Admissions & Tuition

California Desert Trial Academy College Of Law
To begin your CDTA course of study you must:
  • Be a least 18 years old or older
  • Complete at least two years undergraduate college work, obtain 60 approved and acceptable credits, obtain an AA degree from a California Community College, or pass certain equivalency tests
  • Achieve an appropriate LSAT score
  • Complete an initial admissions application
  • And, if qualified, complete a comprehensive CDTA admissions application

While CDTA does not require a pre-law course of study, we encourage and coach our prospective students to develop relevant skills that will prepare them for success at CDTA and ultimately as practicing lawyers.

Critical thinking skills, logical, clear and concise writing skills, effective reading skills, and persuasive presentation skills will all be beneficial in your future success as a legal advocate.

The pass rate of students who have taken the California First-Year Law Students’ Examination and the California Bar Examination is reported here and posted on the California State Bar of California website.

Academic Program

Our CDTA academic program includes all California Bar tested areas of legal study, including:

  • Contracts
  • Torts
  • Criminal Law
  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Wills & Trusts
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Business Enterprises
  • Remedies
  • Professional Responsibility

Class Schedules

Classes for the California Bar test courses of legal study are taught on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.

Saturdays from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. are devoted to test-taking techniques and practice exams. Saturday afternoons from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. are devoted to skills, values and historical perspectives.

Fall semester is fifteen (15) weeks and Spring semester is fourteen (14) weeks. Courses begin the day after Labor Day. There are no classes the week of Thanksgiving. Classes conclude in mid-December. Classes resume the first Tuesday following MLK day and conclude mid-May. There will be a one week break during the Spring.

Tuition

Tuition is $15,000 annually.

Tuition includes textbooks and study aids, including Fleming’s Fundamentals of Law Course Reviews and Legal Writing Course, Lexis Nexis and Exam Soft. A deposit of $7,000 is due by mid-August. Thereafter, a $1,000 per month payment is due on the 1st of each consecutive month for the remainder of your first academic year. Beginning June of your second year you would make payments in the amount of $1,250 per month for the remainder of your academic program or 36 months.  Feel free to discuss with the Registrar a payment plan that would work best for you.(4 Years @ $15,000 = $60,000 total Tuition.)

Please check with administration on the cost of tuition as it is subject to change.

At CDTA, we believe that a thorough study of California Bar test areas of legal study, examined regularly, and supplemented with skills, values and historical perspective is a winning formula for educating, training and developing extraordinary legal advocates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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