BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A school spokeswoman says nearly half of the third-year students at a southwestern Idaho law school are taking temporary leave after the university's request for accreditation was delayed.

The Idaho Statesman reports that 20 of the 45 third-year students at Concordia University School of Law in Boise won't take fall classes. Officials with the American Bar Association say they will send a fact finder to the school before making a final decision. Idaho law says students who graduate from a non-accredited law school cannot take the state bar exam.

The exam is a requirement to practice law. Concordia officials say they have been seeking accreditation since 2013 after the school opened in 2012. Neither the school nor the American Bar Association has said what is causing the delay.

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