SC limits law schools' access to Bar exam takers' personal data

The Supreme Court (SC) has clarified that it cannot disclose personal information of Bar examination takers to law schools.

Under Bar Matter No. 4968, the SC ruled that individual scores without consent violate the Data Privacy Act, but aggregated or anonymized data for legitimate purposes is permissible.

Law schools can request aggregate statistics like number of graduates by type and average scores in each subject, with all identifiers removed.

Requests must be signed by a dean or equivalent official stating a legitimate purpose reviewed by the Office of the Bar Confidant.

The SC will release the 2024 Bar examination results on Friday, December 13, with names scrolled on a screen at the quadrangle as usual.