Almost 100 law students have quit their courses at Dublin Business School (DBS) and gone to rival colleges, because of fears about the recognition of their degree.

Law graduates who want to go to the Bar must study at the King’s Inns, which recognises a number of law degrees. But there is continuing doubt about its recognition of the DBS Irish law degree, which is validated by the University of Wales and delivered by Portobello law school, now part of DBS.

The King’s Inns removed a list of approved degrees from its website several weeks ago. A spokeswoman for the Inns said an updated list would be published shortly. ‘‘The accreditation board is currently processing a number of applications for accreditation, including one from Dublin Business School, and we hope to have this process completed at an early date,” she said.

Last Monday, the executive head of the law school, Professor Cedric Bell, told first-year students that they had the option of remaining with DBS, transferring to Griffith College Dublin or receiving a refund of their €5,700 annual fees. At a meeting with second and third-year students last Friday, Bell declined to offer students a refund.

Many students left the Portobello campus after the meeting and signed up for other law courses recognised by the King’s Inns. Cliona O’Brien, who is spokeswoman for DBS, disputed that as many as 100 students had left the college.

She said faculty and management of the law school had met the King’s Inns review panel.

‘‘We are confident of a positive outcome, but obviously we are not in a position to guarantee it and we do not know when the process will be concluded,” she said.

‘‘It has become clear that this process will take a period of several further weeks and we clearly understand that this has caused some concern to a number of our first-year law students who are uncertain as to what the outcome of the review process might be.”

The college, she said, was offering students options in case they were ‘‘concerned by the current review’’.