Law graduates of the University of California, Davis, posted the highest passing rate of any American Bar Association-approved law school in the state on California's July bar examination. UC Davis' overall passing rate was 91.1 percent, followed by Stanford University's Law school's 89.9 percent and University of San Francisco's 86.5 percent. The passing rate for UC Davis law graduates taking the exam for the first time was even higher -- 93.3 percent -- another first among ABA-approved law schools in California. In the same category, Hastings College of Law was second with 92 percent, and Stanford ranked third at 91.3 percent. Rex Perschbacher, associate dean at the UC Davis School of Law, attributed the high passage rate to high-caliber students and faculty, strong academic and clinical programs, and a supportive campus environment. "There's a great spirit of cooperation among the students that has developed in the history of the school," Perschbacher said. "It's less competitive than other law schools. I think that gives them more confidence. "We do admit very fine students -- the top 10 percent to 15 percent of students nationwide," he said. "The faculty does a good job with good material." Of the 157 UC Davis graduates who took the test last July, 143 passed. A total of 149 UC Davis graduates took it for the first time, and 139 passed. One of the UC Davis graduates who failed was a woman who gave birth on the last day of the three-day test, Perschbacher said. Since 1988, UC Davis has placed among the top four law schools in the rate of graduates passing the exam on the first try. It ranked first in California four times in that period. Of the 17 California law schools approved by the American Bar Association, the average passing rates were 82.4 percent for people taking it for the first time and 76.6 percent overall.