South Texas College of Law Houston has received full approval of reaccreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA), with no requests for additional information or requirements, announced STCL Houston President and Dean Rey Valencia.
South Texas Law has been ABA accredited for decades, and this reaffirmation means the law school will remain on the list of ABA-approved law schools until its next regularly scheduled site visit 10 years from now — with regular reporting requirements, per the usual process.
In December 2025, the law school received an additional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), making it dually accredited by the ABA and the MSCHE.
“I want to thank all of you who have helped make the law school the strong and special place that it has been since the last ABA site visit,” Valencia said. “This outstanding outcome is the result of the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the students, staff, administrators, and faculty throughout those years, plus the amazing work that was done last year to prepare for the site visit.”
While the landscape of law school accreditation remains unclear and with many moving parts, the good news is that STCL Houston remains an ABA-accredited law school as the broader issues continue to sort themselves out, Valencia noted.
“With our dual accreditations, we are ready for whatever comes next related to the future of law schools and how they are assessed,” Valencia said.
Randy Sorrels, chair of the STCL Houston board of directors, said, “I am proud of the leadership of this school, across the board, for the outstanding work they do every day to create an environment where law students can receive a first-class legal education. Being dual-accredited ensures our graduates are well prepared to pass the bar and to become leaders of distinction as they launch into their careers.”
South Texas Law is an independent law school founded in 1923 to provide a legal education for working professionals. As the law school advances into its second century, it enrolls more than 1,000 students each year — primarily full-time, traditional-aged students — and it continues to develop innovative ways to prepare practice-ready attorneys who serve the profession with distinction.
