The U.S. News Rankings Of New York's 14 Law Schools

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, A Look at the U.S. News Law School Rankings From NYU to Touro:

The recent law school rankings by U.S. News have delineated a broad spectrum of legal education institutions across New York, with Brooklyn Law School holding its own amidst a highly competitive landscape. The rankings are a testament to the varying academic experiences and opportunities offered  by these institutions:

1. NYU Law (4)
2. Columbia Law (8)
3. Cornell University (13)
4. Fordham University (29)
5. St. John’s University (60)
6. Cardozo University (69)
7. Albany Law School (105)
8. Brooklyn Law School (111)
9. Syracuse University (122)
10. New York Law School (125)
11. Pace University (131)
12. Hofstra University (140)
13. CUNY School of Law (154)
14. Touro University (167)

Continue reading

U.S. News Recalculates Ranking Of 213 Colleges Due To 'Code Anomaly'

Robert Morse (Chief Data Strategist. U.S. News), Corrections to the 2024 Best Colleges Rankings:

U.S. News has recalculated the numerical ranks of 213 schools due to a code anomaly.

After publication of the 2024 Best Colleges, an anomaly in the code used to output those rankings was discovered. As a result of correcting the anomaly, the rankings of 213 schools have changed from what was published on September 18, 2023. We therefore published updated rankings for those schools on October 27, 2023.

Below is a listing of each school impacted by the anomaly in the code and a notice of what that school’s rank was upon publication and what its rank is after the correction. The schools are sorted by their category and then by their corrected rank. Note that some schools in this list whose individual ranks changed continue to only have their ranking ranges display on usnews.com, which is the practice followed for schools placing in the bottom 10% of the rankings. ...

Continue reading

July 2023 Ohio Bar Exam Results: Ohio State #1

July Ohio Bar Exam Results for first-time test-takers by law school:

Bar Pass Rank (Rate)	School	US News Rank OH (Overall)
1 (92.0%)	Ohio State	1 (22)
2 (88.1%)	Cincinnati	3 (84)
3 (86.3%)	Dayton	4 (111)
4 (77.9%)	Capital	9 (175)
5 (76.6%)	Case Western	2 (80)
6 (73.3%)	Akron	8 (150)
7 (70.0%)	Toledo	6 (141)
8 (69.4%)	Cleveland State	4 (111)
9 (61.3%)	Ohio Northern	7 (146)

Prior TaxProf Blog Coverage:

Continue reading

Harvard Resident Used AI To Create Medical School Ranking Alternative To U.S. News

Inside Higher Ed, AI Med School Rankings Tool Offers Alternative to Traditional Metrics:

As the backlash against traditional college rankings continues to gain momentum, one physician has used artificial intelligence to create an alternative ranking system for prospective medical students.

Instead of relying on U.S. News and World Report’s widely recognized rankings, which consider factors such as medical schools’ research profiles, acceptance rates and the grades and test scores of their students, the new AI-powered ranking tool allows aspiring doctors to include—and choose the weight assigned to—numerous additional factors, such as diversity of students and cost of attendance.

Continue reading

After Adding Graduate Debt And Salaries, And Faculty Research, To Its College Rankings, Will U.S. News Overhaul The Law School Rankings Methodology Yet Again?

Following up on my previous post, 2024 U.S. News College Rankings Released With Biggest Methodology Changes In History, Including First-Ever Measure Of Faculty Research: 

In the law school rankings released in May, U.S. News made the most significant changes in the methodology in the history of the rankings. Similarly, in the college rankings released in September, U.S. News again made the most significant changes in the methodology in the history of the rankings, including (1) graduate debt, (3) graduate salaries, and (3) faculty research:

Borrower debt (5%; up from 3%) assesses each school's typical average accumulated federal loan debt among borrowers only. Graduates who covered their expenses without borrowing did not help or hurt schools. New this edition, the data was sourced from College Scorecard instead of the U.S. News survey for all schools, and was of median debt instead of mean debt. The calculation averaged 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 data. ...

2. College grads earning more than a high school graduate (5%, new) assessed the proportion of a school's federal loan recipients who in 2019-2020—four years since completing their undergraduate degrees—were earning more than a typical high school graduate salary, as determined by and reported in the College Scorecard. The website documented that the median wage of workers ages 25-34 that self-identify as high school graduates was $32,000 in 2021 dollars. This means the vast majority of jobs utilizing a college degree, even including those not chosen for being in high-paying fields, exceed this threshold. Schools were assigned a perfect score if at least 90% of graduates achieved this threshold, and the remaining schools were assessed by how close they were to 90%. The data only pertained to employed college graduates; meaning nongraduates, or graduates who four years later were in graduate school, working part-time or simply not in the workforce did not help or hurt any school. ...

3. Faculty research (National Universities only):

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News College Rankings Released With Biggest Methodology Changes In History, Including First-Ever Measure Of Faculty Research

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2024 College Rankings. In the most recent law school rankings released in May, U.S. News made the most significant changes in the methodology in the history of the rankings. U.S. News followed suit with the most significant changes in the methodology in the history of the college rankings:

U.S. News & World Report made refinements to this year's rankings formula by dropping five longstanding factors, modifying the weights of several other factors, and introducing a few new ones. ...

[S]chools' eligibility to be ranked was not contingent on their participation in U.S. News' surveys. But the vast majority of schools U.S. News surveyed did report data to U.S. News – including 99 of the top 100 ranked National Universities and 97 of the top 100 National Liberal Arts Colleges. ...

Five ranking factors totaling 18% of the previous edition's rankings were removed from the formula completely. These factors and their corresponding weights last year were class size (8%), the proportion of a school's faculty with terminal degrees (3%), alumni giving rate (3%), the proportion of graduates borrowing (2%) and high school class standing (2%).

Faculty research (National Universities only): To be grouped in the National Universities ranking, an institution must be classified in the Carnegie Classifications as awarding doctorate-level degrees and conducting at least "moderate research." In alignment with these schools' missions, U.S. News introduced four new faculty research ranking factors based on bibliometric data, such as publications and citations, in partnership with Elsevier. They each reflect a five-year window from 2018-2022 as well as the strength and impact of the faculty instead of the scale of the university.

• Citations per publication (1.25%) is total citations divided by total publications. This is the average number of citations a university's publications receive. The metrics are extracted from SciVal based on Elsevier’s Scopus® Data.
• Field weighted citation impact (1.25%) is citation impact per paper, normalized for each field. The metrics are extracted from SciVal based on Elsevier’s Scopus® Data.
• The share of publications cited in the top 5% of the most cited journals (1%). The metrics are extracted from SciVal based on Elsevier’s Scopus® Data.
• The share of publications cited in the top 25% of the most cited journals (0.5%). The metrics are extracted from SciVal based on Elsevier’s Scopus® Data.

Universities with fewer than 5,000 total publications over five years were discounted on a sliding scale to reduce outliers based on small cohort sizes, and to require a minimum quantity of research to score well on the factor. Each indicator is calculated at the school level.

In February 2019, U.S. News announced it would publish a law faculty scholarly impact ranking in the 2019 law school rankings based on 5-year citation data from HeinOnline (FAQ; Updated FAQ; Additional Guidance; A Defense And Explanation Of The U.S. News 'Citation' Ranking). In November 2020, U.S. News announced it would be publishing the scholarly impact ranking in 2021. After much criticism of the proposed ranking, in June 2021 U.S. News abandoned its effort to rank law faculty scholarly impact.

For more on the methodology changes in the 2024 U.S. News college rankings methodology, see:

• U.S. News, How U.S. News Calculated the 2024 Best Colleges Rankings
• U.S. News, A More Detailed Look at the Ranking Factors
• U.S. News, Key Changes in How the 2024 Best Colleges Rankings Were Calculated
• Chronicle of Higher Education, The ‘U.S. News’ Rankings Are Here, With an Altered Formula and Few Defectors
• New York Times, With a New Formula, U.S. News Rankings Boost Some State Universities
• University Business, The U.S. News Exodus Never Happened. How Did the Top Ranking Service Outlast Naysayers?
• Washington Post, U.S. News College Rankings Are Scrambled as its Formula Changes

Here are the Top 25 National Universities:

Rank	National Universities
1	Princeton
2	MIT
3	Harvard
3	Stanford
5	Yale
6	Penn
7	Cal-Tech
7	Duke
9	Brown
9	Johns Hopkins
9	Northwestern
12	Chicago
12	Columbia
12	Cornell
15	UC-Berkeley
15	UCLA
17	Rice
18	Dartmouth
18	Vanderbilt
20	Notre Dame
21	Michigan
22	Georgetown
22	North Carolina
24	Carnegie Mellon
24	Emory
24	Virginia
24	Washington University

Prior Years' U.S. News National University Rankings:

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2009

Here are the Top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges:

Continue reading

Do Devout Law Schools Take A Hit In The U.S. News Peer Reputation Rankings?

Following up on last Sunday's post, 2023 Religious Law School Rankings:  Do Devout Law Schools Take a Hit in the U.S. News Peer Review Rankings, preLaw (Winter 2023):

Liberty University School of Law ranks No. 1 on our list of Most Devout Law Schools. It also has the dubious distinction of being ranked last in peer assessment by U.S. News & World Report, receiving a score of 1.2 out of 5.

It's not alone. Ave Maria School of Law, which is No. 3 on our list, is tied with Liberty for last place. Regent Law and Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, are not far behind, with a 1.3 in peer assessment. In fact, the 20 schools on our Most Devout list average 1.96 in the peer rank­ing, while the average for all law schools is 2.51. ...

Most all schools of faith seem to see their U.S. News ranking dragged down by peer assessment. Brigham Young University - J. Reuben Clark Law School, for example, is ranked 23rd overall by U.S. News, but it comes in 52nd for peer assessment. It is one of only two schools on our Most Devout list have peer assessments higher than the national average {Pepperdine is the other].

Some law professors feel the poor scores for religious schools is a vestige of religious bigotry. They say it takes longer for schools of faith than it does for other schools to build a strong reputation.

Mike Simkovic, a professor at USC Gould School of Law and longtime com­mentator on the U.S. News rankings, said the peer rankings move slowly. "They probably reflect perceptions based on the past and do not update quickly as schools improve or decline," he said.

Simkovic said it is hard to determine bias in the rankings, and he points to Georgetown University Law Center, Notre Dame Law School and Fordham University School of Law as schools of faith that rank high.

But none of those schools make our Most Devout list.

Continue reading

The Most Diverse Law Schools

preLaw, Most Diverse Law Schools:

Legal education stands at a crossroads. For years, law schools have sought to match enrollment with the real world’s makeup of race, gender and other underrepresented groups.

Yes, the American Bar Association requires law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in both students and faculty. But many schools have gone above and beyond that accreditation requirement.

In 2018, law schools hit a zenith for diversity. With minority enrollment numbers higher than ever, an unprecedented 80 law schools out of 204 made preLaw’s honor roll for diversity. Inclusion on the honor roll was based on how well enrollment matched national averages for various races.

But a different ABA requirement began chipping away at diversity. The ABA passed a new rule stating that law schools must attain a bar passage rate of 75% within two years of graduation.

Several law schools found themselves with bar passage rates either below the mark or dangerously close.

The new standard contributed to the closing of three law schools that had honors for diversity in 2019. Two other law schools dropped ABA accreditation to avoid a similar fate.

The loss of those schools meant a hit to diversity. At the same time, racial protests in 2020 brought diversity to the fore, with law schools doubling down on their commitment to enrolling a diverse student body. Law schools across the nation raised money for scholarships and created endowments to support diversity. 

Continue reading

2023 World Law School Rankings

Quacquarelli Symonds has released the 2023 World Law School Rankings as part of its World University Rankings. The methodology uses five indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper, h-index, International Research Network (IRN).  The rankings consist of 352 law schools, 55 in the United States.  Here are the U.S. law schools, along with each school's position in the latest U.S. News rankings):

QS Ranking	School	US News Ranking
1	Harvard	5
4	Yale	1
5	Stanford	1
6	NYU	5
8	Columbia	8
9	UC-Berkeley	10
10	Chicago	3
21	Georgetown	15
22	UCLA	14
27	Penn	4
29	Duke	5
34	Cornell	13
34	Michigan	10
51	Virginia	8
63	Northwestern	10
74	Texas	16
91	George Washington	35
98	American	89
101-150	Boston University	27
101-150	Notre Dame	27
101-150	UC-Davis	60
101-150	University of Washington	49
151-200	Arizona State	32
151-200	Fordham	29
151-200	Illinois	43
151-200	Michigan State	111
151-200	Penn State-Univ. Park	80
151-200	UC-Irvine	35
151-200	USC	16
151-200	Vanderbilt	16
151-200	Wisconsin	40
201-250	Boston College	29
201-250	Emory	35
201-250	Indiana-Maurer	45
201-250	Minnesota	16
201-250	University of Arizona	54
201-250	Washington University	20
251-300	CUNY	154
251-300	Florida	22
251-300	Florida State	56
251-300	Illinois-Chicago	159
251-300	Miami	71
251-300	North Carolina	22
251-300	Ohio State	22
251-300	San Diego	78
251-300	Tulane	71
301-350	Cincinnati	84
301-350	Colorado	56
301-350	George Mason	32
301-350	Houston	60
301-350	Loyola-Chicago	84
301-350	Northeastern	71
301-350	Temple	54
301-350	Tufts	N/A
301-350	William & Mary	45

Continue reading

2023 Religious Law School Rankings

The Most Devout Law Schools, preLaw (Winter 2023):

Religion has long played a significant role at many of the nation’s law schools. Here we highlight the top 20. ...

While 46 of the nation’s 200 law schools have ties to religious organizations, there is a big difference between them when it comes to acting on that faith.

While the 28 law schools associated with the Catholic religion stay true to a mission of serving the public good and educating the whole person, many provide few, if any, services or curriculum related to faith. And at many of those schools, few students ever talk of faith.

That’s not the case with the schools on our list.

To determine the top 20, we gathered information from the schools and from other sources. We looked at the percentage of students and faculty who belong to the faith; the number of religion-focused courses and other ways the school incorporates faith into its curriculum; religion-related journals, centers and clinics; religious services and clergy at the law school; and the mission of the law school.

This year, for the first time, we present the schools in one ranking, as opposed to best schools by denomination. Liberty University School of Law, a Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia, is No. 1. ... Regent Law practically tied for No. 1 on our list. ...

“The relationship between law and faith affects both what we do and how we do it,” [Regent Dean Brad] Lingo said. “While others might tell students that lawyers are sharks, we teach that lawyers can be healers of conflict. We teach that law, at its best, provides opportunities to walk with someone during what might be one of the darkest, scariest, loneliest times of their lives.” 

Continue reading

U.S. District Court Dismisses Whistleblower's Claim That Rutgers Created Fake Jobs For Graduates To Raise Business School Ranking

Following up on my previous post, Whistleblower Claims Rutgers Created Fake Jobs For Graduates To Goose Business School Ranking:  Law360,  Rutgers Beats Suit Over Inflated MBA Job Data, For Now:

Rutgers University defeated, for now, a proposed class action by a part-time Master of Business Administration student accusing it of inflating its business school's rankings by misrepresenting post-graduate employment statistics, after a New Jersey federal judge found the plaintiff based his claims on a program he wasn't enrolled in.

In a 16-page order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner dismissed, without prejudice, Lorenzo Budet's proposed class action against Rutgers Business School and Rutgers University, accusing the university system of inflating its rankings in publications like U.S. News & World Report by hiring MBA graduate students for "token permanent positions" through a temp agency called Adecco. ...

Continue reading

The Best Law Schools For Human Rights Law

Leaders in Human Rights Law, preLaw (Fall 2023):

Leaders in human rights law Protecting human rights is one of the world’s most vexing challenges. Name a nation that hasn’t faced struggles in doing so. Therefore, helping defend human rights around the globe has long been a vital mission of many law schools.

Methodology:

Continue reading

The Fall 2023 Admissions Season: Applicants Are Down 1.9%, As Law Schools May Reduce Enrollment Due To Dramatic Changes In U.S. News Rankings Methodology

We are now 100% of the way through Fall 2023 law school admissions season. The number of law school applicants reported by LSAC is down -1.9% compared to last year at this time:

122 of the 198 law schools are experiencing a decrease in applications. Applications are down -10% or more at 34 law schools:

Applicants are down the most in New England (-7.0%), Mountain West (-5.8%), and Far West (-5.7%); and are up in Other (+17.7%):

Applicants' LSAT scores are up +1.6% in the 170-180 band, down -4.0% in the 160-169 band, down -4.5% in the 150-159 band, and up +0.2% in the 120-149 band:

Continue reading

The Best Law Schools For Practical Training

The Best Law Schools For Practical Training, preLaw (Spring 2023):

You may have heard the phrase “Learn by doing.”

Aristotle highlighted this idea when he said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

It’s a theory that speaks to the lovers of hands-on learning and posits that students must interact with their environment to learn best. For many law schools, this theory becomes reality through clinics, externships and simulation courses — or what is commonly known as practical training.

Practical Training Methodology
We graded schools on a number of data points, focusing on key practical training offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, pro bono hours and moot trial participation.

Continue reading

Incoming Class Of 2026 Relied Less On The U.S. News Rankings In Choosing A Law School

ABA Journal, Doing Their Homework: These Incoming Law Students Relied Less on School Rankings and More on Other Factors—Including Comfort Level:

For many [law school applicants], the U.S. News & World Report annual law school rankings played a significant role in their decisions—despite longtime criticism from many in legal academia who advise applicants not to rely on the rankings.

Established in 1987, the rankings have historically been able to make or break a law school’s reputation and driven the hiring decisions of elite firms, many of which would hire new lawyers only from top-ranked schools.

But in 2023, rankings critics finally may have gotten their wish: Law school applicants relied less on the list because it was not published until May, and many by then already had taken acceptance offers, which usually arrive between December and April.

Continue reading

Boycotts, Race, And Rankings: Howard Law School's Peculiar Position

Michael Conklin (Angelo State University), Boycotts, Race, Rankings, and Howard Law School's Peculiar Position:

Novel research was conducted in 2020 to measure disparities between the U.S. News & World Report overall rankings and the peer rankings of law schools. The research uncovered a stark outlier—Howard University School of Law—whose peer rank was consistently twenty to forty spots higher than its overall rank. Another article was published in 2023 using updated rankings data from 2022 and 2023. This update found that the disparity has been growing in severity in recent years. The present Article updates the research with the most recent 2024 data released in May 2023. With Howard’s overall ranking of 125 and peer ranking of forty-nine, the trend of increasingly disparate overall–peer rankings continues.

Because the overall rankings are largely based on objective factors, such as Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores, bar passage rates, and after-graduation employment, and the peer ranking is purely subjective, the overall—peer deviation provides valuable insight into potential bias in how law schools are viewed. Howard’s increasingly pronounced disparity between how it is viewed by its peers and its objective performance measures strengthens the original explanation in the 2020 paper: As racial salience increases in society, so does the unique standing of Howard—the most prestigious historically Black college or university (HBCU) law school. This Article investigates potential non-racial explanations that could result in peer rankings that are seventy-six spots above the overall rankings. These include an exceptional law review, use of promotional materials, location, political ideology, notable alumni, professor quality, unwillingness to game the system, and statistical noise. All of these non-racial explanations come up short.

Continue reading

Constructing Inclusive & Current Scholarship Impact Rankings

Rob Willey (George Mason; Google Scholar), Melanie Knapp (George Mason; Google Scholar) & Ashley Matthews (George Mason), Constructing Inclusive & Current Scholarship Impact Rankings, 44 Women's Rts. L. Rep. 1 (2022): 

Most legal scholarship ranking metrics focus on all-time publications — even rankings that purport to identify the top legal scholars of today, consider decades-old papers in their tabulations. This reliance on all-time publications leads to an underrepresentation of women. It also presents, scholars past their peak publication years as the current leaders in legal scholarship. Given the weight rankings carry within the legal community, skewed rankings could have an impact that extends beyond the exclusion of worthy scholars. Rankings may also affect tenure and career trajectories. Their power means we should do all we can to improve them.

While most legal scholarship rankings underrepresent women, research indicates that within the legal field women tend to be cited at the same or higher rates than men.

Continue reading

Can Law School Rankings Predict Future Career Satisfaction?

Law.com, Can Law School Rankings Predict Future Career Satisfaction?:

Christopher D. Iacono graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School a little over four years ago. In 2019, he said in an interview with my predecessor, Karen Sloan, that U.S. News & World Report Law School Rankings greatly influenced his decision to go to Penn Carey Law instead of to Temple University Beasley School of Law even though Temple has a part-time program and cost less.

Iacono worked as a full time police officer in Philadelphia while attending law school, and said, “At the end of the day, I would have been the same Chris going to Temple as the Chris at Penn. But I was willing to fork out an extra $100,000 and crush my body for three years, probably because of the rankings. If it weren’t for the rankings, I would have gone to Temple. It would have been a no brainer.”

In 2021, Iacono published Legally Unhappy: How US News and Law Schools Have Failed and How This Can Be Fixed How This Can Be Fixed in the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center Law Review.

“So, US News, here is a guide to fixing the problem. The interviews have been done and the research had been completed; thus, the roadmap has been generated.” Iacono wrote in his paper’s conclusion. “Why not force schools to compete with each other over meaningful categories that ultimately lead to greater professional satisfaction?” ...

On June 15, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel on the U.S. News & World Report Law Rankings during the Association of American Law Schools’ Institutional Advancement conference to see if we could make sense of what has happened with the rankings of late and what the future might hold for them.

Paul L. Caron, dean of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, was moderator and the two other speakers were William Treanor, dean of Georgetown University Law Center, and Mike Spivey, founder of Spivey Consulting Group. The discussion centered on the changes to U.S. News’ methodology after 63 law schools ceased cooperating with the survey.

Continue reading

The Top 100 Law Schools, Based On 5-, 10-, And 15-Year Rolling Average U.S. News Rankings

Bradley A. Areheart (Tennessee), The Top 100 Law Reviews: A Reference Guide Based on Historical USNWR Data:

The best proxy for how other law professors react and respond to publishing in main, or flagship, law reviews is the US News and World Report (USNWR) rankings. This paper utilizes historical USNWR data to rank the top 100 law reviews. The USNWR rankings are important in shaping many – if not most – law professors’ perceptions about the relative strength of a law school (and derivatively, the home law review). This document contains a chart that is sorted by the 10-year rolling average for each school, but it also contains the 5-year and 15-year rolling averages. This paper also describes my methodology and responds to a series of frequently asked questions. The document was last updated in June 2023.

Here are the Top 75 law schools based on their 5-year rolling average overall U.S. News ranking:

Rank	School	5-Year Rank
1	Yale	1.0
2	Stanford	1.8
3	Harvard (4.6)	3.6
4	Chicago (4.5)	3.6
5	Columbia	5.0
6	NYU (4.5)	6.0
7	Penn (4.3)	6.0
8	Virginia	8.0
9	UC-Berkeley	9.4
10	Michigan (4.4)	9.6
11	Duke (4.2)	9.6
12	Northwestern	11.0
13	Cornell	13.0
14	Georgetown	14.0
15	UCLA	15.0
16	Texas	16.0
17	Vanderbilt (3.9)	17.0
18	Washington University (3.7)	17.0
19	USC	18.0
20	Minnesota	20.0
21	Boston University	21.0
22	Notre Dame	23.0
23	Florida	24.0
24	George Washington (3.4)	26.0
24	North Carolina (3.4)	26.0
26	Georgia	27.0
27	Arizona State (3.3)	28.0
28	Alabama (3.2)	28.0
29	Emory (3.4)	29.0
30	Iowa (3.3)	29.0
31	BYU	30.0
32	UC-Irvine (3.4)	31.0
32	Boston College (3.3)	31.0
34	Fordham (3.3)	33.0
35	Ohio State (3.2)	33.0
36	Washington & Lee (3.1)	35.0
37	Wake Forest (3.0)	35.0
37	Illinois (3.0)	35.0
39	William & Mary	36.0
40	Wisconsin	37.0
41	George Mason	38.0
42	UC-Davis	40.0
43	Indiana-Maurer (3.2)	41.0
44	Utah (3.1)	41.0
45	University of Arizona (3.2)	46.0
46	University of Washington (3.1)	46.0
47	Pepperdine	48.0
48	Colorado (3.1)	49.0
49	Maryland (3.0)	49.0
50	Florida State	50.0
51	SMU (2.7)	53.0
52	Baylor (2.5)	53.0
53	Texas A&M (2.9)	54.0
54	Richmond (2.8)	54.0
55	Temple	55.0
56	UC-San Francisco (3.1)	56.0
57	Cardozo (2.9)	56.0
58	Villanova	57.0
59	Tulane	58.0
60	Connecticut (2.9)	59.0
61	Houston (2.7)	59.0
61	Tennessee (2.7)	59.0
63	Kansas	63.0
64	Seton Hall	64.0
65	Loyola-L.A.	65.0
66	Missouri (2.5)	66.0
67	Penn State-University Park (2.4)	66.0
68	UNLV	67.0
69	Northeastern (2.6)	68.0
70	Penn State-Dickinson (2.4)	68.0
71	Miami (2.7)	70.0
72	Kentucky (2.5)	70.0
73	Oklahoma	71.0
74	Wayne State	72.0
75	St. John's	73.0

Continue reading

U.S. News Law School Rankings Fraud

Geoffrey Rapp (Toledo), Fraud on the Rankings, 74 Baylor L. Rev. 583 (2022):

The professional school Dean did not take the stand in his own defense, but character witnesses testified that he was a person of integrity. One witness said of the Dean, “I would trust him with my life, my children, my anything.” The Dean was “a ‘magnet, our inspiration,’” a “loyal friend” of “noble character,” and a beloved companion for “long walks on the water” involving “deep conversations . . . on books, movies and other topics.”

The prosecution’s witnesses painted a different view. The Dean “managed through fear and intimidation,” making staff members “tremble” and leaving them “downright scared.” The Dean directed staff members to take questionable positions in reporting data requested in external rankings by ordering staff members to submit inaccurate information about the program. In one case, when a staff member wrote to the Dean to express discomfort with a proposed rankings input submission, the Dean called the staff member in and told her not to send him emails “like this.”

The Dean felt pressure to improve and maintain rankings, as the University’s internal investigation concluded, and this contributed to the reporting of inaccurate information. The professional school viewed rankings as a “key priority” and embraced a “concerted, rankings-focused strategy.” Faculty had been alarmed even before the fraud was revealed that the school had “fostered the culture of pursuing higher rankings at all costs.”

The jury found the less flattering view of the Dean more persuasive. He was found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in “a scheme that falsely boosted the school’s position on the much-revered lists published in U.S. News and World Report.” The Dean faces up to twenty-five years in prison.

Continue reading

U.S. News Took A Hit On Rankings. Its Competitors Say They’re Doing Just Fine.

Chronicle of Higher Education, ‘U.S. News’ Took a Hit on Rankings. Its Competitors Say They’re Doing Just Fine.:

Since last fall, as dozens of colleges boycotted U.S. News & World Report’s lists of best law, medical, and undergraduate programs, other publications and companies that craft college rankings have been watching.

But they’re not worried by what they see. They say their rankings are different. ...

Money magazine is the only college ranker that told The Chronicle it had made changes this year as a result of public criticism of U.S. News. Money published star ratings for colleges for 2024, rather than rankings, a move that some rankings critics have long suggested would be more accurate and helpful to prospective students.

Leaders at Forbes, Niche, the Princeton Review, QS, and Times Higher Education all said they had no plans to change their ways because of the U.S. News rankings revolt of 2022-23. ...

Continue reading

Muller: Law Schools Should Rethink Admissions In Light Of The U.S. News Rankings Methodology Changes

Derek T. Muller (Notre Dame; Google Scholar), Law Schools Have an Extraordinary Moment to Rethink Law School Admissions in Light of USNWR Methodology Changes:

The USNWR law rankings undoubtedly affect law school admissions decisions. A decade ago, I chronicled how law schools pursue lower-quality students (as measured by predicting first year law school GPA) to achieve higher median LSAT and UGPA scores to benefit their USNWR status.

While there is a lot of churn around the world of graduate school admissions at the moment—”test optional” or alternative testing policies, and the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, among other things—there’s a tremendous opportunity for law schools in light of the changes in the USNWR methodology changes. Opportunity—but also potential cost.

Let’s revisit how USNWR has changed its methodology. It has dramatically increased weight to outputs (employment and bar passage). It has dramatically decreased weight to inputs (LSAT and UGPA). Peer score also saw a significant decline.

But it’s not just the weight in those categories. It’s also the distribution of scores within each category. ...

Moving from 100 to 50 in employment is larger than the gap between a 153 median LSAT score and a 175 LSAT score (category (7)). It’s larger than an incoming class with a 3.42 median UGPA and a 3.95 UGPA (category (8)). It’s the equivalent of seeing your peer score rise from a 1.8 to a 2.9 (category (4)).

Continue reading

Fordham Dean Diller: New U.S. News Law School Rankings Methodology Is 'Deeply Problematic'

National Law Journal Op-Ed:  Problem Not Solved: A Closer Look at the New US News Law School Ranking Formula, by Matthew Diller (Dean, Fordham):

My school benefited from the new U.S. News & World Report law school ranking formula [Fordham ranks #29 this year, up from #37 last year], and I still don’t like it.

After more than six months of intense scrutiny and debate, the rankings will hopefully recede into the background, seen as just another data point in the constellation of information and opinions about law schools. But before we move on, I wanted to offer a few observations about the new formula unveiled this spring and why going forward the rankings should continue to draw skepticism.

U.S. News has stressed that its new formula emphasizes employment-related outcomes to a much greater degree than had been the case. Indeed, the metrics around employment and bar passage now make up almost 60% of a school’s score. At first blush, this seems to make perfect sense—prospective students care deeply about both of these things and the ability of a school to successfully launch students’ legal careers is obviously critical. However, the way that U.S. News focuses on these two issues is deeply problematic. ...

Continue reading

Muller: Academic Attrition And The U.S. News Law School Rankings

Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), USNWR Should Considering Incorporating Academic Attrition Rates to Offset Perverse Incentives in New Methodology:

Last year, 41 schools have 0 students who faced academic attrition. Another 70 schools had academic attrition at less than 1% of the law school’s overall total JD enrollment. ...

USNWR has now done a few things that make academic attrition much more attractive to law schools.

First, it has devalued admissions statistics. ...

Second, it has dramatically increased the value of outputs, including the bar exam and employment outcomes. Again, a sensible result. But if schools can improve their outputs by graduating fewer students ... the temptation to dismiss students grows. That is, if the most at-risk students are dismissed, the students who have the lowest likelihood of passing the bar exam and the most challenging time securing employment are out of the schools “outputs” cohort. ...

I would submit that USNWR should consider incorporating academic attrition data into its law school rankings. As it is, its college rankings consider six-year graduation rates and first-year retention rates. (Indeed, it also has a predicted graduation rate, which it could likewise construct here.) While transfers out usually reflect the best law students in attrition, and “other” attrition can likely be attributed to personal or other idiosyncratic circumstances, academic attrition reflects the school’s decision to dismiss some students rather than help them navigate the rest of the law program. Indeed, from a consumer information perspective, this is important information for a prospective law student—if I enter the program, what are the odds that I’ll continue in the program?

Continue reading

Forward Looking Academic Impact Rankings For All U.S. Law Schools

Following up on my previous post, The Most-Cited Law Faculties: Sisk-Leiter (Westlaw) v. Sag (HeinOnline):  Matthew Sag (Emory; Google Scholar), Forward Looking Academic Impact Rankings for U.S. Law Schools, 51 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. ___ (2023):

Although the very concept of law school rankings is currently under fire, rankings abolitionism is misplaced. Given the number, diversity, and geographic dispersion of the more than 190 law schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association, rankings are essential to enable various stakeholders to make comparisons between schools. However, the current rankings landscape is dire. The U.S News law school rankings rely on poorly designed, highly subjective surveys to gauge “reputational strength,” rather than looking to easily available, objective citation data that is more valid and reliable. Would-be usurpers of U.S. News use better data, but make other arbitrary choices that limit and distort their rankings. One flaw common to U.S. News and those who would displace it is the fetishization of minor differences in placement that do not reflect actual differences in substance. This information is worse than trivial: it is actively misleading. This Article proposes a new set of law school rankings free from all of these defects.

The Forward-Looking Academic Impact Rankings (“FLAIR rankings”) introduced in this Article are based on data that shows how many times law review articles by each of 5,139 individual faculty members at 191 American law schools have been cited by other law review articles in the last five years. The FLAIR rankings can be used as an objective guide to the relative academic impact of law schools, or as a component in broader objective rankings. The FLAIR rankings are based on publicly available, reliable, and objective data obtained from law school websites and the research platform, HeinOnline. The FLAIR rankings include all fully ABA accredited law schools, unlike alternative rankings of academic influence that are selective, often arbitrarily so. Moreover, the FLAIR rankings are designed to impart meaningful information by clustering schools into tiers based on their distance from the mean of all schools and deemphasizing ordinal rankings. Thus, the FLAIR rankings enable readers to make rational comparisons between law schools, rather than simply creating a hierarchy for hierarchy’s sake.

Continue reading

U.S. News Law School Rankings Panel At Today's AALS Institutional Advancement Conference

I am moderating the final panel today at the first-ever AALS Institutional Advancement Conference: Making a Difference in a Changing World (registration):

U.S. News Law Rankings (4:30 PM ET)
It’s a whole new world with changes to the US News Law Rankings. Or is it? We’ll hear from those who are covering the U.S. News changes and are grappling with what it all means for law schools.

Moderator:  Paul L. Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law, Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law

Speakers:

Continue reading

Muller Critiques The 7% Weighting Of Ultimate 2-Year Bar Passage Rates In The U.S. News Law School Rankings

Following up on my previous post, Methodology Changes In The New 2024 U.S. News Law School Rankings:  Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), Does a School's "Ultimate Bar Passage" Rate Relate to That School's Quality?:

With a loss of data that USNWR used to use to assess the quality of law schools, USNWR had to rely on ABA data. And it was already assessing one kind of outcome, first-time bar passage rate.

It introduced “ultimate bar passage” rate as a factor in this year’s methodology, with a whopping 7% of the total score. That’s higher than the median LSAT score now. It’s also much higher than the at-graduation [jobs] rate in previous methodologies (4%). ...

The ABA’s “ultimate” standard is simply a floor for accreditation purposes. Very few schools fail this standard. The statistic, and the cutoff, are designed for a minimal test of whether the law school is functioning appropriately, at a very basic level. (It’s also a bit circular, as I’ve written about—why does the ABA need to accredit schools separate and apart from the bar exam if it’s referring to accreditation standards as passing the bar exam?) ...

Continue reading

ABA Journal: Omnibus Law School Specialty Rankings Based On U.S. News Data

ABA Journal, These Law Schools Did Best in Blog's 'Omnibus Specialty Rankings' Based on US News Data:

The best law school for its showing in specialty rankings by U.S. News & World Report is Georgetown University, according to “omnibus specialty rankings” devised by a law dean.

The Georgetown University Law Center was ranked No. 15 in overall law school rankings by U.S. News & World Report. ... But Paul L. Caron, dean of the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, looked at how well law schools did in 13 separate specialty rankings by U.S. News & World Report to put together his omnibus specialty rankings for 100 law schools, which he published at the TaxProf Blog. The top 10 law schools for their performance in the specialty rankings are:
1. Georgetown University (tied for first for clinical law and had an average ranking of 10 in all 13 specialties)

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings v. Overall Rankings

Following up on yesterday's post, 2024 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings:

Here are the law schools whose U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Ranking most exceeds their overall U.S. News Ranking:

	School	Specialty Rank	Overall Rank	Difference
1	Santa Clara	77	158	+81
2	Brooklyn*	46	111	+65
3	Illinois-Chicago	97	159	+62
3	Suffolk	71	133	+62
5	American*	28	89	+61
6	Howard	66	125	+59
7	Hofstra	82	140	+58
8	Widener (DE)	119	175	+56
9	Denver	25	80	+55
10	Rutgers*	57	109	+52
11	CUNY	104	154	+50
11	Mitchell | Hamline*	117	167	+50
13	Syracuse*	75	122	+47
14	Pacific	95	141	+46
15	UC-San Francisco*	18	60	+42
15	UNLV	47	89	+42
17	Baltimore	96	135	+39
18	UC-Davis*	22	60	+38
19	Nova	134	171	+37
20	Missouri-Kansas City	99	135	+36
21	Golden Gate	145	180	+35
22	Pace	98	131	+33
23	Loyola-Chicago*	53	84	+31
23	Willamette	124	155	+31
25	Hawaii	105	135	+30
25	San Diego	48	78	+30
25	San Francisco*	135	165	+30
28	Chicago-Kent	70	99	+29
28	South Texas*	133	162	+29
30	Seattle*	83	111	+28
31	DePaul	108	135	+27
31	Houston	33	60	+27
31	Michigan State	84	111	+27
31	Vermont	137	164	+27
35	Creighton*	130	155	+25
36	Cal-Western*	151	175	+24
36	Case Western	56	80	+24
36	Temple	30	54	+24
36	UC-Irvine*	11	35	+24
40	District of Columbia	158	180	+22
40	George Washington	13	35	+22
42	Catholic	101	122	+21
43	Miami	51	71	+20
44	Indiana (McKinney)	80	99	+19
45	University of Arizona	36	54	+18
45	Widener (PA)	141	159	+18
47	Fordham	12	29	+17
47	Maryland*	34	51	+17
49	Loyola-L.A.	44	60	+16
49	North Dakota	164	180	+16

Here are the law schools whose U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Ranking most trails their overall U.S. News Ranking:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings include the rankings for 13 specialty programs at 196 law schools. Here are the Top 100 law schools, determined by giving equal weight to each of the 13 separate specialty rankings:

1. Business/Corporate Law
2. Clinical Law
3. Constitutional Law
4. Contracts/Commercial Law
5. Criminal Law
6. Dispute Resolution
7. Environmental Law
8. Health Care Law
9. Intellectual Property Law
10. International Law
11. Legal Writing
12. Tax Law
13. Trial Advocacy

	School	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Avg.
1	Georgetown*	12	1	15	14	4	21	12	6	7	5	8	3	22	10.0
2	Harvard*	1	13	1	3	2	1	9	6	19	3	121	13	37	17.6
3	Northwestern*	14	6	15	11	15	7	44	41	22	18	21	4	31	19.2
4	Michigan*	9	9	9	8	12	34	37	17	14	10	8	10	74	19.3
5	Stanford*	4	19	3	3	2	11	9	5	1	10	104	13	68	19.4
6	UC-Berkeley*	4	13	5	5	7	29	3	39	1	7	122	24	15	21.1
7	UCLA*	9	25	12	8	12	34	4	19	9	15	115	7	6	21.2
8	NYU*	4	5	5	5	1	29	4	52	3	1	104	1	68	21.7
9	Duke*	15	25	12	14	4	34	15	29	9	18	84	10	80	26.8
10	Virginia*	8	69	5	8	7	21	26	46	22	10	46	5	80	27.2
11	UC-Irvine*	47	6	24	35	25	43	32	35	9	25	8	6	80	28.8
12	Fordham	19	9	35	19	17	15	61	79	22	18	52	24	6	28.9
13	Columbia*	1	25	8	2	4	26	7	52	19	2	118	7	108	29.2
13	George Washington	32	34	35	54	30	34	12	20	4	7	46	24	47	29.2
13	Texas	19	34	9	14	22	16	39	46	18	25	84	16	37	29.2
16	Yale*	9	4	2	11	12	34	26	15	46	3	115	22	96	30.4
17	Penn*	4	25	12	5	7	34	42	20	14	18	110	18	96	31.2
18	UC-San Francisco*	36	22	29	29	36	11	18	11	31	25	122	18	24	31.7
19	Arizona State	44	45	35	38	36	14	19	14	46	25	4	36	74	33.1
20	Washington University	22	9	21	19	22	18	71	26	36	25	122	40	24	35.0
21	Cornell*	15	51	9	14	22	29	55	52	28	15	68	36	80	36.5
22	Ohio State	44	78	24	35	15	2	42	15	51	58	32	50	40	37.4
22	UC-Davis*	22	59	17	38	17	32	17	39	22	23	122	31	47	37.4
24	North Carolina	29	34	21	18	17	68	32	35	60	58	13	24	80	37.6
25	Denver	68	9	57	64	30	43	19	61	51	35	13	46	6	38.6
26	Vanderbilt*	12	45	17	13	7	34	7	46	28	18	122	62	96	39.0
27	Boston University	19	59	24	29	36	60	61	1	9	25	98	13	80	39.5
28	American*	60	1	57	64	30	64	44	20	7	5	104	50	15	40.1
29	Minnesota	22	25	24	19	30	68	32	26	42	23	68	22	126	40.5
30	Florida	25	69	29	38	45	18	19	46	67	58	68	2	59	41.8
30	Temple	60	59	57	38	61	68	71	17	46	10	25	29	2	41.8
32	Chicago	1	34	3	1	7	68	71	67	36	9	118	7	126	42.2
33	Houston	47	69	86	47	50	68	26	9	6	53	21	44	24	42.3
34	Maryland*	60	13	48	72	36	9	19	6	46	47	98	68	40	43.2
35	Emory	25	89	29	23	36	50	58	29	31	38	42	81	35	43.5
36	University of Arizona	36	45	35	59	45	34	39	29	67	38	8	62	80	44.4
37	Georgia	29	34	42	29	61	50	71	41	74	15	77	50	13	45.1
38	Boston College	25	34	35	25	61	60	44	41	42	38	52	16	139	47.1
39	University of Washington*	54	34	65	54	25	43	19	52	28	47	16	44	139	47.7
40	William & Mary	29	89	17	25	20	68	44	94	46	25	52	68	47	48.0
41	Wake Forest	47	89	48	38	36	68	55	20	74	67	5	62	40	49.9
42	USC	17	89	35	19	36	64	19	61	42	75	113	24	64	50.6
43	Indiana (Maurer)	36	89	42	47	45	68	32	46	36	25	52	18	126	50.9
44	Loyola-L.A.	54	69	65	59	30	60	125	52	51	67	32	10	5	52.2
45	Notre Dame	32	69	17	29	50	68	61	94	60	25	84	46	47	52.5
46	Brooklyn*	32	34	42	38	20	68	131	83	92	47	16	40	47	53.1
47	UNLV	66	34	65	45	50	9	80	41	60	90	2	46	108	53.5
48	San Diego	36	106	21	47	30	68	71	52	22	58	122	18	47	53.7
49	Colorado	47	78	53	54	25	68	15	79	36	58	68	50	80	54.7
49	Texas A&M	68	51	79	47	119	7	32	67	9	58	32	62	80	54.7
51	Miami	54	25	53	54	84	50	39	67	67	25	98	40	68	55.7
51	Wisconsin*	44	59	29	25	36	68	44	67	81	42	90	31	108	55.7
53	Loyola-Chicago*	74	59	57	95	73	43	88	4	74	58	46	50	13	56.5
54	Georgia State	78	19	42	72	50	67	103	1	42	67	122	50	24	56.7
55	SMU	47	51	79	64	36	50	80	29	60	42	104	50	47	56.8
56	Case Western	66	59	57	72	84	68	44	11	60	10	46	119	47	57.2
57	Rutgers*	92	19	57	64	50	68	80	41	81	53	16	68	68	58.2
58	Florida State	47	106	29	29	50	68	19	52	60	75	122	36	74	59.0
59	Tulane*	32	45	74	47	45	43	26	94	60	35	122	50	108	60.1
60	Washington & Lee	36	45	53	45	50	68	80	61	74	42	77	40	126	61.3
61	Utah	54	89	42	72	25	68	12	25	31	35	122	68	166	62.2
62	Alabama	47	51	24	35	50	68	101	67	105	90	90	36	47	62.4
63	Pepperdine Caruso	54	34	53	59	84	2	113	103	88	53	110	29	59	64.7
64	Villanova	68	51	65	64	73	68	101	61	67	84	68	31	47	65.2
65	Iowa	25	59	48	23	61	68	88	67	51	58	110	50	158	66.6
66	Howard	92	34	74	47	45	68	125	103	51	50	52	109	40	68.5
67	Illinois	36	89	29	25	61	43	80	83	51	67	122	68	139	68.7
68	Cardozo	60	83	48	54	25	5	131	118	14	84	122	46	108	69.1
69	Seton Hall	92	89	65	59	68	68	71	11	74	80	122	50	64	70.2
70	Chicago-Kent	92	114	86	72	68	68	103	67	14	90	32	99	9	70.3
71	Suffolk	125	17	140	95	84	26	103	52	31	90	5	119	31	70.6
72	Northeastern*	140	22	86	144	61	68	94	9	36	67	21	91	80	70.7
73	BYU	17	133	48	38	68	50	71	118	74	58	122	31	96	71.1
74	Oregon	60	114	74	80	84	11	9	118	92	67	1	68	166	72.6
75	Syracuse*	100	106	79	95	61	68	80	67	67	90	42	81	15	73.2
76	Pittsburgh*	78	89	65	80	73	68	80	29	51	50	122	31	139	73.5
77	Santa Clara	74	89	107	80	84	68	94	113	4	42	52	74	96	75.2
78	South Carolina	60	25	97	80	73	68	71	79	123	127	122	50	15	76.2
79	Richmond	74	89	35	95	50	68	58	118	31	75	122	50	126	76.2
80	Indiana (McKinney)	92	106	97	87	84	68	103	20	92	67	16	74	108	78.0
81	Tennessee	36	22	57	47	94	68	103	61	117	175	46	81	108	78.1
82	Hofstra	78	89	86	109	73	50	138	83	81	103	42	74	22	79.1
83	Seattle*	92	25	107	95	50	68	61	103	92	75	8	91	166	79.5
84	George Mason	36	133	42	29	94	68	125	135	22	90	122	74	64	79.5
84	Michigan State	68	83	74	64	108	21	94	135	67	67	90	99	64	79.5
86	Drexel	92	51	97	121	94	68	157	29	92	84	25	119	15	80.3
87	Stetson	125	89	107	80	94	18	88	94	130	127	3	91	1	80.5
88	Lewis & Clark	125	51	79	109	73	68	2	135	88	75	16	119	108	80.6
89	St. John's*	87	106	65	64	84	50	131	113	92	90	25	109	37	81.0
90	New Mexico	100	17	86	87	94	68	26	83	130	116	52	90	126	82.7
91	Wayne State	100	69	97	80	73	68	94	46	130	53	122	81	80	84.1
92	Connecticut*	68	89	57	87	73	68	88	79	105	53	90	81	166	84.9
93	Kansas	78	106	65	72	108	26	44	135	105	84	68	91	139	86.2
94	St. Louis	125	69	79	72	94	68	145	1	81	119	68	74	139	87.2
95	Pacific	100	114	120	121	108	34	94	135	130	38	32	119	9	88.8
96	Baltimore	140	6	107	144	68	60	61	103	88	90	77	81	139	89.5
97	Illinois-Chicago	116	78	140	95	149	68	131	118	51	103	25	99	24	92.1
98	Pace	116	106	131	144	94	68	1	94	130	103	122	74	24	92.8
99	Missouri-Kansas City	87	114	120	95	94	68	118	94	105	127	13	119	59	93.3
100	Penn State-Dickinson*	87	78	115	87	108	68	61	52	92	80	122	109	158	93.6

If anyone at a law school outside the Top 100 would like the data for their school's rank, email me.

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings include the trial advocacy programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 59% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.4	Stetson
2	4.3	Temple
3	4.2	Baylor
4	3.9	Samford
5	3.8	Loyola-L.A.
6	3.7	Denver
6	3.7	Fordham
6	3.7	UCLA*
9	3.6	Chicago-Kent
9	3.6	Pacific
9	3.6	South Texas*
12	3.5	St. Mary's
13	3.3	Georgia
13	3.3	Loyola-Chicago*
15	3.2	American*
15	3.2	Campbell*
15	3.2	Drexel
15	3.2	Mercer
15	3.2	South Carolina
15	3.2	Syracuse*
15	3.2	UC-Berkeley*
22	3.1	Georgetown*
22	3.1	Hofstra
24	3.0	Akron
24	3.0	Georgia State
24	3.0	Houston
24	3.0	Illinois-Chicago
24	3.0	Pace
24	3.0	UC-San Francisco*
24	3.0	Washington University
31	2.9	Northwestern*
31	2.9	Nova
31	2.9	Quinnipiac*
31	2.9	Suffolk
35	2.8	Emory
35	2.8	Louisiana State
37	2.7	Harvard*
37	2.7	St. John's*
37	2.7	Texas
40	2.6	Catholic
40	2.6	Howard
40	2.6	Inter-American (PR)*
40	2.6	Maryland*
40	2.6	Ohio State
40	2.6	Texas Tech
40	2.6	Wake Forest
47	2.5	Alabama
47	2.5	Brooklyn*
47	2.5	Case Western
47	2.5	George Washington
47	2.5	Notre Dame
47	2.5	Ohio Northern
47	2.5	San Diego
47	2.5	SMU
47	2.5	South Dakota
47	2.5	UC-Davis*
47	2.5	Villanova
47	2.5	William & Mary

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings include the legal writing programs at 121 law schools (the faculty survey had a 63% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.3	Oregon
2	4.2	UNLV
3	4.1	Stetson
4	4.0	Arizona State
5	3.9	Suffolk
5	3.9	Wake Forest
7	3.8	Nova
8	3.7	Georgetown*
8	3.7	Michigan*
8	3.7	Seattle*
8	3.7	UC-Irvine*
8	3.7	University of Arizona
13	3.6	Denver
13	3.6	Missouri-Kansas City
13	3.6	North Carolina
16	3.5	Brooklyn*
16	3.5	Indiana (McKinney)
16	3.5	Lewis & Clark
16	3.5	Rutgers*
16	3.5	University of Washington*
21	3.4	Houston
21	3.4	Mercer
21	3.4	Northeastern*
21	3.4	Northwestern*
25	3.3	Drake
25	3.3	Drexel
25	3.3	Illinois-Chicago
25	3.3	St. John's*
25	3.3	Temple
25	3.3	Washburn
25	3.3	Wyoming
32	3.2	Arkansas-Fayetteville
32	3.2	Chicago-Kent
32	3.2	Duquesne
32	3.2	Hawaii
32	3.2	Loyola-L.A.
32	3.2	Marquette
32	3.2	Ohio State
32	3.2	Pacific
32	3.2	Texas A&M
32	3.2	Texas Tech
42	3.1	Elon
42	3.1	Emory
42	3.1	Hofstra
42	3.1	Syracuse*
46	3.0	Case Western
46	3.0	George Washington
46	3.0	Loyola-Chicago*
46	3.0	Tennessee
46	3.0	Virginia*
46	3.0	Willamette

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

Duquesne, FIU, Kansas, Oklahoma, And Texas A&M Are Among The Biggest U.S. News Law School Rankings Winners

Following up on my previous post, The Law Schools Most Impacted By The Methodology Changes In The 2024 U.S. News Rankings:  Law.com, Ahead of the Curve: Some Law Schools Are Happy About the US News Rankings:

In last week’s column, I questioned whether the 63 schools that boycotted the Best Law Schools list, along with the massive amount of unflattering press those moves garnered for U.S. News, would put a dent in the rankings’ reputation.

This week, though, I want to look at some of the institutions that performed particularly well in the rankings, which were finally released on May 11, and show that not every law school is unhappy with U.S. News.

Texas A&M University School of Law, for example, now ranks 29th nationally—tied with Boston College Law School and Fordham Law School—one of the fastest and furthest increases in U.S. News law school rankings history, according to an announcement put out by the school. The school rose 17 spots from No. 46 last year. The previous year, it had been tied for No. 53.

This year, 15 law schools increased by 20 or more spots as compared to last year’s rankings. and among the top 50, the University of Kansas School of Law rose to tied at 40th up from tied at 67th last year.

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News International Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News International Law Rankings include the international law programs at 174 law schools (the faculty survey had a 53% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.6	NYU*
2	4.4	Columbia*
3	4.3	Harvard*
3	4.3	Yale*
5	4.2	American*
5	4.2	Georgetown*
7	4.1	George Washington
7	4.1	UC-Berkeley*
9	4.0	Chicago
10	3.9	Case Western
10	3.9	Michigan*
10	3.9	Stanford*
10	3.9	Temple
10	3.9	Virginia*
15	3.8	Cornell*
15	3.8	Georgia
15	3.8	UCLA*
18	3.6	Duke*
18	3.6	Fordham
18	3.6	Northwestern*
18	3.6	Penn*
18	3.6	Vanderbilt*
23	3.5	Minnesota
23	3.5	UC-Davis*
25	3.4	Arizona State
25	3.4	Boston University
25	3.4	Indiana (Maurer)
25	3.4	Miami
25	3.4	Notre Dame
25	3.4	Texas
25	3.4	UC-Irvine*
25	3.4	UC-San Francisco*
25	3.4	Washington University
25	3.4	William & Mary
35	3.3	Denver
35	3.3	Tulane*
35	3.3	Utah
38	3.2	Boston College
38	3.2	Emory
38	3.2	Pacific
38	3.2	University of Arizona
42	3.1	Florida Int'l
42	3.1	Santa Clara
42	3.1	SMU
42	3.1	Washington & Lee
42	3.1	Wisconsin*
47	3.0	Brooklyn*
47	3.0	Maryland*
47	3.0	University of Washington*
50	2.9	Hawaii
50	2.9	Howard
50	2.9	Pittsburgh*

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News International Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings include the intellectual property law programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 57% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.8	Stanford*
1	4.8	UC-Berkeley*
3	4.4	NYU*
4	4.1	George Washington
4	4.1	Santa Clara
6	3.8	Houston
7	3.7	American*
7	3.7	Georgetown*
9	3.6	Boston University
9	3.6	Duke*
9	3.6	Texas A&M
9	3.6	UC-Irvine*
9	3.6	UCLA*
14	3.5	Cardozo
14	3.5	Chicago-Kent
14	3.5	Michigan*
14	3.5	Penn*
18	3.4	Texas
19	3.3	Columbia*
19	3.3	Harvard*
19	3.3	New Hampshire*
22	3.2	Fordham
22	3.2	George Mason
22	3.2	Northwestern*
22	3.2	San Diego
22	3.2	UC-Davis*
22	3.2	Virginia*
28	3.1	Cornell*
28	3.1	University of Washington*
28	3.1	Vanderbilt*
31	3.0	Emory
31	3.0	Richmond
31	3.0	Suffolk
31	3.0	UC-San Francisco*
31	3.0	Utah
36	2.9	Chicago
36	2.9	Colorado
36	2.9	DePaul
36	2.9	Indiana (Maurer)
36	2.9	Northeastern*
36	2.9	Washington University
42	2.8	Boston College
42	2.8	Georgia State
42	2.8	Minnesota
42	2.8	USC
46	2.7	Arizona State
46	2.7	Maryland*
46	2.7	Temple
46	2.7	William & Mary
46	2.7	Yale*

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings include the health care law programs at 189 law schools (the faculty survey had a 52% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.3	Boston University
1	4.3	Georgia State
1	4.3	St. Louis
4	4.1	Loyola-Chicago*
5	4.0	Stanford*
6	3.9	Georgetown*
6	3.9	Harvard*
6	3.9	Maryland*
9	3.8	Houston
9	3.8	Northeastern*
11	3.7	Case Western
11	3.7	Seton Hall
11	3.7	UC-San Francisco*
14	3.6	Arizona State
15	3.5	Ohio State
15	3.5	Yale*
17	3.3	Michigan*
17	3.3	Temple
19	3.2	UCLA*
20	3.1	American*
20	3.1	George Washington
20	3.1	Indiana (McKinney)
20	3.1	Penn*
20	3.1	Wake Forest
25	3.0	Utah
26	2.9	Minnesota
26	2.9	Mitchell | Hamline*
26	2.9	Washington University
29	2.8	Drexel
29	2.8	Duke*
29	2.8	Emory
29	2.8	Pittsburgh*
29	2.8	SMU
29	2.8	University of Arizona
35	2.7	DePaul
35	2.7	North Carolina
35	2.7	Nova
35	2.7	UC-Irvine*
39	2.6	UC-Berkeley*
39	2.6	UC-Davis*
41	2.5	Boston College
41	2.5	Georgia
41	2.5	Northwestern*
41	2.5	Rutgers*
41	2.5	UNLV
46	2.4	Florida
46	2.4	Indiana (Maurer)
46	2.4	Texas
46	2.4	Vanderbilt*
46	2.4	Virginia*
46	2.4	Wayne State

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings include the environmental law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 59% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.6	Pace
2	4.5	Lewis & Clark
3	4.4	UC-Berkeley*
4	4.3	NYU*
4	4.3	UCLA*
4	4.3	Vermont
7	4.1	Columbia*
7	4.1	Vanderbilt*
9	4.0	Harvard*
9	4.0	Oregon
9	4.0	Stanford*
12	3.9	George Washington
12	3.9	Georgetown*
12	3.9	Utah
15	3.8	Colorado
15	3.8	Duke*
17	3.7	UC-Davis*
18	3.6	UC-San Francisco*
19	3.5	Arizona State
19	3.5	Denver
19	3.5	Florida
19	3.5	Florida State
19	3.5	Maryland*
19	3.5	University of Washington*
19	3.5	USC
26	3.4	Hawaii
26	3.4	Houston
26	3.4	New Mexico
26	3.4	Tulane*
26	3.4	Virginia*
26	3.4	Yale*
32	3.3	Indiana (Maurer)
32	3.3	Minnesota
32	3.3	North Carolina
32	3.3	Texas A&M
32	3.3	UC-Irvine*
37	3.2	Michigan*
37	3.2	Montana
39	3.1	Miami
39	3.1	Texas
39	3.1	University of Arizona
42	3.0	Ohio State
42	3.0	Penn*
44	2.9	American*
44	2.9	Boston College
44	2.9	Case Western
44	2.9	CUNY
44	2.9	Kansas
44	2.9	Loyola-New Orleans*
44	2.9	Northwestern*
44	2.9	Widener (DE)
44	2.9	William & Mary
44	2.9	Wisconsin*
44	2.9	Wyoming

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings include the dispute resolution programs at 67 law schools (the faculty survey had a 56% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.5	Harvard*
2	4.4	Ohio State
2	4.4	Pepperdine Caruso
4	4.3	Missouri (Columbia)
5	4.2	Cardozo
5	4.2	Mitchell | Hamline*
7	4.0	Northwestern*
7	4.0	Texas A&M
9	3.9	Maryland*
9	3.9	UNLV
11	3.8	Oregon
11	3.8	Stanford*
11	3.8	UC-San Francisco*
14	3.7	Arizona State
15	3.6	Fordham
16	3.5	Creighton*
16	3.5	Texas
18	3.4	Florida
18	3.4	Stetson
18	3.4	Washington University
21	3.3	Georgetown*
21	3.3	Michigan State
21	3.3	Quinnipiac*
21	3.3	South Texas*
21	3.3	Virginia*
26	3.2	Columbia*
26	3.2	Kansas
26	3.2	Suffolk
29	3.1	Cornell*
29	3.1	NYU*
29	3.1	UC-Berkeley*
32	3.0	Marquette
32	3.0	UC-Davis*
34	2.9	Duke*
34	2.9	George Washington
34	2.9	Michigan*
34	2.9	Pacific
34	2.9	Penn*
34	2.9	UCLA*
34	2.9	University of Arizona
34	2.9	Vanderbilt*
34	2.9	Yale*
43	2.8	Denver
43	2.8	Illinois
43	2.8	Loyola-Chicago*
43	2.8	Nebraska*
43	2.8	Tulane*
43	2.8	UC-Irvine*
43	2.8	University of Washington*
50	2.7	Arkansas-Little Rock
50	2.7	BYU
50	2.7	Emory
50	2.7	Georgia
50	2.7	Hofstra
50	2.7	Miami
50	2.7	SMU
50	2.7	Southwestern*
50	2.7	St. John's*
50	2.7	Texas Tech

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

Law School Rankings: The Good News, The Bad News And The Ultimate Proof That It Is Flawed

National Law Journal Op-Ed:  Law School Rankings: The Good News, the Bad News and the Ultimate Proof That It Is Flawed, by Alan B. Morrison (Associate Dean, George Washington):

Finally, after two false starts, the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings are out, and one clear positive is that the authors have now told us more clearly what counts and for how much. The newest version has some sensible changes, as well as some problematic elements, but the bottom line is that the dramatic shifts in methodology for the overall rankings prove beyond a doubt that the premise of the endeavor—that these are objective measures—is fatally flawed. ...

These huge changes [in methodology] —in one year—are neither right nor wrong. What they show is how subjective the rankings are. In other words, they are entirely dependent on the personal whims of the U.S. News staff, who are not practicing lawyers, law professors, or law students. This arbitrariness applies not simply to the categories—why are these and only these categories relevant—but why are these the right percentages? The accompanying press release advises students that the rankings are only “one consideration” among many, including cost. But the overall message that the rankings convey is that students should go to the highest-ranked school because one size fits all—why else would they pick the title “Best Law Schools.”

Continue reading

Muller: How Law Faculty Succeeded In Diminishing Their Importance In The U.S. News Rankings

Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), Law School Faculty Have Aggressively and Successfully Lobbied to Diminish the Importance of Law School Faculty in the USNWR Rankings:

In many contexts, there is a concern of “regulatory capture,” the notion that the regulated industry will lobby the regulator and ensure that the regulator sets forth rules most beneficial to the interests of the regulated industry.

In the context of the USNWR law rankings, the exact opposite has happened when it comes to the interests of law school faculty. Whether it has been intentional or inadvertent it hard to say.

It is in the self-interest of law school faculty to ensure that the USNWR law school rankings maximize the importance and influence of law school faculty. The more that faculty matter in the rankings, the better life is for law faculty—higher compensation, more competition for faculty, more hiring, more recognition for work, more earmarking for fundraising, the list goes on.

But in the last few years, law school faculty (sometimes administrators, sometimes not) have pressed for three specific rules that affirmatively diminish the importance of law faculty in the rankings.

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings include the criminal law programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 46% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.4	NYU*
2	4.2	Harvard*
2	4.2	Stanford*
4	4.1	Columbia*
4	4.1	Duke*
4	4.1	Georgetown*
7	3.9	Chicago
7	3.9	Penn*
7	3.9	UC-Berkeley*
7	3.9	Vanderbilt*
7	3.9	Virginia*
12	3.8	Michigan*
12	3.8	UCLA*
12	3.8	Yale*
15	3.7	Northwestern*
15	3.7	Ohio State
17	3.6	Fordham
17	3.6	North Carolina
17	3.6	UC-Davis*
20	3.5	Brooklyn*
20	3.5	William & Mary
22	3.4	Cornell*
22	3.4	Texas
22	3.4	Washington University
25	3.3	Cardozo
25	3.3	Colorado
25	3.3	UC-Irvine*
25	3.3	University of Washington*
25	3.3	Utah
30	3.2	American*
30	3.2	Denver
30	3.2	George Washington
30	3.2	Loyola-L.A.
30	3.2	Minnesota
30	3.2	San Diego
36	3.1	Arizona State
36	3.1	Boston University
36	3.1	Emory
36	3.1	Maryland*
36	3.1	SMU
36	3.1	UC-San Francisco*
36	3.1	USC
36	3.1	Wake Forest
36	3.1	Wisconsin*
45	3.0	Florida
45	3.0	Howard
45	3.0	Indiana (Maurer)
45	3.0	Tulane*
45	3.0	University of Arizona
50	2.9	Alabama
50	2.9	CUNY
50	2.9	Florida State
50	2.9	Georgia State
50	2.9	Houston
50	2.9	Notre Dame
50	2.9	Richmond
50	2.9	Rutgers*
50	2.9	Seattle*
50	2.9	UNLV
50	2.9	Washington & Lee

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings include the contracts/commercial law programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 42% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.8	Chicago
2	4.6	Columbia*
3	4.4	Harvard*
3	4.4	Stanford*
5	4.3	NYU*
5	4.3	Penn*
5	4.3	UC-Berkeley*
8	4.2	Michigan*
8	4.2	UCLA*
8	4.2	Virginia*
11	4.1	Northwestern*
11	4.1	Yale*
13	4.0	Vanderbilt*
14	3.9	Cornell*
14	3.9	Duke*
14	3.9	Georgetown*
14	3.9	Texas
18	3.8	North Carolina
19	3.6	Fordham
19	3.6	Minnesota
19	3.6	USC
19	3.6	Washington University
23	3.5	Emory
23	3.5	Iowa
25	3.4	Boston College
25	3.4	Illinois
25	3.4	William & Mary
25	3.4	Wisconsin*
29	3.3	Boston University
29	3.3	Florida State
29	3.3	George Mason
29	3.3	Georgia
29	3.3	Notre Dame
29	3.3	UC-San Francisco*
35	3.2	Alabama
35	3.2	Ohio State
35	3.2	UC-Irvine*
38	3.1	Arizona State
38	3.1	Brooklyn*
38	3.1	BYU
38	3.1	Florida
38	3.1	Temple
38	3.1	UC-Davis*
38	3.1	Wake Forest
45	3.0	UNLV
45	3.0	Washington & Lee
47	2.9	Houston
47	2.9	Howard
47	2.9	Indiana (Maurer)
47	2.9	San Diego
47	2.9	Tennessee
47	2.9	Texas A&M
47	2.9	Tulane*

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings include the constitutional law programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 46% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.8	Harvard*
2	4.7	Yale*
3	4.6	Chicago
3	4.6	Stanford*
5	4.5	NYU*
5	4.5	UC-Berkeley*
5	4.5	Virginia*
8	4.4	Columbia*
9	4.3	Cornell*
9	4.3	Michigan*
9	4.3	Texas
12	4.2	Duke*
12	4.2	Penn*
12	4.2	UCLA*
15	4.1	Georgetown*
15	4.1	Northwestern*
17	3.6	Notre Dame
17	3.6	UC-Davis*
17	3.6	Vanderbilt*
17	3.6	William & Mary
21	3.5	North Carolina
21	3.5	San Diego
21	3.5	Washington University
24	3.4	Alabama
24	3.4	Boston University
24	3.4	Minnesota
24	3.4	Ohio State
24	3.4	UC-Irvine*
29	3.3	Emory
29	3.3	Florida
29	3.3	Florida State
29	3.3	Illinois
29	3.3	UC-San Francisco*
29	3.3	Wisconsin*
35	3.2	Arizona State
35	3.2	Boston College
35	3.2	Fordham
35	3.2	George Washington
35	3.2	Richmond
35	3.2	University of Arizona
35	3.2	USC
42	3.1	Brooklyn*
42	3.1	George Mason
42	3.1	Georgia
42	3.1	Georgia State
42	3.1	Indiana (Maurer)
42	3.1	Utah
48	3.0	BYU
48	3.0	Cardozo
48	3.0	Iowa
48	3.0	Maryland*
48	3.0	Wake Forest

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

Will Boycotts And Bad Press Put A Dent In The U.S. News Law School Rankings' Reputation?

Law.com, Ahead of the Curve: Will Boycotts and Bad Press Put a Dent in the US News Rankings' Reputation?:

This week, we dive back into the U.S. News & World Report’s education rankings, examining whether the U.S. News law school rankings will remain influential despite widespread public boycotts by dozens of schools. ...

Paul L. Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and professor of law at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and author of the TaxProf Blog, told me in an email on Monday that “U.S. News really shot itself in the foot when they bollixed up the April 18 release of the rankings.”

“It is shocking that with the spotlight on them as a result of the publicity over the rankings boycott (although 42 law schools publicly joined the boycott, a total of 62 schools ended up boycotting—over 30% of all law schools), U.S. News released embargoed rankings on April 11 fraught with errors,” Caron said.

“Moreover, U.S. News never forthrightly explained the source of the errors and did not correct the misinformation about the jobs data in several media reports,” Caron added. ...

“Obviously rankings can survive, with or without meaningful support from those being ranked,” Robert B. Ahdieh, dean & Anthony G. Buzbee Endowed Dean’s Chair and vice president for Professional Schools & Programs at Texas A&M University School of Law, told me in an email Monday.

Continue reading

Projected 2025 U.S. News Law School Rankings: The Biggest Winners And Losers

Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), Projecting the 2024-2025 USNWR Law School Rankings (To Be Released March 2024 Or So):

Fifty-eight percent of the new USNWR law school rankings turn on three highly-volatile categories: employment 10 months after graduation, first-time bar passage, and ultimate bar passage.

Because USNWR releases its rankings in the spring, at the same time the ABA releases new data on these categories, the USNWR law school rankings are always a year behind. This year’s data include the ultimate bar passage rate for the Class of 2019, the first-time bar passage rate for the Class of 2021, and the employment outcomes of the Class of 2021.

We can quickly update all that data with this year’s data—Class of 2020 ultimate bar passage rate, Class of 2022 first-time bar passage, and Class of 2022 employment outcomes (which we have to estimate and reverse engineer, so there’s some guesswork). Those three categories are 58% of next year’s rankings.

Derek projects the Top 100 schools in next year's 2025 rankings. Here are the largest projected increases among those schools:

Rank	School	Projected 2025 Rank	Actual 2024 Rank	Difference
1	Maine	83	146	+63
2	Missouri-Kansas City	93	135	+42
3	Penn State-Dickinson	51	89	+38
4	Catholic	86	122	+36
5	Regent	93	125	+32
6	UNLV	60	89	+29
7	Connecticut	46	71	+25
8	Penn State Law	56	80	+24
9	San Diego	56	78	+22
10	Florida State	36	56	+20
11	New Hampshire	86	105	+19
12	Colorado	40	56	+16
12	William & Mary	29	45	+16
12	Wisconsin	24	40	+16
15	Belmont	90	105	+15
15	Marquette	56	71	+15
15	Nebraska	74	89	+15

Here are the the largest projected decreases among those schools:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Clinical Training Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Clinical Training Rankings include the clinical training law programs at 188 law schools (the faculty survey had a 53% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.4	American*
1	4.4	Georgetown*
3	4.3	CUNY
4	4.2	Yale*
5	4.1	NYU*
6	4.0	Baltimore
6	4.0	Northwestern*
6	4.0	UC-Irvine*
9	3.9	Denver
9	3.9	Fordham
9	3.9	Michigan*
9	3.9	Washington University
13	3.8	District of Columbia
13	3.8	Harvard*
13	3.8	Maryland*
13	3.8	UC-Berkeley*
17	3.7	New Mexico
17	3.7	Suffolk
19	3.6	Georgia State
19	3.6	Rutgers*
19	3.6	Stanford*
22	3.5	Northeastern*
22	3.5	Tennessee
22	3.5	UC-San Francisco*
25	3.4	Albany
25	3.4	Columbia*
25	3.4	Duke*
25	3.4	Miami
25	3.4	Minnesota
25	3.4	Penn*
25	3.4	Seattle*
25	3.4	South Carolina
25	3.4	UCLA*
34	3.3	Boston College
34	3.3	Brooklyn*
34	3.3	Chicago
34	3.3	George Washington
34	3.3	Georgia
34	3.3	Howard
34	3.3	North Carolina
34	3.3	Pepperdine Caruso
34	3.3	Texas
34	3.3	University of Washington*
34	3.3	UNLV
45	3.2	Arizona State
45	3.2	Mitchell | Hamline*
45	3.2	Tulane*
45	3.2	University of Arizona
45	3.2	Vanderbilt*
45	3.2	Washington & Lee

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Clinical Law Rankings 

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings include the business/corporate law programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 58% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.5	Chicago
1	4.5	Columbia*
1	4.5	Harvard*
4	4.4	NYU*
4	4.4	Penn*
4	4.4	Stanford*
4	4.4	UC-Berkeley*
8	4.1	Virginia*
9	4.0	Michigan*
9	4.0	UCLA*
9	4.0	Yale*
12	3.9	Georgetown*
12	3.9	Vanderbilt*
14	3.8	Northwestern*
15	3.7	Cornell*
15	3.7	Duke*
17	3.5	BYU
17	3.5	USC
19	3.4	Boston University
19	3.4	Fordham
19	3.4	Texas
22	3.3	Minnesota
22	3.3	UC-Davis*
22	3.3	Washington University
25	3.2	Boston College
25	3.2	Emory
25	3.2	Florida
25	3.2	Iowa
29	3.1	Georgia
29	3.1	North Carolina
29	3.1	William & Mary
32	3.0	Brooklyn*
32	3.0	George Washington
32	3.0	Notre Dame
32	3.0	Tulane*
36	2.9	George Mason
36	2.9	Illinois
36	2.9	Indiana (Maurer)
36	2.9	San Diego
36	2.9	Tennessee
36	2.9	UC-San Francisco*
36	2.9	University of Arizona
36	2.9	Washington & Lee
44	2.8	Arizona State
44	2.8	Ohio State
44	2.8	Wisconsin*
47	2.7	Alabama
47	2.7	Colorado
47	2.7	Florida State
47	2.7	Houston
47	2.7	SMU
47	2.7	UC-Irvine*
47	2.7	Wake Forest

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

2023 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings 

2024 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:

Continue reading

More Commentary On The 2024 U.S. News Law School Rankings

Chronicle of Higher Education, What the New ‘U.S. News’ Law-School Rankings Reveal About the Rankings Enterprise:

Here are three takeaways from this year’s law list and what they say about the rankings enterprise.

The law schools that opted out clustered at certain places on the list. Of the 15 top-ranked law schools, all but one, the University of Chicago, declined to provide data this year. Several schools at the bottom of the list also didn’t return U.S. News’s survey. In the middle, opt-outs were scarcer. ...  [A]t the bottom of the list, Malik C. Edwards, dean of the North Carolina Central University School of Law, said he hadn’t participated in the last three years, because he didn’t see it as worth his time. ...

The top 14 law schools stayed nearly the same. Historically, U.S. News rankings were designed to change only modestly year to year. Editors feared large shifts “could have undermined the credibility of the project,” Alvin P. Sanoff, an early and influential editor, wrote in 2007. Keeping the most scrutinized part of the law-school list — the top 14 — largely the same reflects that dedication to stability. ...

Did the rankings protest help right inequities in law education? That was the point of the boycott. Did it work?

It did and it didn’t, Edwards said. On the one hand, top law schools’ criticisms of U.S. News helped draw public attention to points that law deans had long made to one another, and drove real change in the methodology. On the other hand, problems persist.

Brian Leiter (Chicago; Google Scholar), USNews.com Has Outdone Itself: It Has Made Its Law School Rankings Even More Absurd Than Before!:

There's not much to say about what is essentially a random ordering of law schools within tier groups.  Any student who made a decision on the basis of small (and, in some cases, even large) ordinal differences in this year's travesty really should have a cause of action against USNews.com.  (Some of the swings in overall rank are beyond bizarre!  UC Davis and Arizona dropped from the top 50?  Emory and George Washington dropped out of the top 30?  Is this a joke?) 

Brian Leiter (Chicago; Google Scholar), More on the New USNews.com Ranking Stew:

The whole formula still of course makes no sense, and is inexplicable in terms of the weightings.  What is clear is that the results are even more detached from traditional criteria of excellence, like faculty quality.  The rankings will also now be much more volatile, for reasons Professor Muller explains.

Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), New USNWR Methodology Will Yield Dramatically More Compression and Volatility in Law School Rankings:

Continue reading

2024 U.S. News Tax Rankings

The new 2024 U.S. News Tax Rankings include the tax programs at 196 law schools (the faculty survey had a 54% response rate). Here are the Top 50:

Rank	Score	School
1	4.7	NYU*
2	4.4	Florida
3	4.3	Georgetown*
4	4.1	Northwestern*
5	4.0	Virginia*
6	3.9	UC-Irvine*
7	3.7	Chicago
7	3.7	Columbia*
7	3.7	UCLA*
10	3.6	Duke*
10	3.6	Loyola-L.A.
10	3.6	Michigan*
13	3.5	Boston University
13	3.5	Harvard*
13	3.5	Stanford*
16	3.4	Boston College
16	3.4	Texas
18	3.3	Indiana (Maurer)
18	3.3	Penn*
18	3.3	San Diego
18	3.3	UC-San Francisco*
22	3.2	Minnesota
22	3.2	Yale*
24	3.1	Fordham
24	3.1	George Washington
24	3.1	North Carolina
24	3.1	UC-Berkeley*
24	3.1	USC
29	3.0	Pepperdine Caruso
29	3.0	Temple
31	2.9	BYU
31	2.9	Pittsburgh*
31	2.9	UC-Davis*
31	2.9	Villanova
31	2.9	Wisconsin*
36	2.8	Alabama
36	2.8	Arizona State
36	2.8	Cornell*
36	2.8	Florida State
40	2.7	Brooklyn*
40	2.7	Miami
40	2.7	Washington & Lee
40	2.7	Washington University
44	2.6	Houston
44	2.6	University of Washington*
46	2.5	Cardozo
46	2.5	Denver
46	2.5	Notre Dame
46	2.5	UNLV
50	2.4	American*
50	2.4	Colorado
50	2.4	Georgia
50	2.4	Georgia State
50	2.4	Iowa
50	2.4	Loyola-Chicago*
50	2.4	Ohio State
50	2.4	Richmond
50	2.4	Seton Hall
50	2.4	SMU
50	2.4	South Carolina
50	2.4	Tulane*

*Denotes schools that boycotted the U.S. News rankings

Among the law schools in the tax rankings last year, here are the biggest upward moves:

• +9: Florida State (#36)
• +8: Duke (#10), BYU (#31),  Villanova (#31)
• +6: San Diego (#18)
• +5: Washington & Lee (#40), Houston (#44)
• +4: Fordham (#24)
• +3: UC-Irvine (#6), Loyola-L.A. (#10), George Washington (#24), Alabama (#36), Arizona State (#36)

Here are the biggest downward moves:

• -16: Ohio State (#50)
• -12: Brooklyn (#40)
• -11: Georgia (#50)
• -10: University of Washington (#44)
• -6: Miami (#40), Washington University (#40)
• -4: Michigan (#10), Harvard (#13), Stanford (#13), North Carolina (#24), USC (#24)

Here are the rankings of law schools with graduate tax programs:

Continue reading

The Impact Of The U.S. News Law School Rankings Boycott On Peer Reputation

Following up on my previous post, Will U.S. News Refuse To Count Votes From Deans, Faculty, Lawyers, And Judges From Boycotting Law Schools In Reputation Metric In 2024 Rankings?:  Derek Muller (Iowa; Google Scholar), Did "Boycotting" the USNWR Law Rankings Affect Those Schools' Peer Scores?:

USNWR’s methodology provides that it withdrew the survey responses of “boycotting” schools: “Peer assessment ratings were only used when submitted by law schools that also submitted their statistical surveys. This means the schools that declined to provide statistical information to U.S. News and its readers had their academic peer ratings programmatically discarded before any computations were made.” ... [D]id it affect those schools adversely?

But among these ~60 schools, 7 of them saw an increase in their peer score (12%). Another 28, nearly half, saw a decline. The average effect on their peer score was a decline of 0.043, slightly less than than the 0.1 I projected, but still an average decline.

Another 130 or so did not boycott. 29 of them (22%) saw an increase in their peer score, and 36 (27%) saw a decline—a mixed bag, with declining schools slightly outpacing increasing schools. The average effect on their peer was a marginal decrease of less than 0.01)—in other words, a decline, but somewhat less than the “boycotting” schools. (Peer scores have been long declining.)

Here are the changes in the peer reputation scores (now 12.5% of the methodology) of all 196 law schools, with an asterisk marking the 62 schools that boycotted the rankings:

Difference	School	2023 Peer Score	2024 Peer Score
+0.2	Northern Kentucky	1.5	1.7
+0.1	Albany	2.0	2.1
+0.1	Arkansas-Little Rock	2.2	2.3
+0.1	Ave Maria	1.2	1.3
+0.1	Baltimore	2.1	2.2
+0.1	Barry*	1.2	1.3
+0.1	Campbell*	1.5	1.6
+0.1	Capital*	1.4	1.5
+0.1	Creighton*	1.9	2.0
+0.1	Drake	2.0	2.1
+0.1	Drexel	2.3	2.4
+0.1	Elon	1.7	1.8
+0.1	Georgia	3.2	3.3
+0.1	Illinois-Chicago	2.1	2.2
+0.1	Liberty	1.2	1.3
+0.1	Louisiana State	2.2	2.3
+0.1	Maine	2.1	2.2
+0.1	Mercer	1.9	2.0
+0.1	Mississippi	2.2	2.3
+0.1	Nova	1.6	1.7
+0.1	Pacific	2.0	2.1
+0.1	Pepperdine Caruso	2.8	2.9
+0.1	Quinnipiac*	1.9	2.0
+0.1	Regent	1.3	1.4
+0.1	Roger Williams*	1.7	1.8
+0.1	Seattle*	2.4	2.5
+0.1	Southern Illinois	1.7	1.8
+0.1	Southern*	1.7	1.8
+0.1	St. Mary's	1.8	1.9
+0.1	Suffolk	2.1	2.2
+0.1	Temple	2.8	2.9
+0.1	Tennessee	2.6	2.7
+0.1	Texas A&M	2.8	2.9
+0.1	UNLV	2.6	2.7
+0.1	Utah	3.0	3.1
+0.1	West Virginia	2.1	2.2
+0.1	Willamette	2.0	2.1
0	Alabama	3.2	3.2
0	Appalachian*	1.3	1.3
0	Arizona State	3.3	3.3
0	Arkansas-Fayetteville	2.4	2.4
0	Baylor	2.5	2.5
0	Belmont	1.5	1.5
0	BYU	2.9	2.9
0	Cal-Western*	1.7	1.7
0	Case Western	2.7	2.7
0	Catholic	2.2	2.2
0	Chapman	1.8	1.8
0	Charleston	1.4	1.4
0	Cincinnati	2.4	2.4
0	Cleveland State	1.9	1.9
0	Connecticut*	2.9	2.9
0	Cornell*	4.2	4.2
0	Dayton	1.8	1.8
0	DePaul	2.3	2.3
0	Duke*	4.2	4.2
0	Duquesne	1.9	1.9
0	Faulkner	1.3	1.3
0	Florida	3.3	3.3
0	Florida A&M*	1.8	1.8
0	Florida Int'l	2.1	2.1
0	Fordham	3.3	3.3
0	George Mason	2.7	2.7
0	Georgia State	2.8	2.8
0	Golden Gate	1.5	1.5
0	Gonzaga*	2.1	2.1
0	Hawaii	2.6	2.6
0	Howard	2.9	2.9
0	Indiana (Maurer)	3.2	3.2
0	John Marshall (GA)*	1.4	1.4
0	Kansas	2.6	2.6
0	Kentucky	2.5	2.5
0	Lewis & Clark	2.4	2.4
0	Lincoln Memorial	1.3	1.3
0	Louisville	2.2	2.2
0	Loyola-Chicago*	2.7	2.7
0	Loyola-New Orleans*	2.2	2.2
0	Memphis	1.9	1.9
0	Miami	2.7	2.7
0	Michigan State	2.5	2.5
0	Michigan*	4.4	4.4
0	Minnesota	3.6	3.6
0	Mississippi College	1.6	1.6
0	Missouri (Columbia)	2.5	2.5
0	Missouri-Kansas City	2.2	2.2
0	Mitchell | Hamline*	1.9	1.9
0	Montana	2.0	2.0
0	Nebraska*	2.4	2.4
0	New England	1.5	1.5
0	New Mexico	2.4	2.4
0	New York Law School	2.0	2.0
0	North Carolina Central*	1.7	1.7
0	North Dakota	1.8	1.8
0	Northeastern*	2.6	2.6
0	Northern Illinois	1.8	1.8
0	Notre Dame	3.4	3.4
0	Ohio Northern	1.5	1.5
0	Oklahoma	2.5	2.5
0	Oklahoma City	1.6	1.6
0	Oregon	2.8	2.8
0	Pace	2.1	2.1
0	Pittsburgh*	2.6	2.6
0	Richmond	2.8	2.8
0	Rutgers*	2.7	2.7
0	Samford	1.7	1.7
0	San Diego	2.9	2.9
0	San Francisco*	1.9	1.9
0	Santa Clara	2.5	2.5
0	Seton Hall	2.5	2.5
0	SMU	2.7	2.7
0	South Dakota	1.8	1.8
0	South Texas*	1.7	1.7
0	Southwestern*	1.9	1.9
0	St. John's*	2.3	2.3
0	St. Thomas (MN)	2.0	2.0
0	Stanford*	4.7	4.7
0	Stetson	2.2	2.2
0	SUNY-Buffalo	2.2	2.2
0	Texas Tech	2.0	2.0
0	Touro*	1.6	1.6
0	University of Arizona	3.2	3.2
0	Villanova	2.7	2.7
0	Wake Forest	3.0	3.0
0	Washburn	2.1	2.1
0	Western Michigan*	1.3	1.3
0	Western State	1.2	1.2
0	Widener (DE)	1.9	1.9
0	Wyoming	1.9	1.9
-0.1	Akron	1.8	1.7
-0.1	American*	3.0	2.9
-0.1	Boston College	3.4	3.3
-0.1	Boston University	3.6	3.5
-0.1	Brooklyn*	2.7	2.6
-0.1	Cardozo	3.0	2.9
-0.1	Chicago	4.6	4.5
-0.1	Colorado	3.2	3.1
-0.1	Columbia*	4.6	4.5
-0.1	CUNY	2.3	2.2
-0.1	Denver	2.8	2.7
-0.1	Detroit Mercy*	1.8	1.7
-0.1	District of Columbia	1.8	1.7
-0.1	Florida State	3.0	2.9
-0.1	George Washington	3.5	3.4
-0.1	Georgetown*	4.2	4.1
-0.1	Harvard*	4.7	4.6
-0.1	Hofstra	2.3	2.2
-0.1	Houston	2.8	2.7
-0.1	Idaho*	2.1	2.0
-0.1	Indiana (McKinney)	2.5	2.4
-0.1	Iowa	3.4	3.3
-0.1	Loyola-L.A.	2.8	2.7
-0.1	Marquette	2.3	2.2
-0.1	Maryland*	3.1	3.0
-0.1	Massachusetts	1.6	1.5
-0.1	North Carolina	3.5	3.4
-0.1	Northwestern*	4.2	4.1
-0.1	NYU*	4.6	4.5
-0.1	Ohio State	3.3	3.2
-0.1	Penn State-Dickinson*	2.5	2.4
-0.1	Penn State-University Park*	2.5	2.4
-0.1	Penn*	4.4	4.3
-0.1	South Carolina	2.6	2.5
-0.1	St. Louis	2.4	2.3
-0.1	Syracuse*	2.4	2.3
-0.1	Texas	4.1	4.0
-0.1	Texas Southern*	1.6	1.5
-0.1	Tulane*	3.1	3.0
-0.1	Tulsa	2.0	1.9
-0.1	UC-Berkeley*	4.5	4.4
-0.1	UC-Davis*	3.5	3.4
-0.1	UC-San Francisco*	3.2	3.1
-0.1	University of Washington*	3.2	3.1
-0.1	USC	3.7	3.6
-0.1	Vanderbilt*	4.0	3.9
-0.1	Vermont	2.0	1.9
-0.1	Virginia*	4.4	4.3
-0.1	Washington & Lee	3.2	3.1
-0.1	Washington University	3.8	3.7
-0.1	Wayne State	2.4	2.3
-0.1	Western New England	1.5	1.4
-0.1	Widener (PA)	1.7	1.6
-0.1	William & Mary	3.4	3.3
-0.1	Wisconsin*	3.3	3.2
-0.2	Chicago-Kent	2.6	2.4
-0.2	Emory	3.6	3.4
-0.2	Illinois	3.2	3.0
-0.2	New Hampshire*	2.2	2.0
-0.2	St. Thomas (FL)	1.6	1.4
-0.2	Toledo	1.9	1.7
-0.2	UC-Irvine*	3.6	3.4
-0.2	UCLA*	4.2	4.0
-0.2	Yale*	4.6	4.4

Continue reading