Princeton Review's Best 167 Law Schools (2012 Edition)

The Princeton Review has published the 2012 edition of The Best 167 Law Schools:

We surveyed more than 18,000 students at 167 law schools, in addition to collecting data from school administrators, to create 11 ranking lists:

Best Professors:  Based on student answers to survey questions concerning how good their professors are as teachers and how accessible they are outside the classroom.

1. Boston University
2. Duke
3. Chicago
4. Pepperdine
5. Virginia

Best Classroom Experience:  Based on student answers to survey questions concerning their professors' teaching abilities, the balance of theory and practical skills in the curricula, the level of tolerance for differing opinions in class discussion, and their assessments of classroom facilities.

1. Stanford
2. Virginia 
3. Chicago
4. Duke
5. Northwestern

Best Quality of Life:  Based on student assessment of:  whether there is a strong sense of community at the school, how aesthetically pleasing the law school is, the location of the law school, the quality of the social life, classroom facilities, and the library staff.

1. Duke
2. Virginia
3. Chapman
4. Vanderbilt
5. Northwestern

Best Career Prospects:  Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include: the average starting salaries of graduating students, the percent of students immediately employed upon graduation and the percent of these students who pass the bar exam the first time they take it. Student answers to survey questions on: how much the law program encourages practical experience; the opportunities for externships, internships and clerkships, and how prepared the students feel they will be to practice the law after graduating.

1. Northwestern
2. Chicago
3. Columbia
4. UC-Berkeley
5. Georgetown

Most Diverse Faculty:  Based on the percentage of the law school faculty that is from a minority group and student assessment of whether the faculty makes up a broadly diverse group of individuals.

1. Southern
2. Florida International
3. District of Columbia
4. Hawaii
5. New Mexico

Most Competitive Students:  Based on student answers to survey questions on: the number of hours they study outside of class each day, the number of hours they think their fellow students study outside of class each day, the degree of competitiveness among students at their school, and the average number of hours they sleep each night.

1. Baylor
2. BYU
3. Thomas Cooley
4. Nova
5. Campbell

Most Liberal Students:  Based on student assessment of the political bent of the student body at large.

1. Northeastern
2. Vermont
3. NYU
4. Oregon
5. American

Most Conservative Students:  Based on student assessment of the political bent of the student body at large.

1. Ave Maria
2. Regen
3. BYU
4. George Mason
5. Samford

Best Environment for Minority Students:  Based on the percentage of the student body that is from underrepresented minorities and student assessment of whether all students receive equal treatment by fellow students and the faculty, regardless of ethnicity.

1. Hawaii
2. Florida International
3. Southern
4. District of Columbia
5. Santa Clara

Most Chosen by Older Students:  Based on the average age of entry of law school students and student reports of how many years they spent out of college before enrolling in law school.

1. New Mexico
2. Seattle
3. Campbell
4. SUNY-Buffalo
5. District of Columbia

Toughest to Get Into:  Based on school reported data. Factors include: average LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs of entering 1L students, the percent of applicants accepted, and the percent of accepted applicants who enroll.

1. Yale
2. Harvard
3. Stanford
4. Virginia
5. UC-Berkeley

Unfortunately, the Princeton Review did not release the response rate per school, so it is impossible to determine how the rankings are affected by each school's representation among the respondents.

For prior Princeton Review Law School Rankings, see:

• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008