that accommodates this

Schools I’m considering
• PG Global: Appears lenient, fewer strict proctoring requirements, might be completed faster. With a high LSAT and scholarship, cost could drop to around $42k if $10k is applied.
• NU: Offers a full scholarship for LSAT scores above 152. Exams are proctored monthly and require live Zoom attendance, which might be difficult for me.
• Northwestern: Known to be affordable (~$13k), but I’m unsure about proctoring, pacing, and whether it’s fully asynchronous. I’m also curious if it is considered a reputable school.
• ASU: ABA-accredited, which seems unusual for online programs. I’m not sure about hybrid requirements or maintaining ABA compliance.
• Other options: Colleges of Law, Thomas Jefferson, St. Francis, Trinity

Concerns and priorities
• Exams and mandatory live sessions are a big concern due to past struggles with ProctorU and stressful online assessments.
• I am looking for a flexible, self-paced, or asynchronous program with ADA accommodations.
• I want to complete the JD with minimal stress, even if it takes 2–4 years.
• Ideally, I want high merit or need-based scholarships. I can pay around $20k with a federal loan, but a full scholarship would be ideal.

Next steps
• I have already received an LSAT waiver and plan to take it in October.
• I would love advice from anyone with experience at these schools, especially regarding flexibility, exam requirements, pacing, and ADA accommodations.
• If anyone knows of external scholarships that cover most JD tuition, I would greatly appreciate the information.

Thanks so much for your guidance!

[Jonathan Whatley]

There are two authoritative lists of bar-qualifying online law degrees in the US:

• ABA-Approved Law Schools with Acquiescence for Distance Education J.D. Programs
  
• State Bar of California list of Law Schools – Several of the law schools approved by the State Bar's Committee of Bar Examiners teach online, though the list doesn't specify which. Additionally, several that are unaccredited but still registered to qualify graduates for the California bar exam are specifically listed as "correspondence" or "distance learning." Students at these registered unaccredited law schools have to take their JD in no less than four years, and pass the Baby Bar after year one.
  

Alternatively, some people have qualified for the American bar with British online law qualification (typically an LLB) plus a qualifying US LLM. Bar acceptability varies by state. That could be a good mix of prestige and affordability especially if your main interest is the degree with bar admission a secondary issue off in the future. This route is known for being academically tough, and there is some inherent overhead in learning in the British system then the American system.

[Jonathan Whatley]

• Northwestern: Known to be affordable (~$13k), but I’m unsure about proctoring, pacing, and whether it’s fully asynchronous. I’m also curious if it is considered a reputable school.

NWCU was recently accredited by the California Bar, as soon as the California Bar started accrediting fully online law schools (previously they had only registered them). It does not hold institutional accreditation recognized by the federal Department of Education or the accrediting trade organization CHEA, either regional or national accreditation. Someone with a NWCU JD might be out of contention for a few opportunities available to a holder of an accredited law degree. We should call it NWCU or Northwestern California, to distinguish it from Northwestern University in Chicago, which has a law school albeit not online.

• ASU: ABA-accredited, which seems unusual for online programs. I’m not sure about hybrid requirements or maintaining ABA compliance.

Online law programs at ABA schools are here to say. They'll maintain it.

Concerns and priorities
• Exams and mandatory live sessions are a big concern due to past struggles with ProctorU and stressful online assessments.
• I am looking for a flexible, self-paced, or asynchronous program with ADA accommodations.
• I want to complete the JD with minimal stress, even if it takes 2–4 years.

Law school is exam-centric. Online delivery doesn't reduce this.

The standard law school schedule is full-time in 3 years. 2 years is only possible at a few schools, and inherently intense and stressful. 4 years is a standard part-time schedule.

• Ideally, I want high merit or need-based scholarships. I can pay around $20k with a federal loan, but a full scholarship would be ideal.

ABA schools award large scholarships principally to entrants with GPA and/or MCAT scores which help those law schools maintain or improve their rankings, and which secondarily predict they will help those law schools maintain or improve their graduate bar passage and employment statistics. In applications material and interviews for ABA schools, while certainly staying honest, you might want to de-emphasize scenarios where you would not take the bar and not seek legal employment.

Calbar schools are unranked, and to the best of my knowledge they award few large scholarships.

[TINASAM]

St. Mary's is ABA accredited and fully online. No campus visits.
They were the first to be that way.
Another to look into for you, this one was at the top of my list at the time.

[bjcheung77]

If you're in California, NW might be your best bet or best backup option, depending on how you see things. But do look at the others mentioned and create a spreadsheet to compare them all, cost, ease, speed, requirements, etc. This will give you a better idea of what you're looking for.

[Juris]

There are two authoritative lists of bar-qualifying online law degrees in the US:

• ABA-Approved Law Schools with Acquiescence for Distance Education J.D. Programs
  
• State Bar of California list of Law Schools – Several of the law schools approved by the State Bar's Committee of Bar Examiners teach online, though the list doesn't specify which. Additionally, several that are unaccredited but still registered to qualify graduates for the California bar exam are specifically listed as "correspondence" or "distance learning." Students at these registered unaccredited law schools have to take their JD in no less than four years, and pass the Baby Bar after year one.
  

Alternatively, some people have qualified for the American bar with British online law qualification (typically an LLB) plus a qualifying US LLM. Bar acceptability varies by state. That could be a good mix of prestige and affordability especially if your main interest is the degree with bar admission a secondary issue off in the future. This route is known for being academically tough, and there is some inherent overhead in learning in the British system then the American system.

Thanks for breaking that down! It definitely helps me see the bigger picture. I’m just trying to figure out if there’s a way to make this path cheaper, faster, and fully online/self-paced. What I had in mind was something like: completing a British LLB online, then adding a U.S. LLM either right after or even alongside it, and then deciding whether to transfer into a JD later or just go straight for the NY Bar if I decide I want the ESQ credential.

I realize that’s not a light route, and that shifting between the British and American systems adds a layer of difficulty. My main aim isn’t to jump straight into practice, but rather to secure the credential itself (JD or ESQ) if it’s realistically achievable.

I’ve seen a lot of negativity online — especially on Reddit — where people dismiss the JD as “useless” or a kind of diploma mill. That was discouraging, and it’s part of why I’m trying to get clarity on whether the LLB → U.S. LLM → NY Bar/JD transfer route actually works in terms of time, cost, and recognition.

Would really value your thoughts on whether this is practical, especially if I’m hoping to keep it fully online.

---

If you're in California, NW might be your best bet or best backup option, depending on how you see things.  But do look at the others mentioned and create a spreadsheet to compare them all, cost, ease, speed, requirements, etc.  This will give you a better idea of what you're looking for.

I’ll definitely tackle that spreadsheet soon. Laying everything side by side in terms of cost, time, ease, and eligibility should really help me figure out where to focus.

I might sit for the Bar down the line if I feel ready, but I also worry that a JD could get questioned if I don’t actually practice, and whether it retains its value if people suspect it’s “not credible.” 

Would an LLM be a better or smarter fallback in that case?

Honestly, I’m torn. I come from a culture where the pressure is always to become a doctor or lawyer, so I’m trying to honor that expectation but on my own terms.

---

St. Mary's is ABA accredited and fully online. No campus visits.
They were the first to be that way.
Another to look into for you, this one was at the top of my list at the time.

Interesting, I’ll definitely look into St. Mary’s more. Being ABA-accredited and fully online is a big plus. My main question is how much prestige it really carries long term, and whether the exams are heavily proctored or structured in a way that could be adapted if I need accommodations. I’m all for putting in the work, but I also want to make sure the degree itself is respected.

At the same time, I like Jonathan’s advice about the British LLB → U.S. LLM → NY Bar route, especially since I’ve got family in New York and could see myself relocating or at least sitting for the bar there one day.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much negativity there is on Reddit around just holding a JD without the ESQ. A lot of people see it as pointless, which makes me second-guess the path. I’m still weighing whether the JD or the LLB/LLM track would give me more credibility in the long run.

[bjcheung77]

Basically, you get the LLM and/or DSc after you finish your JD. It's similar to people who do a MD and get the PhD in something similar afterwards. Essentially, if you're doing this from the US, it's JD > LLM > DSc/SJD. From the UK, it's LLB > LLM > DSc/SJD.

[SteveFoerster]

Given Juris's budget, and the effective certainly that they will not get a scholarship to do a JD online, I think NWCU is the best bet here.

In particular, while the UK LLB/US LLM path could qualify one to sit the bar in either New York or California, it would far exceed their budget, especially since Florida Coastal School of Law bit the dust.

[life_learner]

JD without passing the bar exam likely does not have much "value". Legal knowledge from JD is not as widely applicable as business knowledge gained from an MBA program. Besides, the presumption for someone with JD but no bar license is that he/she could not pass the bar exam.

NWCU's part time program is intense as you need to spend about 20 hours a week. While class attendance is not required, the exam is timed and proctored. Many students fail to maintain the required GPA. Cost wise, it's probably the most affordable option.

BTW, I did attend the NWCU program and passed the CA bar on first try. ROI is pretty good for me.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Given Juris's budget, and the effective certainly that they will not get a scholarship to do a JD online

I wouldn’t rule out that a student with high GPA and/or LSAT could get a scholarship for an ABA online program. The incentives for an ABA law school to maintain their statistics are the same whether the student is online or on-campus.