Florida Coastal School of Law President and Dean Peter Goplerud notified students, faculty and staff Feb. 28 that the American Bar Association found the school in compliance with standards that ensure law schools are financially sound, a requirement for accreditation.
“We received the Decision Letter from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the ABA this morning regarding our compliance with Standard 202. As many of you are aware, this is the Standard that requires a school to have sufficient financial resources to deliver the program of legal education,” Goplerud wrote in an email.
Goplerud also said that the school's appearance before the council scheduled in May to provide a comprehensive report on Florida Coastal's financial position has been canceled.
Speaking to the Daily Record after he sent the email, Goplerud said the school is now able to again focus on recruiting students.
“We feel we're doing great work in the classroom. To not have that cloud over us is very helpful,” Goplerud said.
The scrutiny by the ABA began in February 2017 when only 25% of Florida Coastal graduates passed the Bar exam.
The ABA, the national law school accreditation authority, conducted a 27-month investigation into whether Florida Coastal was meeting accreditation standards for admission requirements and curriculum.
The ABA declared in May that Florida Coastal School of Law would remain an approved law school, but then questioned the school's financial stability.