South Texas College of Law Houston offers a wide range of students the chance to receive a top-quality legal education. This prepares graduates to be role models in their communities and to make exemplary contributions to the profession. South Texas College of Law Houston's history dates back to 1886 when the constitution of the local YMCA called for it to engage in educational endeavors. The YMCA decided in 1923 to create a law school that offered night classes for working professionals. This was the beginning of a long tradition of educational excellence and career preparation that has lasted almost a century. South Texas School of Law opened its doors in 1923 with seven instructors part-time and a class of 34 students. The classestheyre held in a single room in the YMCA's basement. Theretheyre wooden fans suspended from ceilings and chairs that doubled as desks. In 1945, the University of Texas School of Law was the largest enrollee. In the years that followed, there was a steady increase in faculty, students, and visibility. This is why South Texas was granted provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, in 1959. It thentheynt on to receive full accreditation by the ABA in 1969. It was the first Texas law school to confer a J.D. during that decade. It was ranked 35th in terms of size nationally among all ABA-accredited schools.
