The short answer
The Supreme Court ranks law schools by size, in two lists: first-time takers, and all candidates including repeaters. Among schools with more than 100 first-time takers, Ateneo de Manila University ranked first in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Bars, at 94.08%, 96.36% and 98.11%. The University of the Philippines was in the top five all three years. The Court publishes only each bracket's top five.
Key points
- The Court ranks schools in four size brackets, in two lists: first-time takers and all candidates.
- Only each bracket's top five are published; there is no full table of every school.
- Ateneo de Manila University topped the largest first-time bracket in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
- The University of the Philippines was in that top five in all three years.
- Ateneo de Davao University passed all 80 of its first-time takers in the 2025 Bar.
How the Court ranks law schools
With the results, the Supreme Court announces the top-performing law schools. It groups schools by how many of their graduates took the exam: more than 100, 51 to 100, 11 to 50, and 1 to 10 candidates. It ranks them in two lists:
- First-time candidates, counting only graduates taking the Bar for the first time;
- All candidates, including repeat takers.
A school is placed by its count in each list, so it can sit in one bracket for first-time takers and another for all candidates. The Court publishes the top five of each bracket, with ties. We have not found a full table of every school's results for these years, so a school missing from these lists is not necessarily a low performer.
Schools with more than 100 first-time takers
| Bar | Rank | School | Passed | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 104 of 106 | 98.11% |
| 2025 | 2 | University of the Philippines | 214 of 221 | 96.83% |
| 2025 | 3 | University of Santo Tomas | 104 of 108 | 96.30% |
| 2025 | 4 | Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation | 85 of 106 | 80.19% |
| 2025 | 5 | San Beda College Alabang | 69.91% | |
| 2024 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 159 of 165 | 96.36% |
| 2024 | 2 | University of the Philippines | 202 of 217 | 93.09% |
| 2024 | 3 | San Beda University | 119 of 130 | 91.54% |
| 2024 | 4 | University of Santo Tomas | 118 of 133 | 88.72% |
| 2024 | 5 | University of San Carlos | 94 of 110 | 85.45% |
| 2023 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 159 of 169 | 94.08% |
| 2023 | 2 | San Beda University | 130 of 141 | 92.20% |
| 2023 | 3 | University of San Carlos | 170 of 187 | 90.91% |
| 2023 | 4 | University of the Philippines | 229 of 256 | 89.45% |
| 2023 | 5 | University of Santo Tomas | 104 of 122 | 85.25% |
Schools with 51 to 100 first-time takers
| Bar | Rank | School | Passed | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | Ateneo de Davao University | 80 of 80 | 100% |
| 2025 | 2 | De La Salle University | 50 of 53 | 94.34% |
| 2025 | 3 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines | 65 of 69 | 94.20% |
| 2025 | 4 | Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila | 85% | |
| 2025 | 5 | University of San Jose-Recoletos | 68.48% | |
| 2024 | 1 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines | 54 of 61 | 88.52% |
| 2024 | 2 | University of Cebu | 45 of 51 | 88.24% |
| 2024 | 3 | De La Salle University | 56 of 64 | 87.50% |
| 2024 | 4 | Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila | 45 of 53 | 84.91% |
| 2024 | 5 | Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan | 55 of 80 | 68.75% |
| 2023 | 1 | University of Cebu | 46 of 60 | 76.67% |
| 2023 | 2 | Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan | 71.79% | |
| 2023 | 3 | Far Eastern University | 58.90% | |
| 2023 | 4 | University of San Jose-Recoletos | 48.48% | |
| 2023 | 5 | Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation | 45.24% |
Schools with more than 100 candidates, repeaters included
| Bar | Rank | School | Passed | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 96.52% | |
| 2025 | 2 | University of the Philippines | 94.63% | |
| 2025 | 3 | University of Santo Tomas | 87.16% | |
| 2025 | 4 | Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation | 64.88% | |
| 2025 | 5 | Far Eastern University | 59.22% | |
| 2024 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 169 of 176 | 96.02% |
| 2024 | 2 | University of the Philippines | 229 of 253 | 90.51% |
| 2024 | 3 | San Beda University | 131 of 146 | 89.73% |
| 2024 | 4 | University of Santo Tomas | 139 of 173 | 80.35% |
| 2024 | 5 | University of San Carlos | 117 of 148 | 79.05% |
| 2023 | 1 | Ateneo de Manila University | 164 of 176 | 93.18% |
| 2023 | 2 | San Beda University | 136 of 151 | 90.07% |
| 2023 | 3 | University of the Philippines | 235 of 266 | 88.35% |
| 2023 | 4 | University of San Carlos | 177 of 211 | 83.89% |
| 2023 | 5 | University of Santo Tomas | 118 of 163 | 72.39% |
Blank cells are counts that were not published with the rate.
Smaller schools
In the 11 to 50 bracket of first-time takers, five schools passed every first-time taker in the 2025 Bar: the University of Makati, Bulacan State University, San Beda University, Palawan State University and West Visayas State University. The University of Makati also led that bracket in 2023, at 93.94%. Several schools with 10 or fewer takers reach 100% in a given year, but with so few examinees a single result moves the rate a long way.
What the rankings show
The large schools near the top are steady. Ateneo de Manila led the biggest first-time bracket three years running, and the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas and San Beda were in its top five in most of those years.
Repeaters lower a school's rate. Every school that appears in both large-school lists has a higher first-time rate than its rate with repeaters counted. The University of Santo Tomas passed 85.25% of first-time takers in 2023, but 72.39% once repeaters were counted.
Mid-sized schools can match the largest. Ateneo de Davao's 80 of 80 in 2025 and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines' 94.20% put them level with the schools in the top bracket.
A school's rate is not your result. The Bar is passed one examinee at a time, with a weighted average of 75%. Our guides on how many pages to read a day and building a study schedule cover the part that is yours.
Where these figures come from
The rankings are the Supreme Court's announced lists of top-performing schools for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Bars, as reported at the time by GMA News, The Philippine Star, the Daily Tribune and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, with each rate checked against its published counts. National figures for each year are in our passing rates by year. The Supreme Court's own announcements always control.
Lagda is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with the Supreme Court of the Philippines or with any law school.
Questions
Which law school has the highest Bar passing rate?
Among schools with more than 100 first-time takers, Ateneo de Manila University ranked first in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Bars, at 94.08%, 96.36% and 98.11%. In the 51 to 100 bracket, Ateneo de Davao University passed all 80 of its first-time takers in 2025.
How does the Supreme Court rank law schools?
In four brackets by number of candidates (more than 100, 51 to 100, 11 to 50 and 1 to 10), each in two lists: first-time candidates only, and all candidates including repeaters. It publishes the top five of each bracket.
Does the Supreme Court publish every law school's passing rate?
For the 2023 to 2025 Bars, we found only the top five schools in each bracket. A school that is not listed may simply not have been in its bracket's top five.
What is the difference between first-time and overall passing rates?
The first-time rate counts only graduates taking the Bar for the first time; the overall rate also includes repeat takers. Schools generally rank higher on first-time takers.
Published 14 November 2026. Read how we write and check our guides in our editorial standards. The Supreme Court's bulletins and announcements always control. Lagda is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with the Supreme Court of the Philippines.