Friday, April 25, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings v. Overall Rankings
Following up on yesterday's post, 2025-26 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 | American | 24 | 104 | +80 |
2 | Santa Clara | 85 | 156 | +71 |
3 | Pacific | 94 | 163 | +69 |
4 | Illinois-Chicago | 104 | 169 | +65 |
5 | Howard | 63 | 127 | +64 |
6 | Brooklyn | 56 | 117 | +61 |
6 | Case Western | 46 | 107 | +61 |
8 | Suffolk | 70 | 127 | +57 |
9 | Rutgers | 51 | 104 | +53 |
10 | Denver | 37 | 88 | +51 |
11 | CUNY | 107 | 156 | +49 |
12 | Miami | 44 | 92 | +48 |
12 | Pace | 93 | 141 | +48 |
12 | UC Law - SF* | 40 | 88 | +48 |
15 | Baltimore | 92 | 139 | +47 |
16 | San Francisco* | 120 | 166 | +46 |
16 | Seattle | 81 | 127 | +46 |
18 | DePaul | 95 | 133 | +38 |
18 | Hofstra | 87 | 125 | +38 |
20 | Mitchell | Hamline | 117 | 154 | +37 |
21 | Widener (DE) | 134 | 169 | +35 |
22 | Maryland | 30 | 63 | +33 |
23 | Loyola-New Orleans | 102 | 134 | +32 |
23 | Michigan State | 83 | 115 | +32 |
23 | Nova | 147 | 179 | +32 |
23 | Widener (PA) | 143 | 175 | +32 |
27 | Cal-Western* | 150 | 179 | +29 |
28 | Vermont | 135 | 163 | +28 |
29 | Houston | 36 | 63 | +27 |
29 | Loyola-Chicago | 52 | 79 | +27 |
31 | Temple | 24 | 50 | +26 |
31 | UNLV | 53 | 79 | +26 |
33 | UC-Irvine* | 14 | 38 | +24 |
34 | Arizona State | 22 | 45 | +23 |
34 | Chicago-Kent | 84 | 107 | +23 |
34 | Fordham | 15 | 38 | +23 |
34 | Oregon | 71 | 94 | +23 |
38 | Lewis & Clark | 77 | 99 | +22 |
38 | Quinnipiac* | 119 | 141 | +22 |
38 | Tulane* | 49 | 71 | +22 |
38 | Willamette | 128 | 150 | +22 |
42 | George Washington | 11 | 31 | +20 |
42 | Louisville | 126 | 146 | +20 |
42 | Syracuse | 87 | 107 | +20 |
45 | UC-Davis | 31 | 50 | +19 |
46 | Georgia State | 61 | 79 | +18 |
46 | Southern* | 157 | 175 | +18 |
48 | Gonzaga* | 124 | 141 | +17 |
48 | Southern Illinois | 158 | 175 | +17 |
48 | St. Mary's | 131 | 148 | +17 |
48 | Stetson | 82 | 99 | +17 |
Here are the law schools whose U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Ranking most trails their overall U.S. News Ranking:
April 25, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, April 24, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings include the rankings for 13 specialty programs at 195 law schools. Here are the Top 100 law schools, determined by giving equal weight to each of the 13 separate specialty rankings:
- Business/Corporate Law
- Clinical Law
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Commercial Law
- Criminal Law
- Dispute Resolution
- Environmental Law
- Health Care Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Law
- Legal Writing
- Tax Law
- Trial Advocacy
School | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Avg. | |
1 | Georgetown* | 12 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 21 | 10.1 |
2 | Harvard* | 1 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 108 | 12 | 34 | 16.5 |
3 | NYU* | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 7 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 70 | 1 | 56 | 17.2 |
4 | Michigan* | 11 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 27 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 27 | 6 | 73 | 17.2 |
5 | Stanford* | 5 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 96 | 18 | 64 | 19.0 |
6 | UC-Berkeley* | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 48 | 2 | 53 | 2 | 6 | 70 | 31 | 16 | 19.8 |
7 | Northwestern* | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 44 | 46 | 23 | 22 | 34 | 3 | 19 | 20.3 |
8 | UCLA* | 8 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 29 | 6 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 103 | 10 | 5 | 20.5 |
9 | Duke* | 12 | 31 | 12 | 17 | 9 | 72 | 14 | 26 | 12 | 13 | 27 | 10 | 83 | 26.0 |
10 | Columbia* | 2 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 46 | 12 | 3 | 103 | 8 | 112 | 27.0 |
11 | George Washington | 31 | 24 | 31 | 44 | 32 | 48 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 23 | 43 | 27.5 |
12 | Texas | 18 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 35 | 38 | 34 | 12 | 26 | 96 | 12 | 29 | 28.8 |
13 | Penn* | 5 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 48 | 25 | 20 | 9 | 18 | 110 | 22 | 73 | 29.2 |
14 | UC-Irvine* | 41 | 14 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 59 | 35 | 29 | 8 | 8 | 56 | 29.2 |
15 | Fordham | 18 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 16 | 12 | 76 | 59 | 20 | 19 | 70 | 23 | 5 | 29.3 |
16 | Virginia* | 8 | 53 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 59 | 25 | 30 | 20 | 11 | 110 | 5 | 73 | 31.4 |
17 | Yale* | 8 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 86 | 21 | 12 | 45 | 3 | 107 | 15 | 96 | 31.9 |
18 | Ohio State | 35 | 53 | 31 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 44 | 17 | 73 | 41 | 17 | 35 | 43 | 33.5 |
19 | Vanderbilt | 15 | 31 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 35 | 12 | 40 | 26 | 19 | 89 | 50 | 83 | 33.8 |
20 | Boston University | 28 | 31 | 23 | 26 | 21 | 72 | 64 | 2 | 12 | 29 | 34 | 15 | 96 | 34.8 |
21 | Washington Univ. | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 29 | 64 | 40 | 31 | 19 | 110 | 35 | 34 | 35.2 |
22 | Arizona State | 41 | 60 | 31 | 44 | 32 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 53 | 37 | 3 | 35 | 96 | 36.2 |
23 | Minnesota | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 72 | 30 | 29 | 24 | 26 | 70 | 26 | 96 | 36.2 |
24 | American | 55 | 2 | 55 | 56 | 29 | 35 | 56 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 89 | 41 | 24 | 36.5 |
24 | Temple | 55 | 53 | 55 | 44 | 51 | 35 | 62 | 13 | 35 | 13 | 27 | 29 | 2 | 36.5 |
26 | Cornell* | 16 | 31 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 48 | 46 | 46 | 26 | 11 | 70 | 31 | 112 | 37.2 |
27 | Chicago | 2 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 86 | 64 | 59 | 24 | 13 | 102 | 6 | 73 | 37.2 |
28 | Emory | 23 | 84 | 26 | 23 | 34 | 35 | 38 | 24 | 35 | 29 | 70 | 41 | 24 | 37.4 |
29 | North Carolina | 23 | 53 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 48 | 50 | 30 | 31 | 55 | 10 | 18 | 112 | 37.9 |
30 | Maryland | 51 | 8 | 41 | 66 | 29 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 53 | 45 | 93 | 53 | 24 | 38.2 |
31 | UC-Davis | 31 | 76 | 19 | 35 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 59 | 31 | 22 | 89 | 26 | 64 | 39.0 |
32 | Florida | 23 | 112 | 35 | 19 | 40 | 14 | 30 | 53 | 45 | 55 | 61 | 2 | 48 | 41.3 |
33 | Boston College | 35 | 43 | 35 | 35 | 40 | 48 | 50 | 34 | 31 | 29 | 51 | 12 | 96 | 41.5 |
34 | Texas A&M | 51 | 60 | 41 | 44 | 75 | 3 | 25 | 44 | 6 | 45 | 27 | 67 | 56 | 41.8 |
35 | William & Mary | 41 | 90 | 19 | 26 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 59 | 35 | 29 | 27 | 53 | 56 | 42.1 |
36 | Houston | 62 | 84 | 65 | 53 | 57 | 23 | 36 | 9 | 12 | 71 | 15 | 41 | 29 | 42.8 |
37 | Denver | 78 | 8 | 65 | 72 | 40 | 35 | 21 | 80 | 45 | 41 | 17 | 53 | 8 | 43.3 |
38 | Indiana (Maurer) | 31 | 84 | 41 | 35 | 40 | 48 | 38 | 34 | 35 | 22 | 61 | 26 | 96 | 45.5 |
39 | Georgia | 28 | 60 | 37 | 26 | 51 | 72 | 50 | 40 | 58 | 22 | 110 | 41 | 34 | 48.4 |
40 | UC Law - SF* | 62 | 43 | 55 | 72 | 51 | 14 | 21 | 16 | 58 | 71 | 110 | 29 | 48 | 50.0 |
41 | Wisconsin | 35 | 43 | 23 | 35 | 34 | 72 | 38 | 69 | 73 | 37 | 34 | 41 | 126 | 50.8 |
42 | Univ. of Washington* | 55 | 43 | 55 | 35 | 34 | 102 | 38 | 34 | 35 | 37 | 44 | 41 | 112 | 51.2 |
43 | USC | 16 | 71 | 26 | 23 | 29 | 48 | 64 | 69 | 45 | 55 | 110 | 15 | 96 | 51.3 |
44 | Miami | 41 | 24 | 62 | 56 | 68 | 29 | 38 | 76 | 63 | 29 | 93 | 31 | 73 | 52.5 |
45 | Wake Forest | 41 | 112 | 41 | 44 | 34 | 48 | 56 | 24 | 63 | 82 | 7 | 67 | 73 | 53.2 |
46 | Case Western | 55 | 60 | 65 | 56 | 75 | 67 | 30 | 13 | 73 | 13 | 51 | 90 | 48 | 53.5 |
46 | University of Arizona | 51 | 60 | 37 | 44 | 57 | 59 | 30 | 46 | 85 | 45 | 8 | 62 | 112 | 53.5 |
48 | Notre Dame | 26 | 60 | 19 | 30 | 57 | 102 | 50 | 80 | 73 | 26 | 79 | 41 | 64 | 54.4 |
49 | Tulane* | 31 | 31 | 55 | 35 | 40 | 72 | 25 | 91 | 73 | 29 | 110 | 62 | 64 | 55.2 |
50 | Cardozo | 51 | 31 | 47 | 35 | 21 | 5 | 134 | 80 | 6 | 67 | 110 | 41 | 96 | 55.7 |
51 | Rutgers | 71 | 12 | 55 | 56 | 40 | 102 | 64 | 59 | 81 | 45 | 11 | 76 | 56 | 56.0 |
52 | Loyola-Chicago | 78 | 60 | 70 | 83 | 82 | 29 | 86 | 4 | 45 | 45 | 61 | 67 | 21 | 56.2 |
53 | UNLV | 55 | 24 | 86 | 66 | 68 | 9 | 64 | 46 | 35 | 131 | 1 | 53 | 96 | 56.5 |
54 | Colorado | 41 | 76 | 47 | 44 | 57 | 72 | 7 | 76 | 45 | 55 | 84 | 53 | 83 | 56.9 |
55 | Northeastern | 96 | 19 | 65 | 83 | 51 | 59 | 102 | 9 | 26 | 45 | 27 | 118 | 64 | 58.8 |
56 | Brooklyn | 35 | 24 | 47 | 53 | 20 | 67 | 112 | 91 | 81 | 67 | 61 | 50 | 64 | 59.4 |
57 | Illinois | 41 | 101 | 47 | 30 | 40 | 35 | 86 | 69 | 53 | 55 | 110 | 62 | 48 | 59.8 |
58 | Iowa | 26 | 90 | 37 | 19 | 57 | 59 | 50 | 76 | 53 | 55 | 110 | 53 | 96 | 60.1 |
59 | Florida State | 41 | 121 | 37 | 30 | 34 | 119 | 18 | 53 | 58 | 55 | 110 | 35 | 96 | 62.1 |
60 | Pepperdine | 88 | 43 | 47 | 56 | 82 | 2 | 112 | 109 | 85 | 55 | 84 | 23 | 34 | 63.1 |
61 | Georgia State | 55 | 43 | 41 | 77 | 40 | 86 | 102 | 3 | 73 | 82 | 110 | 62 | 48 | 63.2 |
62 | Villanova | 71 | 43 | 70 | 66 | 57 | 102 | 76 | 69 | 45 | 77 | 70 | 35 | 43 | 63.4 |
63 | Howard | 96 | 31 | 62 | 56 | 51 | 35 | 102 | 91 | 63 | 82 | 70 | 82 | 29 | 65.4 |
64 | Utah | 55 | 60 | 55 | 56 | 34 | 150 | 7 | 30 | 26 | 67 | 110 | 67 | 137 | 65.7 |
65 | San Diego | 62 | 125 | 31 | 56 | 40 | 150 | 50 | 59 | 20 | 55 | 110 | 18 | 83 | 66.1 |
66 | Washington & Lee | 35 | 76 | 47 | 35 | 57 | 86 | 64 | 80 | 63 | 41 | 110 | 62 | 112 | 66.8 |
67 | SMU | 41 | 53 | 70 | 66 | 40 | 150 | 64 | 46 | 63 | 71 | 110 | 53 | 48 | 67.3 |
68 | Alabama | 35 | 84 | 26 | 35 | 57 | 110 | 76 | 59 | 115 | 98 | 89 | 31 | 73 | 68.3 |
69 | South Carolina | 73 | 31 | 86 | 66 | 57 | 102 | 64 | 99 | 104 | 98 | 61 | 50 | 12 | 69.5 |
70 | Suffolk | 88 | 8 | 122 | 118 | 90 | 18 | 76 | 46 | 45 | 116 | 3 | 145 | 29 | 69.5 |
71 | Oregon | 62 | 125 | 70 | 56 | 75 | 12 | 7 | 128 | 99 | 77 | 1 | 67 | 137 | 70.5 |
72 | Kansas | 62 | 112 | 70 | 44 | 102 | 29 | 25 | 109 | 89 | 77 | 17 | 82 | 112 | 71.5 |
73 | BYU | 20 | 135 | 47 | 53 | 68 | 67 | 86 | 143 | 58 | 45 | 110 | 41 | 73 | 72.8 |
74 | Loyola-L.A. | 78 | 90 | 86 | 90 | 75 | 102 | 118 | 59 | 73 | 125 | 34 | 18 | 7 | 73.5 |
75 | Tennessee | 28 | 14 | 70 | 44 | 75 | 72 | 102 | 53 | 115 | 116 | 61 | 82 | 126 | 73.7 |
76 | Seton Hall | 78 | 71 | 79 | 77 | 82 | 95 | 97 | 9 | 63 | 77 | 110 | 76 | 48 | 74.0 |
77 | Lewis & Clark | 78 | 71 | 70 | 98 | 90 | 95 | 2 | 109 | 73 | 98 | 17 | 111 | 64 | 75.1 |
78 | St. John's | 78 | 101 | 79 | 77 | 57 | 72 | 124 | 109 | 63 | 77 | 17 | 118 | 21 | 76.4 |
79 | Richmond | 62 | 135 | 47 | 77 | 40 | 72 | 56 | 91 | 35 | 82 | 110 | 53 | 137 | 76.7 |
80 | Pittsburgh* | 78 | 101 | 65 | 83 | 51 | 110 | 86 | 34 | 58 | 45 | 110 | 35 | 151 | 77.5 |
81 | Seattle | 88 | 31 | 86 | 90 | 114 | 59 | 64 | 91 | 63 | 98 | 6 | 104 | 126 | 78.5 |
82 | Stetson | 96 | 112 | 98 | 90 | 90 | 18 | 76 | 109 | 149 | 116 | 3 | 76 | 1 | 79.5 |
83 | Michigan State | 62 | 53 | 98 | 72 | 82 | 59 | 86 | 109 | 63 | 71 | 110 | 95 | 83 | 80.2 |
84 | Chicago-Kent | 73 | 125 | 79 | 72 | 114 | 86 | 124 | 80 | 9 | 137 | 44 | 95 | 12 | 80.8 |
85 | Santa Clara | 62 | 90 | 86 | 83 | 68 | 86 | 97 | 86 | 4 | 37 | 110 | 82 | 165 | 81.2 |
86 | Drexel | 88 | 71 | 86 | 106 | 102 | 102 | 124 | 20 | 89 | 125 | 44 | 104 | 8 | 82.2 |
87 | Hofstra | 88 | 90 | 107 | 98 | 75 | 72 | 118 | 69 | 89 | 82 | 79 | 95 | 8 | 82.3 |
87 | Syracuse | 88 | 125 | 86 | 83 | 68 | 72 | 86 | 59 | 99 | 82 | 110 | 104 | 8 | 82.3 |
89 | Wayne State | 78 | 60 | 70 | 72 | 68 | 128 | 102 | 53 | 89 | 55 | 110 | 53 | 151 | 83.8 |
90 | Connecticut | 62 | 76 | 62 | 66 | 90 | 95 | 97 | 76 | 115 | 45 | 100 | 67 | 151 | 84.8 |
91 | George Mason | 41 | 169 | 41 | 30 | 90 | 119 | 102 | 122 | 26 | 82 | 110 | 90 | 96 | 86.0 |
92 | Baltimore | 127 | 4 | 107 | 139 | 57 | 95 | 76 | 122 | 89 | 98 | 51 | 82 | 96 | 87.9 |
93 | Pace | 113 | 121 | 153 | 130 | 118 | 18 | 1 | 86 | 132 | 67 | 110 | 82 | 19 | 88.5 |
94 | Pacific | 96 | 125 | 122 | 106 | 126 | 18 | 86 | 157 | 132 | 29 | 44 | 104 | 16 | 89.3 |
95 | DePaul | 88 | 90 | 98 | 90 | 118 | 110 | 124 | 26 | 35 | 116 | 110 | 104 | 56 | 89.6 |
96 | Baylor | 78 | 135 | 107 | 90 | 90 | 29 | 134 | 91 | 89 | 148 | 79 | 95 | 3 | 89.8 |
97 | Missouri-Columbia | 78 | 165 | 86 | 56 | 90 | 5 | 112 | 109 | 63 | 109 | 110 | 67 | 126 | 90.5 |
98 | Oklahoma | 73 | 135 | 86 | 77 | 82 | 95 | 86 | 40 | 104 | 98 | 110 | 90 | 112 | 91.4 |
99 | Indiana (McKinney) | 96 | 121 | 79 | 83 | 102 | 150 | 102 | 30 | 104 | 71 | 17 | 76 | 165 | 92.0 |
100 | Marquette | 108 | 121 | 107 | 90 | 82 | 48 | 86 | 109 | 81 | 116 | 17 | 111 | 137 | 93.3 |
*Denotes schools that did not submit statistical information to U.S.News. From the U.S News methodology: "schools that declined to provide statistical information to U.S. News had their academic peer ratings programmatically discarded before any computations were made. Nonresponders were still scored using the full complement of eligible ratings submitted by peer schools, but any ratings they made of other schools were omitted." For the complete list of boycotting schools for the past three years, see Law Schools That Boycotted The U.S. News Rankings.
If anyone at a law school outside the Top 100 would like the data for their school's rank, email me.
April 24, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Law Schools That Boycotted The U.S. News Rankings
2023-2024 (Rank) | 2024-2025 (Rank) | 2025-2026 (Rank) |
Stanford (1) | Stanford (1) | Stanford (1) |
Yale (1) | Yale (1) | Yale (1) |
Virginia (8) | Virginia (4) | Virginia (4) |
Penn (4) | Penn (4) | Penn (5) |
Duke (5) | Duke (4) | Duke (6) |
Harvard (5) | Harvard (4) | Harvard (6) |
Michigan (10) | Michigan (9) | Michigan (8) |
NYU (5) | NYU (9) | NYU (8) |
Columbia (8) | Columbia (8) | Columbia (10) |
Northwestern (10) | Northwestern (9) | Northwestern (10) |
UCLA (14) | UCLA (13) | UCLA (12) |
UC-Berkeley (10) | UC-Berkeley (12) | UC-Berkeley (13) |
Georgetown (15) | Georgetown (14) | Georgetown (14) |
Vanderbilt (16) | (19) | (14) |
Cornell (13) | Cornell (14) | Cornell (18) |
Wisconsin (40) | (36) | (28) |
UC-Irvine (35) | UC-Irvine (42) | UC-Irvine (38) |
Connecticut (71) | (55) | (50) |
UC-Davis (60) | UC-Davis (55) | (50) |
Univ. of Washington (49) | Univ. of Washington (48) | Univ. of Washington (50) |
Penn State-Dickinson (89) | Penn State-Dickinson (75) | Penn State-Dickinson (59) |
(69) | Cardozo (61) | (63) |
Maryland (51) | (55) | (63) |
St. John's (60) | St. John's (68) | (63) |
Northeastern (71) | (68) | (68) |
Penn State-Univ. Park (80) | Penn State-Univ. Park (68) | Penn State-Univ. Park (68) |
Nebraska (89) | (82) | (71) |
Tulane (71) | Tulane (78) | Tulane (71) |
Loyola-Chicago (84) | (78) | (79) |
Pittsburgh (89) | Pittsburgh (91) | Pittsburgh (79) |
UC Law - SF (60) | UC Law - SF (82) | UC Law - SF (88) |
American (89) | American (98) | (104) |
Rutgers (109) | Rutgers (103) | (104) |
Syracuse (122) | Syracuse (120) | (107) |
Brooklyn (111) | Brooklyn (114) | (117) |
New Hampshire (105) | New Hampshire (98) | New Hampshire (125) |
Seattle (111) | Seattle (114) | (127) |
Campbell (125) | Campbell (134) | Campbell (134) |
Detroit Mercy (141) | (136) | (134) |
Loyola-New Orleans (111) | Loyola-New Orleans (130) | (134) |
South Texas (162) | (150) | (138) |
Gonzaga (99) | Gonzaga (120) | Gonzaga (141) |
Idaho (141) | Idaho (145) | Idaho (141) |
Quinnipiac (146) | Quinnipiac (143) | Quinnipiac (141) |
Creighton (155) | Creighton (153) | (148) |
Mitchell | Hamline (167) | Mitchell | Hamline (164) | (154) |
Southwestern (141) | Southwestern (145) | Southwestern (154) |
San Francisco (165) | San Francisco (165) | San Francisco (166) |
Roger Williams (171) | Roger Williams (172) | Roger Williams (169) |
Touro (167) | (168) | (169) |
Capital (175) | Capital (Tier 2) | Capital (174) |
Puerto Rico (Tier 2) | Puerto Rico (Tier 2) | Puerto Rico (175) |
(Tier 2) | Golden Gate (Tier 2) | (N/A) |
Western Michigan (Tier 2) | Western Michigan (Tier 2) | (N/A) |
Appalachian (Tier 2) | Appalachian (Tier 2) | Appalachian (Tier 2) |
Barry (Tier 2) | Barry (Tier 2) | Barry (Tier 2) |
Cal-Western (175) | Cal-Western (Tier 2) | Cal-Western (Tier 2) |
Florida A&M (Tier 2) | Florida A&M (Tier 2) | Florida A&M (Tier 2) |
Inter-American (Tier 2) | Inter-American (Tier 2) | Inter-American (Tier 2) |
John Marshall (GA) (171) | John Marshall (GA) (176) | John Marshall (GA) (Tier 2) |
North Carolina Central (175) | (Tier 2) | North Carolina Central (Tier 2) |
Pontifical Catholic (Tier 2) | Pontifical Catholic (Tier 2) | Pontifical Catholic (Tier 2) |
Southern (Tier 2) | Southern (Tier 2) | Southern (Tier 2) |
Texas Southern (Tier 2) | Texas Southern (Tier 2) | Texas Southern (Tier 2) |
April 23, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Forward Looking Academic Impact Rankings For U.S. Law Schools
Matthew Sag (Emory; Google Scholar), Forward Looking Academic Impact Rankings for U.S. Law Schools, 51 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. 763 (2024):
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.
April 22, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Scholarship, Legal Education, Scholarship | Permalink
2025-26 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings include the trial advocacy programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 47% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Stetson |
2 | Temple |
3 | Baylor |
4 | Samford |
5 | Fordham |
5 | UCLA |
7 | Loyola-L.A. |
8 | Denver |
8 | Drexel |
8 | Hofstra |
8 | Syracuse |
12 | Chicago-Kent |
12 | Mercer |
12 | South Carolina |
12 | South Texas |
16 | Pacific |
16 | St. Mary's |
16 | UC-Berkeley |
19 | Northwestern |
19 | Pace |
21 | Georgetown |
21 | Loyola-Chicago |
21 | St. John's |
24 | American |
24 | Emory |
24 | Maryland |
24 | Nova |
24 | Ohio Northern |
29 | Houston |
29 | Howard |
29 | Inter-American (PR) |
29 | Suffolk |
29 | Texas |
34 | Georgia |
34 | Harvard |
34 | Illinois-Chicago |
34 | Pepperdine |
34 | Quinnipiac |
34 | Texas Tech |
34 | Washington Univ. |
41 | Campbell |
41 | Missouri-Kansas City |
43 | George Washington |
43 | Louisiana State |
43 | Ohio State |
43 | SUNY-Buffalo |
43 | Villanova |
48 | Akron |
48 | Case Western |
48 | Florida |
48 | Georgia State |
48 | Illinois |
48 | Seton Hall |
48 | SMU |
48 | UC Law - SF |
2024-25 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 22, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, April 21, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings include the legal writing programs at 109 law schools (the faculty survey had a 52% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Oregon |
1 | UNLV |
3 | Arizona State |
3 | Stetson |
3 | Suffolk |
6 | Seattle |
7 | Wake Forest |
8 | UC-Irvine |
8 | University of Arizona |
10 | North Carolina |
11 | Georgetown |
11 | Nova |
11 | Rutgers |
11 | Washburn |
15 | Houston |
15 | Mercer |
17 | Denver |
17 | Drake |
17 | Indiana (McKinney) |
17 | Kansas |
17 | Lewis & Clark |
17 | Marquette |
17 | North Dakota |
17 | Ohio State |
17 | St. John's |
17 | Wyoming |
27 | Duke |
27 | Illinois-Chicago |
27 | Michigan |
27 | Northeastern |
27 | Temple |
27 | Texas A&M |
27 | William & Mary |
34 | Arkansas-Little Rock |
34 | Boston University |
34 | George Washington |
34 | Louisville |
34 | Loyola-L.A. |
34 | Missouri-Kansas City |
34 | New York Law School |
34 | Northwestern |
34 | St. Thomas (MN) |
34 | Wisconsin |
44 | Chicago-Kent |
44 | Drexel |
44 | Duquesne |
44 | Pacific |
44 | Texas Tech |
44 | University of Washington |
44 | Willamette |
2024-25 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 21, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Are Faith-Based Law Schools Fairly Ranked By U.S. News?
Anton Sorkin (Director of Law Student Ministries, Christian Legal Society):
Interesting observation from David Lat: “schools with a strong ideological brand, including religiously affiliated law schools . . . tend to fare well in rankings[.]”
Imagine how well they'd fare if there wasn't a peer ranking penalty, tabulated by Michael Conklin at 17.65 in his upcoming paper [Religious Law Schools, Rankings, and Bias: Measuring the Rankings Penalty at Religious Law Schools].
Latest rankings has the peer reputation average for the most devout law schools: ...
The RED [above] is all the schools that fare worse among their peers vs. their overall rank. The GREEN are the same schools as last year with positive peer scores.
April 20, 2025 in Faith, Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Saturday, April 19, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News International Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News International Law Rankings include the international law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 47% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | NYU |
2 | Harvard |
3 | Columbia |
3 | Georgetown |
3 | Yale |
6 | American |
6 | UC-Berkeley |
8 | George Washington |
8 | Michigan |
10 | Stanford |
11 | Cornell |
11 | Virginia |
13 | Case Western |
13 | Duke |
13 | Temple |
13 | Chicago |
17 | UCLA |
18 | Penn |
19 | Fordham |
19 | Vanderbilt |
19 | Washington Univ. |
22 | Indiana (Maurer) |
22 | Northwestern |
22 | UC-Davis |
22 | Georgia |
26 | Minnesota |
26 | Notre Dame |
26 | Texas |
29 | Boston College |
29 | Boston University |
29 | Emory |
29 | Tulane |
29 | UC-Irvine |
29 | Miami |
29 | Pacific |
29 | William & Mary |
37 | Arizona State |
37 | Santa Clara |
37 | University of Washington |
37 | Wisconsin |
41 | Florida Int'l |
41 | Ohio State |
41 | Denver |
41 | Washington & Lee |
45 | BYU |
45 | Loyola-Chicago |
45 | Northeastern |
45 | Rutgers |
45 | Texas A&M |
45 | University of Arizona |
45 | Connecticut |
45 | Hawaii |
45 | Maryland |
45 | Pittsburgh |
2024-25 U.S. News International Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 19, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Friday, April 18, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings include the intellectual property law programs at 194 law schools (the faculty survey had a 56% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Stanford |
2 | UC-Berkeley |
3 | NYU |
4 | Santa Clara |
5 | George Washington |
6 | American |
6 | Cardozo |
6 | Texas A&M |
9 | Chicago-Kent |
9 | Georgetown |
9 | Penn |
12 | Boston University |
12 | Columbia |
12 | Duke |
12 | Harvard |
12 | Houston |
12 | Michigan |
12 | Texas |
12 | UCLA |
20 | Fordham |
20 | San Diego |
20 | Virginia |
23 | Northwestern |
24 | Chicago |
24 | Minnesota |
26 | Cornell |
26 | George Mason |
26 | Northeastern |
26 | Utah |
26 | Vanderbilt |
31 | Boston College |
31 | North Carolina |
31 | UC-Davis |
31 | Washington Univ. |
35 | DePaul |
35 | Emory |
35 | Indiana (Maurer) |
35 | New Hampshire |
35 | Richmond |
35 | Temple |
35 | UC-Irvine |
35 | University of Washington |
35 | UNLV |
35 | William & Mary |
45 | Colorado |
45 | Denver |
45 | Florida |
45 | Loyola-Chicago |
45 | Suffolk |
45 | USC |
45 | Villanova |
45 | Yale |
2024-25 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 18, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, April 17, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings include the health care law programs at 191 law schools (the faculty survey had a 45% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | St. Louis |
2 | Boston University |
3 | Georgia State |
4 | Loyola-Chicago |
4 | Maryland |
6 | Harvard |
7 | Stanford |
8 | Georgetown |
9 | Houston |
9 | Northeastern |
9 | Seton Hall |
12 | Yale |
13 | Arizona State |
13 | Case Western |
13 | Temple |
16 | UC Law - SF |
17 | George Washington |
17 | Ohio State |
17 | UCLA |
20 | American |
20 | Drexel |
20 | Michigan |
20 | Penn |
24 | Emory |
24 | Wake Forest |
26 | DePaul |
26 | Duke |
26 | Mitchell | Hamline |
29 | Minnesota |
30 | Indiana (McKinney) |
30 | North Carolina |
30 | Utah |
30 | Virginia |
34 | Boston College |
34 | Indiana (Maurer) |
34 | NYU |
34 | Pittsburgh |
34 | Texas |
34 | University of Washington |
40 | Georgia |
40 | Oklahoma |
40 | Vanderbilt |
40 | Washington Univ. |
44 | Quinnipiac |
44 | Texas A&M |
46 | Columbia |
46 | Cornell |
46 | Northwestern |
46 | SMU |
46 | Suffolk |
46 | University of Arizona |
46 | UNLV |
2024-25 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 17, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings include the environmental law programs at 189 law schools (the faculty survey had a 50% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Pace |
2 | Lewis & Clark |
2 | UC-Berkeley |
4 | Vermont |
5 | Columbia |
6 | UCLA |
7 | Colorado |
7 | Harvard |
7 | NYU |
7 | Oregon |
7 | Utah |
12 | Stanford |
12 | Vanderbilt |
14 | Duke |
14 | Georgetown |
16 | Arizona State |
16 | UC-Davis |
18 | Florida State |
18 | George Washington |
18 | Michigan |
21 | Denver |
21 | Maryland |
21 | UC Law - SF |
21 | Yale |
25 | Kansas |
25 | Penn |
25 | Texas A&M |
25 | Tulane |
25 | Virginia |
30 | Case Western |
30 | Florida |
30 | Minnesota |
30 | New Mexico |
30 | UC-Irvine |
30 | University of Arizona |
36 | Hawaii |
36 | Houston |
38 | Emory |
38 | Indiana (Maurer) |
38 | Miami |
38 | Texas |
38 | University of Washington |
38 | Wisconsin |
44 | Northwestern |
44 | Ohio State |
46 | Cornell |
46 | Maine |
46 | Montana |
46 | Wyoming |
50 | Boston College |
50 | Georgia |
50 | Iowa |
50 | North Carolina |
50 | Notre Dame |
50 | San Diego |
2024-25 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 16, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings include the dispute resolution programs at 149 law schools (the faculty survey had a 43% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Ohio State |
2 | Pepperdine |
3 | Harvard |
3 | Texas A&M |
5 | Cardozo |
5 | Missouri-Columbia |
7 | Northwestern |
8 | Mitchell | Hamline |
9 | Arizona State |
9 | Maryland |
9 | UNLV |
12 | Fordham |
12 | Oregon |
14 | Florida |
14 | Quinnipiac |
14 | Stanford |
14 | UC Law - SF |
18 | Georgetown |
18 | Pace |
18 | Pacific |
18 | Stetson |
18 | Suffolk |
23 | Columbia |
23 | Houston |
23 | South Texas |
23 | UC-Davis |
27 | Michigan |
27 | UC-Irvine |
29 | Baylor |
29 | Kansas |
29 | Loyola-Chicago |
29 | Miami |
29 | UCLA |
29 | Washington Univ. |
35 | American |
35 | Creighton |
35 | Denver |
35 | Emory |
35 | Howard |
35 | Illinois |
35 | Nebraska |
35 | NYU |
35 | St. Mary's |
35 | Temple |
35 | Texas |
35 | Vanderbilt |
35 | William & Mary |
48 | Arkansas-Little Rock |
48 | Boston College |
48 | Cornell |
48 | George Washington |
48 | Indiana (Maurer) |
48 | Marquette |
48 | North Carolina |
48 | Penn |
48 | UC-Berkeley |
48 | USC |
48 | Wake Forest |
2024-25 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 15, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, April 14, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings include the criminal law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 47% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | NYU |
1 | Stanford |
3 | Harvard |
3 | Michigan |
3 | Penn |
3 | Virginia |
7 | UC-Berkeley |
8 | UCLA |
9 | Chicago |
9 | Columbia |
9 | Duke |
9 | Georgetown |
9 | Vanderbilt |
9 | Yale |
15 | Northwestern |
16 | Fordham |
16 | Ohio State |
16 | Texas |
16 | UC-Davis |
20 | Brooklyn |
21 | Boston University |
21 | Cardozo |
21 | Cornell |
21 | Minnesota |
21 | North Carolina |
21 | UC-Irvine |
21 | Washington Univ. |
21 | William & Mary |
29 | American |
29 | Maryland |
29 | USC |
32 | Arizona State |
32 | George Washington |
34 | Emory |
34 | Florida State |
34 | University of Washington |
34 | Utah |
34 | Wake Forest |
34 | Wisconsin |
40 | Boston College |
40 | Denver |
40 | Florida |
40 | Georgia State |
40 | Illinois |
40 | Indiana (Maurer) |
40 | Richmond |
40 | Rutgers |
40 | San Diego |
40 | SMU |
40 | Tulane |
2024-25 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 14, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Sunday, April 13, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings include the contracts/commercial law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 36% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Chicago |
1 | Harvard |
1 | Stanford |
4 | Columbia |
4 | Yale |
6 | Michigan |
6 | NYU |
6 | Penn |
6 | UC-Berkeley |
6 | Virginia |
11 | Georgetown |
11 | UCLA |
13 | Cornell |
13 | Northwestern |
13 | Texas |
13 | Vanderbilt |
17 | Duke |
18 | Washington Univ. |
19 | Florida |
19 | Iowa |
19 | Minnesota |
19 | North Carolina |
23 | Emory |
23 | Fordham |
23 | USC |
26 | Boston University |
26 | Georgia |
26 | UC-Irvine |
26 | William & Mary |
30 | Florida State |
30 | George Mason |
30 | Illinois |
30 | Notre Dame |
30 | Ohio State |
35 | Alabama |
35 | Boston College |
35 | Cardozo |
35 | Indiana (Maurer) |
35 | Tulane |
35 | UC-Davis |
35 | University of Washington |
35 | Washington & Lee |
35 | Wisconsin |
44 | Arizona State |
44 | Colorado |
44 | George Washington |
44 | Kansas |
44 | Temple |
44 | Tennessee |
44 | Texas A&M |
44 | University of Arizona |
44 | Wake Forest |
2024-25 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 13, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Saturday, April 12, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings include the constitutional law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 39% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Yale |
2 | Chicago |
2 | Harvard |
4 | Stanford |
5 | Columbia |
5 | NYU |
5 | UC-Berkeley |
5 | Virginia |
9 | Michigan |
9 | Penn |
11 | Georgetown |
12 | Cornell |
12 | Duke |
14 | Northwestern |
14 | Texas |
16 | UCLA |
17 | Vanderbilt |
18 | Washington Univ. |
19 | Minnesota |
19 | Notre Dame |
19 | UC-Davis |
19 | William & Mary |
23 | Boston University |
23 | North Carolina |
23 | Wisconsin |
26 | Alabama |
26 | Emory |
26 | Fordham |
26 | UC-Irvine |
26 | USC |
31 | Arizona State |
31 | George Washington |
31 | Ohio State |
31 | San Diego |
35 | Boston College |
35 | Florida |
37 | Florida State |
37 | Georgia |
37 | Iowa |
37 | University of Arizona |
41 | George Mason |
41 | Georgia State |
41 | Indiana (Maurer) |
41 | Maryland |
41 | Texas A&M |
41 | Wake Forest |
47 | Brooklyn |
47 | BYU |
47 | Cardozo |
47 | Colorado |
47 | Illinois |
47 | Pepperdine |
47 | Richmond |
47 | Washington & Lee |
2024-25 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 12, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Friday, April 11, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Clinical Training Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Clinical Training Rankings include the clinical training law programs at 185 law schools (the faculty survey had a 54% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Georgetown |
2 | American |
2 | NYU |
4 | Baltimore |
4 | CUNY |
4 | Michigan |
4 | UC-Berkeley |
8 | Denver |
8 | Maryland |
8 | Suffolk |
8 | Yale |
12 | Northwestern |
12 | Rutgers |
14 | Fordham |
14 | New Mexico |
14 | Stanford |
14 | Tennessee |
14 | UC-Irvine |
19 | Columbia |
19 | District of Columbia |
19 | Minnesota |
19 | Northeastern |
19 | Washington Univ. |
24 | Brooklyn |
24 | George Washington |
24 | Harvard |
24 | Miami |
24 | Mitchell | Hamline |
24 | UCLA |
24 | UNLV |
31 | Boston University |
31 | Cardozo |
31 | Cornell |
31 | Duke |
31 | Howard |
31 | Loyola-New Orleans |
31 | Penn |
31 | Seattle |
31 | South Carolina |
31 | Texas |
31 | Tulane |
31 | Vanderbilt |
43 | Albany |
43 | Boston College |
43 | Chicago |
43 | Georgia State |
43 | Pepperdine |
43 | St. Thomas (MN) |
43 | UC Law - SF |
43 | University of Washington |
43 | Villanova |
43 | Wisconsin |
2024-25 U.S. News Clinical Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 11, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, April 10, 2025
More Commentary On The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings
Following up on Tuesday's post, 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Peer Reputation Rankings (And Overall Rankings): Derek Muller (Notre Dame; Google Scholar), Benchmarking Law School Rankings Against Expectations, Performance, and Rankings Tactics:
Whenever the USNWR law school rankings are released, there are typical cries of “how did X school move to Y?” This usually reflects a kind of mental benchmark—schools X ought to be at not-Y but ended up at Y. That could be because there is an expectation that the school should be higher or lower than it is.
We all have expectations, then about where school “should” be. Of course, what USNWR uses for its own methodology does not necessarily reflect one’s expectations.
But schools do change over the years, and there are ways of helping reset some expectations against actual schools’ performance. Likewise, there are rankings-related tactics that some schools use that are largely—or only—explicable in terms of USNWR rankings metric performance, which can also help explains rankings outcomes.
Let’s start with two ways to look at schools’ performance: employment outcomes and peer reputation. Then we’ll look at a third: which schools’ tactics may be helping drive rankings changes.
David Lat (Original Jurisdiction), The 2025 U.S. News Rankings: All Hail The... T17?:
April 10, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
2025-26 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings include the business/corporate law programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 42% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | Harvard |
2 | Chicago |
2 | Columbia |
2 | NYU |
5 | Penn |
5 | Stanford |
7 | UC-Berkeley |
8 | UCLA |
8 | Virginia |
8 | Yale |
11 | Michigan |
12 | Duke |
12 | Georgetown |
12 | Northwestern |
15 | Vanderbilt |
16 | Cornell |
16 | USC |
18 | Fordham |
18 | Texas |
20 | BYU |
20 | Minnesota |
20 | Washington Univ. |
23 | Emory |
23 | Florida |
23 | North Carolina |
26 | Iowa |
26 | Notre Dame |
28 | Boston University |
28 | Georgia |
28 | Tennessee |
31 | George Washington |
31 | Indiana (Maurer) |
31 | Tulane |
31 | UC-Davis |
35 | Alabama |
35 | Boston College |
35 | Brooklyn |
35 | Ohio State |
35 | Washington & Lee |
35 | Wisconsin |
41 | Arizona State |
41 | Colorado |
41 | Florida State |
41 | George Mason |
41 | Illinois |
41 | Miami |
41 | SMU |
41 | UC-Irvine |
41 | Wake Forest |
41 | William & Mary |
2024-25 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings
2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings:
April 10, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Tobin: Building A Better Law School Rankings Mousetrap
Following up on Monday's post, XPT Top 25 Law School Rankings (Alpha Phase): Donald Tobin (Maryland; Google Scholar), Building a Better Mousetrap: There Must Be Something Better Than U.S. News:
There must be a better way. U.S. News has dominated law school rankings for several decades, and its decisions about what to rank and how to weigh those factors have had a significant impact on legal education, and, in my view, not in a good way. Especially now, as U.S. News is ranking based on its survey and then on publicly available data, U.S. News has no expertise in this area and is doing no more than aggregating data and presenting it in a way that makes the results seem objective. The U.S. News rankings measure what they measure, but I am not sure why a publication, with no expertise in law or law schools, should be whom we look to for guidance about what makes a “best law school.”
At some point, those, like me, who constantly harp on the rankings and why they are bad for legal education and law students need to propose something better. I am pleased that the University of Maryland Institute for Clinical and Translational research has provided me with a small grant and statistical advice to see if there is a better way to evaluate law schools. At the very least, we should start our evaluation with a basic question, what makes a top law school? What factors do experts and users believe make a top law school, and how do we capture the data necessary to measure those factors?
April 9, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
2025-26 U.S. News Tax Rankings
The new 2025-26 U.S. News Tax Rankings include the tax programs at 195 law schools (the faculty survey had a 49% response rate). Here are the Top 50:
Rank | School |
1 | NYU |
2 | Florida |
3 | Georgetown |
3 | Northwestern |
5 | Virginia |
6 | Chicago |
6 | Michigan |
8 | Columbia |
8 | UC-Irvine |
10 | Duke |
10 | UCLA |
12 | Boston College |
12 | Harvard |
12 | Texas |
15 | Boston University |
15 | USC |
15 | Yale |
18 | Loyola-L.A. |
18 | North Carolina |
18 | San Diego |
18 | Stanford |
22 | Penn |
23 | Fordham |
23 | George Washington |
23 | Pepperdine |
26 | Indiana (Maurer) |
26 | Minnesota |
26 | UC-Davis |
29 | Temple |
29 | UC Law - SF |
31 | Alabama |
31 | Cornell |
31 | Miami |
31 | UC-Berkeley |
35 | Arizona State |
35 | Florida State |
35 | Ohio State |
35 | Pittsburgh |
35 | Villanova |
35 | Washington Univ. |
41 | American |
41 | BYU |
41 | Cardozo |
41 | Emory |
41 | Georgia |
41 | Houston |
41 | Notre Dame |
41 | University of Washington |
41 | Wisconsin |
50 | Brooklyn |
50 | South Carolina |
50 | Vanderbilt |
Among the law schools in the tax rankings last year, here are the biggest upward moves:
- 14: Ohio State (#35)
- 13: American (#41)
- 9: Miami (#31)
- 8: Emory (#41), Notre Dame (#41)
- 5: George Washington (#23), Pepperdine (#23), Alabama (#31), Arizona State (#35), Pittsburgh (#35)
Here are the biggest downward moves:
- -11: UC-Berkeley (#31)
- -10: Vanderbilt (#50)
- -9: Houston (#41)
- -7: Florida State (#35)
- -5: Loyola-L.A. (#18), Georgia (#41), University of Washington (#41)
Here are the rankings of law schools with graduate tax programs:
April 9, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education, Tax, Tax Daily, Tax Rankings | Permalink
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Law School Peer Reputation Rankings (And Overall Rankings)
Continuing a TaxProf Blog tradition (see links below for 2008-09 to 2024-25), here is the full list of the 195 law schools ranked by academic peer reputation, as well as their overall rank, in the new 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings (methodology):
Peer Rank | Peer Score | School | Overall Rank |
1 | 4.7 | Harvard | 6 |
1 | 4.7 | Stanford | 1 |
3 | 4.6 | Chicago | 3 |
4 | 4.5 | Columbia | 10 |
4 | 4.5 | Yale | 1 |
6 | 4.4 | NYU | 8 |
6 | 4.4 | UC-Berkeley | 13 |
6 | 4.4 | Virginia | 4 |
9 | 4.3 | Duke | 6 |
9 | 4.3 | Michigan | 8 |
9 | 4.3 | Penn | 5 |
12 | 4.2 | Cornell | 18 |
12 | 4.2 | Georgetown | 14 |
12 | 4.2 | UCLA | 12 |
15 | 4.1 | Northwestern | 10 |
15 | 4.1 | Texas | 14 |
17 | 3.9 | Vanderbilt | 14 |
18 | 3.7 | Minnesota | 20 |
18 | 3.7 | Notre Dame | 20 |
18 | 3.7 | USC | 26 |
18 | 3.7 | Washington Univ. | 14 |
22 | 3.6 | Boston University | 22 |
22 | 3.6 | Emory | 38 |
22 | 3.6 | UC-Davis | 50 |
25 | 3.5 | George Washington | 31 |
25 | 3.5 | Georgia | 22 |
25 | 3.5 | North Carolina | 18 |
25 | 3.5 | UC-Irvine | 38 |
25 | 3.5 | Wisconsin | 28 |
30 | 3.4 | Boston College | 25 |
30 | 3.4 | Florida | 38 |
30 | 3.4 | Ohio State | 28 |
30 | 3.4 | William & Mary | 31 |
34 | 3.3 | Alabama | 31 |
34 | 3.3 | Arizona State | 45 |
34 | 3.3 | Colorado | 46 |
34 | 3.3 | Fordham | 38 |
34 | 3.3 | Indiana (Maurer) | 46 |
34 | 3.3 | Iowa | 36 |
34 | 3.3 | University of Washington | 50 |
41 | 3.2 | Illinois | 48 |
41 | 3.2 | University of Arizona | 59 |
41 | 3.2 | Utah | 31 |
41 | 3.2 | Wake Forest | 26 |
41 | 3.2 | Washington & Lee | 36 |
46 | 3.1 | Florida State | 38 |
46 | 3.1 | Maryland | 63 |
46 | 3.1 | Texas A&M | 22 |
46 | 3.1 | Tulane | 71 |
46 | 3.1 | UC Law - SF | 88 |
51 | 3.0 | BYU | 28 |
51 | 3.0 | Connecticut | 50 |
51 | 3.0 | San Diego | 57 |
54 | 2.9 | American | 104 |
54 | 2.9 | Cardozo | 63 |
54 | 2.9 | Denver | 88 |
54 | 2.9 | Georgia State | 79 |
54 | 2.9 | Howard | 127 |
54 | 2.9 | Oregon | 94 |
54 | 2.9 | Temple | 50 |
61 | 2.8 | Houston | 63 |
61 | 2.8 | Kansas | 50 |
61 | 2.8 | Miami | 92 |
61 | 2.8 | Pepperdine | 55 |
61 | 2.8 | Richmond | 71 |
61 | 2.8 | Rutgers | 104 |
61 | 2.8 | Tennessee | 55 |
61 | 2.8 | UNLV | 79 |
61 | 2.8 | Villanova | 48 |
70 | 2.7 | Case Western | 107 |
70 | 2.7 | George Mason | 31 |
70 | 2.7 | Kentucky | 68 |
70 | 2.7 | Loyola-Chicago | 79 |
70 | 2.7 | Northeastern | 68 |
70 | 2.7 | SMU | 43 |
70 | 2.7 | South Carolina | 63 |
77 | 2.6 | Brooklyn | 117 |
77 | 2.6 | Hawaii | 99 |
77 | 2.6 | Loyola-L.A. | 71 |
77 | 2.6 | Michigan State | 115 |
77 | 2.6 | Missouri-Columbia | 57 |
77 | 2.6 | Oklahoma | 59 |
77 | 2.6 | Pittsburgh | 79 |
77 | 2.6 | Santa Clara | 156 |
77 | 2.6 | Seattle | 127 |
86 | 2.5 | Arkansas-Fayetteville | 115 |
86 | 2.5 | Baylor | 43 |
86 | 2.5 | Chicago-Kent | 107 |
86 | 2.5 | Indiana (McKinney) | 107 |
86 | 2.5 | Lewis & Clark | 99 |
86 | 2.5 | Marquette | 59 |
86 | 2.5 | Nebraska | 71 |
86 | 2.5 | Penn State-Dickinson | 59 |
86 | 2.5 | Penn State-University Park | 68 |
86 | 2.5 | Seton Hall | 71 |
86 | 2.5 | St. Louis | 94 |
86 | 2.5 | Wayne State | 71 |
98 | 2.4 | DePaul | 133 |
98 | 2.4 | Drexel | 79 |
98 | 2.4 | Louisiana State | 84 |
98 | 2.4 | New Mexico | 107 |
98 | 2.4 | St. John's | 63 |
98 | 2.4 | Syracuse | 107 |
104 | 2.3 | Baltimore | 139 |
104 | 2.3 | Catholic | 71 |
104 | 2.3 | Cincinnati | 71 |
104 | 2.3 | CUNY | 156 |
104 | 2.3 | Gonzaga | 141 |
104 | 2.3 | Hofstra | 125 |
104 | 2.3 | Louisville | 146 |
104 | 2.3 | Loyola-New Orleans | 134 |
104 | 2.3 | Mississippi | 121 |
113 | 2.2 | Florida Int'l | 84 |
113 | 2.2 | Illinois-Chicago | 169 |
113 | 2.2 | Maine | 88 |
113 | 2.2 | Missouri-Kansas City | 99 |
113 | 2.2 | Pacific | 163 |
113 | 2.2 | St. Thomas (MN) | 94 |
113 | 2.2 | Stetson | 99 |
113 | 2.2 | Suffolk | 127 |
113 | 2.2 | SUNY-Buffalo | 94 |
122 | 2.1 | Albany | 117 |
122 | 2.1 | Arkansas-Little Rock | 139 |
122 | 2.1 | Creighton | 148 |
122 | 2.1 | Drake | 84 |
122 | 2.1 | Idaho | 141 |
122 | 2.1 | Mercer | 107 |
122 | 2.1 | Mitchell | Hamline | 154 |
122 | 2.1 | New Hampshire | 125 |
122 | 2.1 | New York Law School | 121 |
122 | 2.1 | Pace | 141 |
122 | 2.1 | Quinnipiac | 141 |
122 | 2.1 | Texas Tech | 88 |
122 | 2.1 | Tulsa | 127 |
122 | 2.1 | Vermont | 163 |
122 | 2.1 | Washburn | 121 |
122 | 2.1 | Willamette | 150 |
122 | 2.1 | Wyoming | 117 |
139 | 2.0 | Cleveland State | 121 |
139 | 2.0 | Duquesne | 92 |
139 | 2.0 | Montana | 99 |
139 | 2.0 | San Francisco | 166 |
139 | 2.0 | West Virginia | 117 |
139 | 2.0 | Widener (DE) | 169 |
145 | 1.9 | Akron | 127 |
145 | 1.9 | Dayton | 107 |
145 | 1.9 | Detroit Mercy | 134 |
145 | 1.9 | Elon | 158 |
145 | 1.9 | Memphis | 146 |
145 | 1.9 | North Dakota | 161 |
145 | 1.9 | Northern Illinois | 150 |
145 | 1.9 | South Dakota | 127 |
145 | 1.9 | Southwestern | 154 |
145 | 1.9 | St. Mary's | 148 |
155 | 1.8 | District of Columbia | Tier 2 |
155 | 1.8 | North Carolina Central | Tier 2 |
155 | 1.8 | Roger Williams | 169 |
155 | 1.8 | Samford | 107 |
155 | 1.8 | South Texas | 138 |
155 | 1.8 | Southern Illinois | 175 |
155 | 1.8 | Southern | 175 |
155 | 1.8 | Toledo | 150 |
155 | 1.8 | Widener (PA) | 175 |
164 | 1.7 | Belmont | 84 |
164 | 1.7 | Chapman | 104 |
164 | 1.7 | Florida A&M | Tier 2 |
164 | 1.7 | Massachusetts | 161 |
164 | 1.7 | North Texas | 163 |
164 | 1.7 | Northern Kentucky | 134 |
164 | 1.7 | Puerto Rico | 175 |
164 | 1.7 | Touro | 169 |
172 | 1.6 | Cal-Western | Tier 2 |
172 | 1.6 | Campbell | 134 |
172 | 1.6 | John Marshall (GA) | Tier 2 |
172 | 1.6 | Mississippi College | 158 |
172 | 1.6 | New England | 166 |
172 | 1.6 | Nova | Tier 2 |
172 | 1.6 | Ohio Northern | Tier 2 |
172 | 1.6 | Oklahoma City | 158 |
172 | 1.6 | Texas Southern | Tier 2 |
181 | 1.5 | Capital | 174 |
181 | 1.5 | Pontifical Catholic (PR) | Tier 2 |
181 | 1.5 | Regent | 94 |
181 | 1.5 | Western New England | 166 |
185 | 1.4 | Charleston | Tier 2 |
185 | 1.4 | Inter-American (PR) | Tier 2 |
185 | 1.4 | Liberty | 141 |
185 | 1.4 | Lincoln Memorial | 169 |
185 | 1.4 | St. Thomas (FL) | Tier 2 |
185 | 1.4 | Western State | Tier 2 |
191 | 1.3 | Appalachian | Tier 2 |
191 | 1.3 | Ave Maria | 153 |
191 | 1.3 | Barry | Tier 2 |
191 | 1.3 | Cooley | Tier 2 |
191 | 1.3 | Faulkner | Tier 2 |
- ABA Journal, Harvard Law, Duke University Fall Out of Top 5 in Latest US News Law School Rankings
- Above the Law, Are The U.S. News Law School Rankings ‘So Arbitrary’ That They’ve Become Meaningless? Industry Insiders Seem to be Losing Faith in the U.S. News Law School Rankings.
- Above the Law, U.S. News Releases Two Wildly Different Versions Of The 2025 Law School Rankings At The Same Time
- Axios, Harvard Law School Ties Duke in Rankings Shake-Up
- Kaplan Survey, 62% Of Law School Admissions Officers Increasingly Say the Rankings Have Lost Prestige
- Law.com, Cornell Drops Out of T14, Harvard Slips to 6th in US News Law School Rankings
- Law.com, 'Like Oprah Handing Out T14 Titles': Redditors Air Grievances Over US News Law School Rankings
- Robert Morse (Chief Data Strategist, U.S. News) & Eric Brooks (Principal Data Analyst, U.S. News), Changes for the 2025 Best Graduate Schools Edition: Updates This Year Include Three New Rankings of Law Schools
- Derek Muller (Notre Dame), Elite Schools Got What They Wanted—A More Transparent, Volatile Rankings System That Disadvantages Them
- Reuters, US News & World Report Law School Rankings Show Shakeup at the Top
Prior Years' U.S. News Peer Reputation And Overall Rankings:
April 8, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, April 7, 2025
Tobin: XPT Top 25 Law School Rankings (Alpha Phase)
For the third year in a row (The Silly U.S. News Law School Rankings (2024-25), A Preliminary Analysis Of The New U.S. News Law School Rankings (2023-24)), Donald Tobin shares his thoughts on the forthcoming U.S. News Law School Rankings: XPT Top 25 Law School Rankings (Alpha Phase), by Donald Tobin (Maryland; Google Scholar):
This year I took a different approach to the law school rankings. I asked experts in legal education to rank the top 25 law schools. I am referring to these as the XPT Rankings. As a warning, this ranking is in the Alpha Phase (which today I learned is when something is in the initial test stage. This is even before beta). Our experts all have significant years in legal education, either as an educator, leader, vendor, consultant or commentator. This year’s group of experts was small, and I stayed away from faculty members. I recognize that based on how I selected this year’s group, we missed lots of great faculty, administrators and other experts who have broad knowledge about legal education. We hope to include a wider group of experts next year. I am not asserting that this meets a rigorous statistical test nor that these rankings are objective. Also, for this year, I am not listing the experts to provide anonymity as the Alpha version is tested. In future years, I hope to provide more details about the methodology. (So please don’t tell me this is not a rigorous study. For the record, this is not a rigorous study). For this year, think of this group like a small NCAA Selection Committee, but a committee who picked teams you liked.
Here are the XPT Top 25 Rankings for the 2025:
April 7, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Fischman: A Statistical Approach To Law School Citation Rankings
Joshua Fischman (Virginia; Google Scholar), A Statistical Approach to Law School Citation Rankings, 21 J. Empirical Legal Stud. 632 (2024):
Citation rankings have emerged as a popular approach to ranking the scholarly impact of law faculties. This paper develops a statistical approach for inferring faculty quality from citation counts and determining when differences among law schools are significant. Statistical tests demonstrate that the distribution of citations within faculties closely follows the lognormal distribution, subject to small adjustments. This suggests a simple test for comparing faculties: whether they could be drawn from lognormal distributions with the same log mean. Under this approach, the geometric mean of citations is the most efficient measure for summarizing faculty quality. Using citation data collected from HeinOnline, this article provides a citation ranking for 195 law schools in the United States. Most differences between peer schools are statistically insignificant, and confidence intervals on citation ranks are extremely wide. Except for the highest-ranked faculties, citation rankings provide little information on the relative quality of faculties.
April 3, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Ed Scholarship, Legal Education, Scholarship | Permalink
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
The Best Law Schools For Practical Training
The Best Law Schools For Practical Training, preLaw (Spring 2025):
Preparing students for practice is the signature goal of many law schools. We spotlight 64 schools that excel when it comes to providing hands-on, practical experience through clinics, externships and other offerings. ...
March 19, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education, Pepperdine Legal Ed | Permalink
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings
U.S. News & World Report has announced that the new 2025-26 law school rankings will be publicly released on Tuesday, April 8th (law schools will receive an embargoed copy on Tuesday, March 25th):
Outcomes are critical when considering an advanced degree. That is why three brand new law school rankings that compare schools on different career outcomes for graduates will be unveiled with the overall rankings this year.
Because the rankings should be a starting point and not an end point in research, U.S. News offers the MyLaw Rankings quiz that enables users to create custom rankings based on preferences. The law school search function also enables users to find schools based on information that is not collected by the American Bar Association, such as average starting salary and graduate employment. This was further facilitated this year by 10 additional law schools compared to the prior year having reported data to U.S. News, mirrored by improved response rates in the qualitative assessments U.S. News sends to top law school officials and legal professionals.
Companion methodologies for all graduate-level disciplines will outline any changes in the formulas. While there will be limited changes in how some ranking factors were calculated, this edition features no completely new ranking factors in any multifactor rankings, nor changes in how those factors were weighted. ...
As an additional procedural step in this year's rankings that used statistical survey data, schools were given a second opportunity to review their submitted surveys after being reminded of the survey questions and provided a draft rank using their initially supplied data. This step was done so schools could detect any reporting issues well in advance of publication.
Altogether, there will be updated annual comparisons of schools in law, education, engineering and medicine. Program-level rankings will be updated for part-time law, full-time and part-time MBAs, and graduate degrees in computer science, nursing, public affairs and public health. Finally, there will again be rankings of specialties in several of these disciplines. ...
Law Schools
- Overall
13 specialties: business/corporate; clinical; constitutional; contracts/commercial; criminal; dispute resolution; environmental; health care; intellectual property; international; legal writing; tax; trial advocacy
- Part-time Programs
- Career Outcomes
Derek Muller (Notre Dame), USNWR Promises Three New Employment Rankings For Law Schools in its 2025 Rankings Release
Here is my coverage of the current 2024-25 law school rankings:
- Derek Muller (Notre Dame), Did U.S. News Change Its Law School Rankings Methodology To Avoid A Steeper Fall For Cornell And NYU? (Apr. 9, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Tax Rankings (Apr. 10, 2024)
- Commentary On The 2024-25 U.S. News Law School Rankings (Apr. 10, 2024)
- Derek Muller (Notre Dame), Law Schools That Don't Double The Size Of Their Career Development Departments In Response To U.S. News Are Committing 'Academic Malpractice' (Apr. 10, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Business/Corporate Law Rankings (Apr. 11, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Clinical Training Rankings (Apr. 12, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Constitutional Law Rankings (Apr. 13, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Contracts/Commercial Law Rankings (Apr. 14, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Criminal Law Rankings (Apr. 15, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Dispute Resolution Rankings (Apr. 16, 2024)
- U.S. News Rankings Potpourri: Waning Influence, Penalizing 53 Boycotting Law Schools, And Declining T14 Lawyer|Judge Reputation Scores (Apr. 16, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Environmental Law Rankings (Apr. 17, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Health Care Law Rankings (Apr. 18, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Intellectual Property Law Rankings (Apr. 19, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News International Law Rankings (Apr. 20, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Legal Writing Rankings (Apr. 21, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Trial Advocacy Rankings (Apr. 22, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings (Apr. 23, 2024)
- 2024-25 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings v. Overall Rankings (Apr. 24, 2024)
- Quacquarelli Symonds, 2024 World Law School Rankings (Apr. 25, 2024)
- Reuters, Law School Class Of 2023 Jobs Rankings: Bar-Passage Required, BigLaw, Federal Judicial Clerkships, And Government|Public Interest (May 1, 2024)
March 11, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
Following up on my previous posts:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
In this post, I project the forthcoming 2025-26 U.S. News law school rankings using the 2024-25 rankings methodology and the publicly available ABA data, which accounted for 75% of the 2024-25 rankings:
- Admissions (10%): Median LSAT (5%), Median UGPA (4%), Acceptance Rate (1%))
- Student Outcomes (58%): Employment (33%), First-Time Bar Passage (18%), Ultimate Bar Passage (7%)
- Resources (7%): Student-Faculty Ratio (5%), Student-Librarian Ratio (2%)
My projected rankings below assume the same dean|faculty (12.5%) and lawyer|judge (12.5%) reputation scores for the remaining 25% of the 2024-25 rankings. I also include the projected rankings from Derek Muller (Notre Dame) and Mike Spivey (Spivey Consulting). Mike published his raw scores for each school and listed the projected rankings in 29 different groupings. The table below lists the projected ranks based on the raw scores. Most commentators anticipate that U.S. News will tinker with the methodology in the forthcoming 2025-26 rankings, so take the projections below with a grain of salt.
School | Caron Projected Rank | Muller Projected Rank | Spivey Projected Rank | Admissions Rank | Student Outcomes Rank | Resources Rank | Reputation Rank | |
Chicago | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 3 | |
Yale | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | |
Stanford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 1 | |
Virginia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 7 | |
Penn | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 10 | |
Harvard | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 78 | 2 | |
Duke | 7 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 11 | |
NYU | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 37 | 6 | |
Northwestern | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 11 | |
Columbia | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 51 | 4 | |
Michigan | 11 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 68 | 7 | |
UCLA | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 15 | |
UC-Berkeley | 13 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 42 | 9 | |
Vanderbilt | 14 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 15 | 35 | 17 | |
Washington Univ. | 15 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 19 | |
Texas | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 54 | 16 | |
Georgetown | 17 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 28 | 30 | 13 | |
Cornell | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 30 | 26 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 19 | 16 | 19 | 29 | 9 | 43 | 21 | |
Notre Dame | 20 | 20 | 20 | 27 | 23 | 55 | 18 | |
Minnesota | 21 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 21 | 9 | 23 | |
Boston Univ. | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 33 | 23 | |
Georgia | 23 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 40 | 31 | |
Texas A&M | 24 | 24 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 60 | |
Boston College | 25 | 24 | 25 | 34 | 20 | 45 | 27 | |
Wake Forest | 26 | 24 | 26 | 37 | 13 | 86 | 37 | |
Wisconsin | 27 | 38 | 29 | 42 | 18 | 66 | 34 | |
USC | 28 | 24 | 27 | 14 | 39 | 60 | 20 | |
Alabama | 29 | 28 | 34 | 26 | 27 | 48 | 41 | |
William & Mary | 30 | 28 | 32 | 52 | 35 | 50 | 25 | |
Ohio State | 31 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 37 | 44 | 36 | |
George Mason | 32 | 28 | 31 | 19 | 31 | 6 | 57 | |
George Washington | 33 | 36 | 35 | 31 | 46 | 27 | 25 | |
Washington & Lee | 34 | 28 | 36 | 46 | 33 | 63 | 33 | |
UC-Irvine | 35 | 36 | 41 | 35 | 44 | 31 | 32 | |
Utah | 36 | 38 | 33 | 36 | 32 | 18 | 51 | |
BYU | 37 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 38 | 13 | 46 | |
Florida | 38 | 28 | 38 | 21 | 45 | 92 | 29 | |
Florida State | 39 | 28 | 40 | 30 | 34 | 12 | 50 | |
Emory | 40 | 38 | 43 | 44 | 50 | 69 | 22 | |
Fordham | 41 | 42 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 73 | 29 | |
Iowa | 42 | 38 | 37 | 72 | 36 | 89 | 34 | |
Baylor | 43 | 42 | 42 | 55 | 26 | 41 | 62 | |
SMU | 44 | 42 | 44 | 38 | 29 | 67 | 63 | |
Arizona State | 45 | 45 | 45 | 32 | 53 | 56 | 41 | |
Colorado | 46 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 60 | 32 | 44 | |
Indiana (Maurer) | 47 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 66 | 47 | 39 | |
U. of Washington | 48 | 54 | 54 | 71 | 58 | 53 | 39 | |
Villanova | 49 | 48 | 49 | 43 | 47 | 72 | 57 | |
UC-Davis | 50 | 48 | 51 | 64 | 61 | 146 | 28 |
March 5, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
Update:
Following up on my previous posts:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Employment
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Ultimate Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
In the current 2024-25 methodology, resources count 7% in the overall ranking:
- Student-Faculty Ratio (5%)
- Librarian-Student Ratio (2%)
Below are two resource rankings. The first is a simple ranking using the above weights. The second uses Z-scores with the above weights to better approximate the U.S. News methodology.
Rank | School | Student-Faculty Ratio Rank | Library Resources Rank | Weighted Rank |
1 | Jacksonville | 1 (3.24) | 1 (20.00) | 1.00 |
2 | Stanford | 5 (4.20) | 3 (33.24) | 4.43 |
3 | Hawaii | 4 (4.15) | 8 (39.76) | 5.14 |
3 | University of Arizona | 2 (3.45) | 13 (44.35) | 5.14 |
5 | Yale | 8 (4.33) | 2 (21.34) | 6.29 |
6 | George Mason | 6 (4.21) | 11 (42.31) | 7.43 |
7 | Cleveland State | 3 (4.06) | 27 (54.95) | 9.86 |
8 | Minnesota | 10 (4.63) | 10 (40.91) | 10.00 |
9 | New Mexico | 15 (4.81) | 6 (37.50) | 12.43 |
10 | Penn | 14 (4.76) | 12 (42.58) | 13.43 |
11 | Florida State | 12 (4.71) | 18 (50.78) | 13.71 |
12 | Northwestern | 7 (4.22) | 44 (62.67) | 17.57 |
13 | SUNY-Buffalo | 19 (4.89) | 16 (48.22) | 18.14 |
14 | BYU | 26 (5.05) | 4 (36.90) | 19.71 |
15 | Chicago | 13 (4.74) | 37 (59.40) | 19.86 |
16 | Connecticut | 25 (5.05) | 9 (40.39) | 20.43 |
17 | Richmond | 22 (4.94) | 19 (51.00) | 21.14 |
18 | Utah | 17 (4.82) | 35 (58.20) | 22.14 |
19 | Washington Univ. | 21 (4.91) | 29 (55.79) | 23.29 |
20 | Texas A&M | 9 (4.63) | 68 (74.28) | 25.86 |
21 | Pittsburgh | 11 (4.67) | 65 (70.55) | 26.43 |
22 | Duke | 30 (5.41) | 21 (51.86) | 27.43 |
23 | UCLA | 33 (5.62) | 17 (49.24) | 28.43 |
24 | Cincinnati | 31 (5.58) | 28 (55.29) | 30.14 |
25 | Catholic | 41 (5.84) | 5 (37.30) | 30.71 |
26 | Colorado | 35 (5.69) | 26 (54.56) | 32.43 |
27 | UC-Irvine | 40 (5.84) | 14 (45.05) | 32.57 |
28 | Boston Univ. | 34 (5.68) | 34 (57.23) | 34.00 |
29 | Virginia | 38 (5.74) | 33 (56.94) | 36.57 |
30 | Georgia State | 36 (5.72) | 47 (64.67) | 39.14 |
31 | Temple | 18 (4.87) | 93 (88.67) | 39.43 |
32 | Vanderbilt | 37 (5.73) | 46 (64.00) | 39.57 |
33 | Maryland | 47 (6.06) | 25 (53.01) | 40.71 |
34 | George Washington | 28 (5.11) | 73 (78.60) | 40.86 |
35 | Georgia | 48 (6.07) | 24 (53.00) | 41.14 |
36 | Cornell | 20 (4.90) | 98 (90.15) | 42.29 |
37 | North Carolina | 54 (6.19) | 15 (47.67) | 42.86 |
38 | Ohio State | 46 (6.04) | 38 (59.41) | 43.71 |
38 | Quinnipiac | 16 (4.82) | 113 (97.33) | 43.71 |
40 | Tennessee | 50 (6.12) | 30 (56.29) | 44.29 |
41 | UC-Berkeley | 32 (5.59) | 76 (80.23) | 44.57 |
42 | Boston College | 45 (5.98) | 45 (63.75) | 45.00 |
43 | NYU | 29 (5.40) | 87 (85.44) | 45.57 |
44 | Georgetown | 23 (4.95) | 103 (91.98) | 45.86 |
45 | Indiana (Maurer) | 58 (6.22) | 36 (58.78) | 51.71 |
46 | Alabama | 60 (6.33) | 32 (56.80) | 52.00 |
47 | Vermont | 27 (5.10) | 120 (102.00) | 53.57 |
48 | Columbia | 49 (6.09) | 67 (74.21) | 54.14 |
49 | William & Mary | 67 (6.47) | 22 (52.80) | 54.14 |
50 | Drexel | 42 (5.86) | 85 (85.20) | 54.29 |
March 4, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, March 3, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
Following up on my previous posts:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Employment
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Ultimate Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
In the current 2024-25 methodology, student outcomes count 58% in the overall ranking:
- First-Time Bar Passage (18%)
- Ultimate Bar Passage (7%)
- Employment (33%)
Below are two student outcome rankings. The first is a simple ranking using the above weights. The second uses Z-scores with the above weights to better approximate the U.S. News methodology.
Rank | School | First-Time Bar Passage Rank | Ultimate Bar Passage Rank | Employment Rank | Weighted Ranks |
1 | Virginia | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3.47 |
2 | Penn | 9 | 14 | 3 | 6.19 |
3 | Duke | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6.55 |
4 | Chicago | 6 | 1 | 10 | 7.67 |
5 | Michigan | 2 | 19 | 12 | 9.74 |
6 | Texas A&M | 25 | 15 | 1 | 10.14 |
7 | NYU | 11 | 7 | 13 | 11.66 |
8 | Yale | 5 | 12 | 16 | 12.10 |
9 | Wake Forest | 18 | 32 | 6 | 12.86 |
10 | Northwestern | 20 | 21 | 8 | 13.29 |
11 | North Carolina | 8 | 53 | 9 | 14.00 |
12 | Washington Univ. | 24 | 41 | 4 | 14.67 |
13 | UCLA | 14 | 26 | 15 | 16.02 |
14 | Columbia | 17 | 39 | 11 | 16.24 |
15 | Harvard | 1 | 6 | 28 | 16.97 |
16 | Vanderbilt | 7 | 24 | 22 | 17.59 |
17 | Stanford | 3 | 4 | 31 | 19.05 |
18 | Minnesota | 35 | 13 | 17 | 22.10 |
19 | Georgia | 29 | 10 | 23 | 23.29 |
20 | Texas | 22 | 16 | 26 | 23.55 |
21 | Wisconsin | 13 | 3 | 34 | 23.74 |
22 | Boston College | 15 | 29 | 30 | 25.22 |
23 | Notre Dame | 19 | 49 | 24 | 25.47 |
24 | Boston Univ. | 38 | 17 | 21 | 25.79 |
25 | UC-Berkeley | 20 | 8 | 37 | 28.22 |
26 | SMU | 59 | 58 | 6 | 28.72 |
27 | Alabama | 28 | 33 | 29 | 29.17 |
28 | Georgetown | 33 | 40 | 25 | 29.29 |
29 | George Mason | 51 | 30 | 18 | 29.69 |
30 | Baylor | 23 | 28 | 35 | 30.43 |
31 | Cornell | 27 | 48 | 33 | 32.95 |
32 | Utah | 36 | 18 | 36 | 33.83 |
33 | Washington & Lee | 48 | 66 | 20 | 34.24 |
34 | Florida State | 58 | 71 | 19 | 37.38 |
35 | Iowa | 63 | 90 | 14 | 38.38 |
36 | Ohio State | 30 | 34 | 46 | 39.59 |
37 | USC | 45 | 20 | 43 | 40.84 |
38 | Kansas | 42 | 22 | 49 | 43.57 |
39 | Fordham | 52 | 25 | 44 | 44.19 |
40 | Penn State-Univ. Park | 46 | 55 | 42 | 44.81 |
41 | William & Mary | 12 | 27 | 68 | 45.67 |
42 | BYU | 26 | 2 | 66 | 45.86 |
43 | George Washington | 62 | 43 | 38 | 46.05 |
44 | UC-Irvine | 41 | 59 | 48 | 47.16 |
45 | St. John's | 67 | 35 | 39 | 47.21 |
46 | Florida | 68 | 72 | 31 | 47.43 |
47 | Oklahoma | 34 | 44 | 58 | 48.86 |
48 | Penn State-Dickinson | 66 | 52 | 40 | 49.52 |
49 | Villanova | 43 | 65 | 53 | 51.34 |
50 | Kentucky | 88 | 95 | 27 | 54.14 |
March 3, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Employment
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
Following up on my previous posts:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Ultimate Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
The current 2024-25 methodology is:
Outcomes 10 months after graduation (weighted 33%):This measures the extent by which graduates obtain the most in-demand jobs – namely those that are long term, full time and requiring (or taking advantage of) bar passage. Once again, maximum credit was assigned for graduates with school-funded fellowships – as long as those fellowships were otherwise full-time, long-term jobs in which bar passage was required or the J.D. degree was an advantage. Maximum credit was also once again assigned to law school graduates pursuing additional graduate studies.
To improve measurement of this indicator – given the common year-to-year fluctuations associated with outcome measures and the small sizes of some graduating J.D. classes – this indicator was derived from the average of the 2021 and 2022 graduating class outcomes 10 months after graduation. Specifically, U.S. News took a nonweighted average by aggregating the score it previously computed from the 2021 graduating class with the newly calculated 2022 class score, then divided it by two. Previously, this indicator was based only on the most recent year.
For information purposes, U.S. News published a 10 months after graduation employment percentage outcome that equals the proportion of 2022 graduates in all the job types that U.S. News weighs 100% for the purpose of calculating a weighted average in the 10-month employment ranking indicator. However, the actual value used in the rankings is an index that also awards partial credit for other outcomes values, and is described below. As previously stated, U.S. News used data for two graduating classes in the calculations.
These partially weighted jobs that were some combination of particular factors, namely short term and part time, in many cases funded by the law school and/or not utilizing bar passage received less credit by varying amounts, determined by an allocation of some or all of these factors.
Law schools are required to report these highly differentiated outcome measures each year to the ABA. For a more detailed explanation, see Notes on Employment Rates below.
Below is a ranking of the unweighted average employment 10 months after graduation for classes of 2022 and 2023. For comparison, the average unweighted average employment 10 months after graduation for classes of 2021 and 2022 (and the ranking of that average) are included alongside. As noted below, U.S. News does not reveal the weights it gives to the 45 different job types, employment statuses, and durations.
Rank | School | 2025-2026 Employment | 2024-2025 Employment |
1 | Texas A&M | 99.71% | 97.05% (9) |
2 | Virginia | 99.19% | 98.28% (3) |
3 | Penn | 99.04% | 98.65% (2) |
4 | Washington Univ. | 98.90% | 96.41% (11) |
5 | Duke | 98.48% | 98.74% (1) |
6 | SMU | 98.20% | 95.25% (17) |
7 | Wake Forest | 98.20% | 97.03% (10) |
8 | Northwestern | 98.17% | 97.78% (6) |
9 | North Carolina | 98.15% | 96.30% (13) |
10 | Chicago | 97.91% | 97.91% (5) |
11 | Columbia | 97.51% | 97.95% (4) |
12 | Michigan | 97.48% | 96.26% (14) |
13 | NYU | 97.37% | 97.66% (7) |
14 | Iowa | 97.26% | 95.11% (19) |
15 | UCLA | 97.11% | 96.04% (15) |
16 | Yale | 97.06% | 96.31% (12) |
17 | Minnesota | 96.83% | 95.19% (18) |
18 | George Mason | 96.68% | 93.25% (34) |
19 | Florida State | 96.59% | 92.18% (46) |
20 | Washington & Lee | 96.52% | 93.22% (35) |
21 | Boston Univ. | 96.38% | 92.23% (45) |
22 | Vanderbilt | 96.19% | 95.11% (20) |
23 | Georgia | 96.10% | 97.21% (8) |
24 | Notre Dame | 95.91% | 93.17% (37) |
25 | Georgetown | 95.78% | 94.70% (24) |
26 | Texas | 95.77% | 94.12% (28) |
27 | Kentucky | 95.74% | 94.67% (25) |
28 | Harvard | 95.70% | 94.09% (30) |
29 | Alabama | 95.67% | 92.64% (42) |
30 | Boston College | 95.65% | 93.36% (33) |
31 | Florida | 95.43% | 93.05% (40) |
32 | Stanford | 95.43% | 94.36% (27) |
33 | Cornell | 95.31% | 94.96% (22) |
34 | Wisconsin | 95.14% | 91.95% (47) |
35 | Baylor | 94.78% | 91.60% (50) |
36 | Utah | 94.57% | 94.12% (29) |
37 | UC-Berkeley | 94.37% | 95.05% (21) |
38 | George Washington | 93.83% | 90.13% (61) |
39 | St. John's | 93.78% | 91.93% (48) |
40 | Penn State-Dickinson | 93.62% | 89.31% (70) |
41 | Drexel | 93.52% | 92.38% (44) |
42 | Penn State-Univ. Park | 93.50% | 89.34% (68) |
43 | USC | 93.38% | 95.38% (16) |
44 | Fordham | 93.35% | 93.92% (31) |
45 | Wayne State | 93.34% | 93.17% (38) |
46 | Ohio State | 93.23% | 94.55% (26) |
47 | San Diego | 93.22% | 88.23% (80) |
48 | UC-Irvine | 93.15% | 87.96% (83) |
49 | Kansas | 93.08% | 94.93% (23) |
50 | Pepperdine | 92.86% | 91.36% (52) |
February 27, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Ultimate Bar Passage
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Employment
Following up on my previous posts:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
The current 2024-25 methodology is:
Ultimate bar passage rate (7%): While passing the bar on the first try is optimal, passing eventually is critical. Underscoring this is the ABA's accreditation standard that at least 75% of a law school's test-taking graduates must pass a bar exam within two years of earning a diploma.
Like the previous two outcome measures, the ultimate bar passage rate indicator was newly calculated as a two-year, nonweighted average.
With that in mind, the ultimate bar passage ranking factor measures the average percentage of each law school's 2019 and 2020 graduates who sat for a bar exam and passed it within two years of graduation, including diploma privilege graduates.
Both the first-time bar passage and ultimate bar passage indicators were used to determine if a particular law school is offering students a rigorous program of legal education. The first-time bar passage indicator was assigned greater weight because of the greater granularity of its data and its wider variance of outcomes.
Below is a ranking of the unweighted average ultimate bar passage for 2020 and 2021 graduates. For comparison, the average unweighted ultimate bar passage for 2019 and 2020 graduates (and the ranking of that average) are included alongside.
Rank | School | 2025-2026 Ultimate Bar Passage | 2024-2025 Ultimate Bar Passage |
1 | Chicago | 99.76% | 99.75% (1) |
2 | BYU | 99.51% | 97.69% (25) |
3 | Wisconsin | 99.47% | 99.33% (6) |
4 | Stanford | 99.41% | 99.44% (4) |
5 | Duke | 99.35% | 99.54% (2) |
6 | Harvard | 99.33% | 99.15% (9) |
7 | NYU | 99.25% | 98.63% (14) |
8 | UC-Berkeley | 99.23% | 99.54% (2) |
9 | Virginia | 99.21% | 99.33% (5) |
10 | Georgia | 99.17% | 97.78% (23) |
11 | Marquette | 99.11% | 99.11% (10) |
12 | Yale | 99.00% | 99.00% (12) |
13 | Minnesota | 98.79% | 99.09% (11) |
14 | Penn | 98.78% | 98.17% (16) |
15 | Texas A&M | 98.69% | 97.94% (21) |
16 | Texas | 98.57% | 98.17% (18) |
17 | Boston Univ. | 98.41% | 98.13% (19) |
18 | Utah | 98.26% | 98.10% (20) |
19 | Michigan | 98.21% | 98.77% (13) |
20 | USC | 98.11% | 96.64% (37) |
21 | Northwestern | 98.00% | 97.90% (22) |
22 | Kansas | 97.96% | 95.83% (51) |
23 | University of Washington | 97.96% | 94.50% (70) |
24 | Vanderbilt | 97.79% | 96.85% (34) |
25 | Fordham | 97.78% | 97.02% (31) |
26 | UCLA | 97.71% | 98.55% (15) |
27 | William & Mary | 97.69% | 96.77% (35) |
28 | Baylor | 97.68% | 99.27% (7) |
29 | Boston College | 97.64% | 97.15% (30) |
30 | George Mason | 97.47% | 98.17% (17) |
31 | Montana | 97.10% | 96.36% (44) |
32 | Wake Forest | 97.03% | 96.23% (45) |
33 | Alabama | 96.86% | 99.21% (8) |
34 | Ohio State | 96.72% | 95.96% (48) |
35 | St. John's | 96.67% | 95.05% (61) |
36 | Liberty | 96.62% | 97.20% (29) |
37 | Indiana (Maurer) | 96.59% | 94.77% (66) |
38 | Loyola-L.A. | 96.55% | 95.55% (57) |
39 | Columbia | 96.45% | 95.90% (50) |
40 | Georgetown | 96.37% | 96.00% (47) |
41 | Washington Univ. | 96.34% | 97.76% (24) |
42 | Regent | 96.26% | 93.71% (82) |
43 | George Washington | 96.11% | 95.76% (54) |
44 | Oklahoma | 96.08% | 96.39% (42) |
45 | St. Louis | 95.96% | 94.89% (63) |
46 | Nebraska | 95.94% | 94.72% (68) |
47 | Florida Int'l | 95.88% | 97.42% (28) |
48 | Cornell | 95.82% | 97.68% (26) |
49 | Notre Dame | 95.77% | 96.40% (40) |
50 | Texas Tech | 95.68% | 93.86% (78) |
February 26, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: First-Time Bar Passage
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
Following up on my previous posts:
The current 2024-25 methodology is:
Bar passage rate for first-time test-takers (18%): For the third consecutive year, U.S. News used its treatment of bar passage rates to incorporate all graduates who took the bar for the first time, and not just those from the state with most test-takers. This de-emphasized the impact of geography on law schools' relative performance.
As was done with the 10 months after graduation indicator, this bar passage indicator was newly calculated as a two-year, nonweighted average pertaining to the 2021 and 2022 graduating classes.
Specifically, the bar passage rate indicator scored schools on their average 2021 and 2022 first-time test-takers' weighted bar passage rates among all jurisdictions, or states, then added or subtracted the average percentage point difference between those rates and the weighted state average among ABA accredited schools' first-time test-takers in the corresponding jurisdictions in 2021 and 2022. This meant schools that performed best on this ranking factor graduated students whose bar passage rates were both higher than most schools overall and higher compared with what was typical among graduates who took the bar in corresponding jurisdictions.
For example, if a fictional law school in upstate New York graduated 100 students who first took the bar exam – and 79 took the New York exam, 18 the Massachusetts exam and three the Vermont exam – the school's weighted average rate would use pass rate results that were weighted 79% for New York, 18% for Massachusetts and 3% for Vermont. This computation would then be compared with an index of these jurisdictions' average pass rates – also weighted 79-18-3. (For privacy, school profiles on usnews.com only display bar passage data for jurisdictions with at least 10 test-takers.) Both weighted averages included any graduates who passed the bar with diploma privilege. Diploma privilege is a method for J.D. graduates to be admitted to a state bar and allowed to practice law in that state without taking that state's actual bar examination. Diploma privilege is generally based on attending and graduating from a law school in that state with the diploma privilege.
Below is a ranking of the unweighted average first-time bar passage for calendar years 2022 and 2023. For comparison, the average unweighted first-time bar passage for the calendar years 2021 and 2022 (and the ranking of that average) are included alongside.
Rank | School | 2025-2026 First-Time Bar Passage | 2024-2025 First-Time Bar Passage |
1 | Harvard | 115.22% | 117.49% (1) |
2 | Michigan | 115.15% | 114.10% (3) |
3 | Stanford | 114.70% | 113.70% (5) |
4 | Virginia | 113.49% | 111.56% (8) |
5 | Yale | 113.38% | 114.37% (2) |
6 | Chicago | 113.25% | 114.02% (4) |
7 | Vanderbilt | 111.68% | 109.75% (14) |
8 | North Carolina | 111.66% | 106.75% (21) |
9 | Penn | 110.87% | 110.19% (13) |
10 | Duke | 110.57% | 112.66% (6) |
11 | NYU | 110.22% | 110.98% (9) |
12 | William & Mary | 109.80% | 110.19% (12) |
13 | Wisconsin | 109.54% | 104.74% (30) |
14 | UCLA | 107.87% | 110.69% (10) |
15 | Boston College | 107.76% | 105.36% (26) |
16 | Belmont | 107.70% | 103.91% (33) |
17 | Columbia | 107.61% | 107.46% (19) |
18 | Wake Forest | 107.54% | 107.82% (18) |
19 | Notre Dame | 107.18% | 107.22% (20) |
20 | UC-Berkeley | 107.12% | 112.03% (7) |
21 | Northwestern | 107.12% | 110.35% (11) |
22 | Texas | 107.02% | 107.95% (16) |
23 | Baylor | 106.42% | 104.19% (32) |
24 | Washington Univ. | 105.76% | 105.85% (23) |
25 | Texas A&M | 105.18% | 105.84% (24) |
26 | BYU | 105.09% | 106.73% (22) |
27 | Cornell | 104.12% | 100.77% (38) |
28 | Alabama | 103.28% | 100.99% (37) |
29 | Georgia | 103.05% | 105.18% (27) |
30 | Ohio State | 102.89% | 104.93% (29) |
31 | University of Washington | 102.40% | 100.67% (40) |
32 | Louisiana State | 102.38% | 91.90% (67) |
33 | Georgetown | 102.28% | 105.07% (28) |
34 | Oklahoma | 102.05% | 102.96% (35) |
35 | Minnesota | 101.40% | 107.94% (17) |
36 | Utah | 101.14% | 100.25% (42) |
37 | Florida Int'l | 100.70% | 99.90% (45) |
38 | Boston Univ. | 100.25% | 105.66% (25) |
39 | Regent | 100.23% | 92.17% (65) |
40 | Tennessee | 98.85% | 104.43% (31) |
41 | UC-Irvine | 98.29% | 98.07% (50) |
42 | Kansas | 98.19% | 102.24% (36) |
43 | Villanova | 97.98% | 94.94% (57) |
44 | Arizona State | 97.86% | 97.25% (51) |
45 | USC | 97.81% | 108.51% (15) |
46 | Penn State-Univ. Park | 97.39% | 99.30% (48) |
47 | Seton Hall | 97.09% | 103.65% (34) |
48 | Washington & Lee | 96.99% | 100.16% (43) |
49 | Emory | 96.86% | 99.97% (44) |
50 | Missouri-Columbia | 96.56% | 93.62% (61) |
February 25, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, February 24, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
In the current 2024-25 methodology, law school admissions count 10% in the overall ranking:
- Acceptance Rate (1%)
- Median Undergraduate GPA (4%)
- Median LSAT (5%)
Below are two admissions rankings. The first is a simple ranking using the above weights. The second uses Z-scores with the above weights to better approximate the U.S. News methodology.
School | Acceptance Rate Rank | UGPA Rank | LSAT Rank | Weighted Ranks | |
1 | Yale | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.40 |
2 | Harvard | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2.90 |
3 | Washington Univ. | 25 | 2 | 3 | 4.80 |
4 | Chicago | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6.00 |
5 | Stanford | 2 | 11 | 3 | 6.10 |
5 | Virginia | 13 | 2 | 8 | 6.10 |
7 | Northwestern | 17 | 5 | 8 | 7.70 |
8 | Penn | 3 | 10 | 8 | 8.30 |
9 | Columbia | 6 | 20 | 3 | 10.10 |
10 | UCLA | 19 | 5 | 15 | 11.40 |
11 | NYU | 20 | 15 | 8 | 12.00 |
12 | Georgetown | 27 | 11 | 12 | 13.10 |
13 | Cornell | 33 | 23 | 3 | 14.00 |
13 | Texas A&M | 11 | 1 | 25 | 14.00 |
15 | USC | 8 | 15 | 19 | 16.30 |
16 | Georgia | 14 | 15 | 19 | 16.90 |
17 | Texas | 18 | 23 | 12 | 17.00 |
18 | Duke | 12 | 23 | 15 | 17.90 |
19 | George Mason | 15 | 11 | 25 | 18.40 |
20 | Michigan | 7 | 32 | 12 | 19.50 |
21 | Florida | 23 | 20 | 19 | 19.80 |
22 | BYU | 42 | 11 | 25 | 21.10 |
23 | Vanderbilt | 24 | 23 | 19 | 21.10 |
24 | Boston Univ. | 28 | 28 | 15 | 21.50 |
25 | UC-Berkeley | 21 | 30 | 15 | 21.60 |
26 | Alabama | 37 | 5 | 36 | 23.70 |
27 | Florida State | 26 | 15 | 36 | 26.60 |
28 | Notre Dame | 34 | 35 | 19 | 26.90 |
29 | Minnesota | 71 | 28 | 19 | 27.80 |
30 | Arizona State | 31 | 20 | 36 | 29.10 |
31 | North Carolina | 16 | 35 | 29 | 30.10 |
32 | Ohio State | 49 | 23 | 33 | 30.60 |
33 | George Washington | 65 | 30 | 25 | 31.00 |
34 | UC-Irvine | 22 | 41 | 29 | 33.10 |
35 | Boston College | 10 | 46 | 29 | 33.90 |
36 | Utah | 35 | 32 | 36 | 34.30 |
37 | Wake Forest | 38 | 38 | 33 | 35.50 |
38 | SMU | 54 | 32 | 36 | 36.20 |
39 | Indiana (Maurer) | 92 | 15 | 44 | 37.20 |
40 | Wisconsin | 46 | 41 | 36 | 39.00 |
41 | Fordham | 32 | 56 | 29 | 40.10 |
42 | Pepperdine | 44 | 35 | 44 | 40.40 |
43 | Villanova | 30 | 41 | 44 | 41.40 |
44 | Emory | 95 | 41 | 36 | 43.90 |
45 | Tennessee | 36 | 40 | 51 | 45.10 |
46 | Cardozo | 82 | 46 | 44 | 48.60 |
47 | Washington & Lee | 58 | 67 | 33 | 49.10 |
48 | Colorado | 77 | 49 | 44 | 49.30 |
49 | Wayne State | 48 | 38 | 60 | 50.00 |
50 | Illinois | 117 | 54 | 36 | 51.30 |
February 24, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Median LSAT
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
Following up on this week's posts
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Acceptance Rate
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Median UGPA
Rank | School | 2024 LSAT | 2023 LSAT |
1 | Harvard | 174 | 174 (2) |
1 | Yale | 174 | 175 (1) |
3 | Chicago | 173 | 173 (3) |
3 | Columbia | 173 | 173 (3) |
3 | Cornell | 173 | 172 (7) |
3 | Stanford | 173 | 173 (3) |
3 | Washington Univ. | 173 | 173 (3) |
8 | Northwestern | 172 | 172 (7) |
8 | NYU | 172 | 172 (7) |
8 | Penn | 172 | 172 (7) |
8 | Virginia | 172 | 171 (11) |
12 | Georgetown | 171 | 171 (11) |
12 | Michigan | 171 | 171 (11) |
12 | Texas | 171 | 171 (11) |
15 | Boston Univ. | 170 | 170 (15) |
15 | Duke | 170 | 170 (15) |
15 | UC-Berkeley | 170 | 170 (15) |
15 | UCLA | 170 | 170 (15) |
19 | Florida | 169 | 169 (20) |
19 | Georgia | 169 | 169 (20) |
19 | Minnesota | 169 | 168 (24) |
19 | Notre Dame | 169 | 169 (20) |
19 | USC | 169 | 169 (20) |
19 | Vanderbilt | 169 | 170 (15) |
25 | BYU | 168 | 168 (24) |
25 | George Mason | 168 | 168 (24) |
25 | George Washington | 168 | 168 (24) |
25 | Texas A&M | 168 | 166 (33) |
29 | Boston College | 167 | 167 (28) |
29 | Fordham | 167 | 167 (28) |
29 | North Carolina | 167 | 166 (33) |
29 | UC-Irvine | 167 | 167 (28) |
33 | Ohio State | 166 | 165 (37) |
33 | Wake Forest | 166 | 165 (37) |
33 | Washington & Lee | 166 | 165 (37) |
36 | Alabama | 165 | 167 (28) |
36 | Arizona State | 165 | 167 (28) |
36 | Emory | 165 | 166 (33) |
36 | Florida State | 165 | 165 (37) |
36 | Illinois | 165 | 165 (37) |
36 | SMU | 165 | 164 (44) |
36 | Utah | 165 | 164 (44) |
36 | Wisconsin | 165 | 165 (37) |
44 | Cardozo | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | Colorado | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | Indiana (Maurer) | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | Pepperdine | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | Richmond | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | Villanova | 164 | 164 (44) |
44 | William & Mary | 164 | 166 (33) |
February 20, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Median UGPA
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
Following up on yesterday's post, Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Acceptance Rate:
Rank | School | 2024 UGPA | 2023 UGPA |
1 | Texas A&M | 3.97 | 3.97 (1) |
2 | Virginia | 3.96 | 3.94 (6) |
2 | Washington Univ. | 3.96 | 3.95 (3) |
2 | Yale | 3.96 | 3.96 (2) |
5 | Alabama | 3.95 | 3.95 (3) |
5 | Harvard | 3.95 | 3.93 (9) |
5 | Northwestern | 3.95 | 3.92 (10) |
5 | UCLA | 3.95 | 3.92 (10) |
9 | Chicago | 3.94 | 3.94 (6) |
10 | Penn | 3.93 | 3.92 (10) |
11 | BYU | 3.92 | 3.94 (6) |
11 | George Mason | 3.92 | 3.89 (19) |
11 | Georgetown | 3.92 | 3.91 (13) |
11 | Stanford | 3.92 | 3.95 (3) |
15 | Florida State | 3.91 | 3.85 (28) |
15 | Georgia | 3.91 | 3.83 (33) |
15 | Indiana (Maurer) | 3.91 | 3.86 (24) |
15 | NYU | 3.91 | 3.90 (15) |
15 | USC | 3.91 | 3.88 (21) |
20 | Arizona State | 3.90 | 3.90 (15) |
20 | Columbia | 3.90 | 3.90 (15) |
20 | Florida | 3.90 | 3.91 (13) |
23 | Cornell | 3.89 | 3.90 (15) |
23 | Duke | 3.89 | 3.87 (22) |
23 | Ohio State | 3.89 | 3.83 (33) |
23 | Texas | 3.89 | 3.86 (24) |
23 | Vanderbilt | 3.89 | 3.89 (19) |
28 | Boston Univ. | 3.88 | 3.86 (24) |
28 | Minnesota | 3.88 | 3.85 (28) |
30 | George Washington | 3.87 | 3.85 (28) |
30 | UC-Berkeley | 3.87 | 3.87 (22) |
32 | Michigan | 3.86 | 3.85 (28) |
32 | SMU | 3.86 | 3.83 (33) |
32 | Utah | 3.86 | 3.85 (28) |
35 | North Carolina | 3.85 | 3.78 (47) |
35 | Notre Dame | 3.85 | 3.83 (33) |
35 | Pepperdine | 3.85 | 3.86 (24) |
38 | Wake Forest | 3.84 | 3.79 (43) |
38 | Wayne State | 3.84 | 3.83 (33) |
40 | Tennessee | 3.82 | 3.78 (47) |
41 | Cincinnati | 3.81 | 3.80 (40) |
41 | Emory | 3.81 | 3.82 (38) |
41 | UC-Irvine | 3.81 | 3.72 (64) |
41 | Villanova | 3.81 | 3.80 (40) |
41 | Wisconsin | 3.81 | 3.79 (43) |
46 | Boston College | 3.80 | 3.77 (50) |
46 | Cardozo | 3.80 | 3.79 (43) |
46 | San Diego | 3.80 | 3.80 (40) |
49 | Belmont | 3.79 | 3.77 (50) |
49 | Colorado | 3.79 | 3.81 (39) |
49 | Kansas | 3.79 | 3.71 (70) |
February 19, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Acceptance Rate
Update:
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Resources
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Student Outcomes
- Preview Of The 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: Admissions
Rank | School | 2024 Acceptance Rate | 2023 Acceptance Rate |
1 | Yale | 5.25 | 5.58 (1) |
2 | Stanford | 8.85 | 7.26 (2) |
3 | Penn | 9.95 | 9.88 (4) |
4 | Harvard | 10.97 | 9.58 (3) |
5 | Ohio Northern | 11.53 | 68.25 (184) |
6 | Columbia | 11.75 | 12.23 (7) |
7 | Michigan | 11.85 | 12.58 (9) |
8 | USC | 12.41 | 12.52 (8) |
9 | Chicago | 12.73 | 12.78 (10) |
10 | Boston College | 13.27 | 13.38 (11) |
11 | Texas A&M | 13.48 | 14.64 (13) |
12 | Duke | 13.88 | 10.51 (5) |
13 | Virginia | 13.92 | 11.46 (6) |
14 | Georgia | 14.48 | 14.77 (14) |
15 | George Mason | 14.60 | 14.03 (12) |
16 | North Carolina | 15.18 | 16.27 (18) |
17 | Northwestern | 15.36 | 15.53 (17) |
18 | Texas | 15.60 | 14.90 (15) |
19 | UCLA | 16.10 | 16.80 (21) |
20 | NYU | 16.67 | 16.76 (19) |
21 | UC-Berkeley | 17.30 | 14.92 (16) |
22 | UC-Irvine | 17.38 | 18.18 (26) |
23 | Florida | 17.44 | 17.01 (22) |
24 | Vanderbilt | 18.45 | 16.76 (19) |
25 | Washington Univ. | 19.90 | 17.16 (23) |
26 | Florida State | 19.91 | 21.12 (29) |
27 | Georgetown | 20.13 | 19.57 (28) |
28 | Boston Univ. | 20.61 | 17.82 (25) |
29 | Florida Int'l | 21.03 | 25.18 (35) |
30 | Villanova | 21.93 | 22.50 (33) |
31 | Arizona State | 22.05 | 21.28 (31) |
32 | Fordham | 22.15 | 21.13 (30) |
33 | Cornell | 23.11 | 19.30 (27) |
34 | Notre Dame | 23.26 | 24.39 (34) |
35 | Utah | 24.76 | 30.2 (48) |
36 | Tennessee | 26.30 | 30.21 (49) |
37 | Alabama | 26.58 | 26.62 (36) |
38 | Wake Forest | 26.84 | 31.47 (54) |
39 | Baylor | 26.93 | 17.77 (24) |
40 | Chapman | 27.14 | 30.68 (50) |
41 | North Texas | 27.68 | 30.06 (46) |
42 | BYU | 27.76 | 28.77 (41) |
43 | Arkansas-Fayetteville | 28.00 | 42.57 (98) |
44 | Houston | 28.44 | 32.27 (56) |
44 | Pepperdine | 28.44 | 28.18 (39) |
46 | Wisconsin | 28.93 | 35.58 (71) |
47 | Miami | 29.13 | 32.94 (58) |
48 | Wayne State | 29.33 | 27.41 (38) |
49 | Ohio State | 29.40 | 33.08 (59) |
50 | Marquette | 29.42 | 45.51 (111) |
February 18, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Trump's Hiring Freeze Leaves Thousands Of Law Students (And Some Law Schools' Employment Outcomes And Rankings) Out In The Cold
Following up on Friday's posts:
-
Department Of Justice Rescinds Job Offers To 3Ls Accepted Into Honors Program
- IRS Chief Counsel Rescinds Job Offers To 3Ls Accepted Into Honors Program
Reuters, Trump's Hiring Freeze Leaves Thousands of Law Students Out in the Cold:
A widespread federal government hiring freeze imposed by President Donald Trump last week has upended the job market for a wide swath of law students interested in government careers.
The U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies revoked permanent job offers to dozens of third-year law students hired through their prestigious and competitive honors programs in recent days and agencies have canceled summer internship programs, eliminating opportunities for hundreds more. Federal agencies have also pulled out of law student recruiting events and removed legal job postings from their websites.
The move has disrupted career plans for law students with permanent jobs lined up in federal agencies and those hoping to land summer internships to bolster their resume. More than 2,000 jobs and summer internships are canceled or on hold.
January 28, 2025 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Sunday, January 19, 2025
2025 Religious Law School Rankings
Most Devout Law Schools, preLaw (Winter 2025):
Acts of Service: We recognize 20 law schools that are living their missions through benevolent works. ...
Every two years, preLaw magazine spotlights the country’s most devout law schools. Schools are ranked all together, rather than being categorized by denomination. ... The schools are ranked by how much emphasis they place on religion in their curriculum, faculty and daily campus life.
While 46 of the nation’s 197 law schools have ties to various religious organizations, there are big differences among them when it comes to acting on their faith.
Methodology:
January 19, 2025 in Faith, Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Projected 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: The Biggest Winners And Losers
Derek Muller (Notre Dame; Google Scholar), Updated Projected 2025-2026 USNWR Law School Rankings (To Be Released March 2025 Or So):
The updated 509 data from the American Bar Association discloses a good deal of public information about law school admissions and law school faculty that is ultimately used in the USNWR law school rankings. We now have about 75% of the information that USNWR uses in its rankings and can do a pretty good job estimating it, subject to some methodological quirks that are hard to replicate and subject to the survey data that won’t be revealed until the spring (but that is notoriously sticky). It’s also possible USNWR modifies its methodology, of course. But I took the opportunity to update my projections from last spring now that we have even more data. ... [T]he new methodology means more compression and volatility, so proceed with caution!
Derek projects the Top 100 schools in next year's 2025-26 rankings. Here are the largest projected increases among those schools:
Rank | School | Projected 2025-26 Rank | Current 2024-25 Rank | Difference |
1 | Maine | 84 | 120 | +36 |
2 | Hawaii | 100 | 127 | +27 |
3 | Pittsburgh | 65 | 91 | +26 |
4 | Catholic | 73 | 94 | +21 |
5 | Florida State | 28 | 48 | +20 |
6 | Penn State-Dickinson | 60 | 75 | +15 |
7 | San Diego | 54 | 68 | +14 |
8 | Cincinnati | 65 | 78 | +13 |
8 | Tulane | 65 | 78 | +13 |
10 | Chapman | 96 | 108 | +12 |
10 | SUNY-Buffalo | 96 | 108 | +12 |
12 | LSU | 80 | 91 | +11 |
13 | Nebraska | 73 | 82 | +9 |
Here are the largest projected decreases among those schools:
Rank | School | Projected 2025-26 Rank | Current 2024-25 Rank | Difference |
1 | Lewis & Clark | 96 | 82 | -14 |
1 | Richmond | 80 | 66 | -14 |
3 | Florida Int'l | 80 | 68 | -12 |
3 | Illinois | 48 | 36 | -12 |
3 | Marquette | 80 | 68 | -12 |
3 | Oregon | 94 | 82 | -12 |
3 | Seton Hall | 73 | 61 | -12 |
8 | Utah | 38 | 28 | -10 |
8 | Wayne State | 65 | 55 | -10 |
10 | Arizona State | 45 | 36 | -9 |
10 | Fordham | 42 | 33 | -9 |
10 | Georgia State | 84 | 75 | -9 |
13 | Drake | 90 | 82 | -8 |
13 | Kansas | 54 | 46 | -8 |
13 | Loyola-Chicago | 86 | 78 | -8 |
13 | UC-San Francisco | 90 | 82 | -8 |
December 18, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
NY Times: Did Ben Sasse Resign As UF President Because Of U.S. News Rankings Decline Of University And Law School?
New York Times, A Star President’s Resignation Was a Mystery. Was It All About Rankings?:
Florida’s star president, Ben Sasse, was among the best paid university presidents ever. He promised a conservative overhaul, but then he resigned, leaving controversy and an embarrassing drop in the U.S. News rankings.
Ben Sasse, the Nebraska senator, arrived in Florida in February 2023 to help cement a conservative makeover of one of the nation’s top five public universities.
The University of Florida had lured the senator with an unusual $10 million, five-year contract, possibly the most lucrative ever for a public university president. Gov. Ron DeSantis applauded the selection of a fellow Republican, calling Dr. Sasse a “deep thinker on education policy.”
Then, in July, just 17 months into his contract at the Gainesville university, Dr. Sasse resigned, sparking a host of questions about what went wrong.
Dr. Sasse cited his wife’s deteriorating health as the reason for his departure. But observers of the university knew there were a number of other possible factors.
The former senator had never quite won over many professors or students. After he announced his resignation, there were revelations about questionable hiring practices and spending.
There were also signs that Dr. Sasse faced another problem that has haunted college leaders everywhere: the school’s U.S. News & World Report rankings.
November 19, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Projected 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings: 1-11
In May, I blogged Derek Muller's Projected 2025-26 U.S. News Law School Rankings for the Top 100 law schools. Last week, Mike Spivey published projected rankings for the Top 11 law schools. The table below shows the differences between the two models for the Top 11 schools:
Law |
2024-25 |
Muller Projected |
Spivey Projected |
Stanford |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Yale |
1 |
3 |
2 |
Chicago |
3 |
2 |
3 |
Duke |
4 |
7 |
7 |
Harvard |
4 |
5 |
4 |
Penn |
4 |
5 |
4 |
Virginia |
4 |
3 |
4 |
Columbia |
8 |
9 |
8 |
Michigan |
9 |
7 |
8 |
Northwestern |
9 |
9 |
8 |
NYU |
9 |
9 |
8 |
October 1, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
2025 U.S. News College Rankings
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 College Rankings. Here are the Top 25 National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges:
Rank | National Universities |
1 | Princeton |
2 | MIT |
3 | Harvard |
4 | Stanford |
5 | Yale |
6 | Cal-Tech |
6 | Duke |
6 | Johns Hopkins |
6 | Northwestern |
10 | Penn |
11 | Cornell |
11 | Chicago |
13 | Brown |
13 | Columbia |
15 | Dartmouth |
15 | UCLA |
17 | UC-Berkeley |
18 | Rice |
18 | Notre Dame |
18 | Vanderbilt |
21 | Carnegie Mellon |
21 | Michigan |
21 | Washington University |
24 | Emory |
24 | Georgetown |
24 | Virginia |
Prior Years' U.S. News National University Rankings:
2025 U.S. News Liberal Arts College Rankings:
September 25, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Friday, August 30, 2024
The Most-Cited Deans At The 64 Most-Cited Law Schools
Following up on last week's post, The 64 Most-Cited Law Faculties: here are the 22 deans among the 10-most cited faculty at the Top 64 law schools:
6. UC-Berkeley: Erwin Chemerinsky
9. Vanderbilt: Chris Guthrie
18. UC-Davis: Kevin Johnson
20. Texas: Robert Chesney
23. Minnesota: William McGeveran; St. Thomas-MN: Daniel Kelly; William & Mary: A. Benjamin Spencer
26. USC: Franita Tolson
27. Boston University: Angela Onwuachi-Willig
30. Utah: Elizabeth Kronk Warner
34. Florida State: Erin O'Hara O'Connor; Ohio State: Kent Barnett; San Diego: Robert Schapiro
38. University of Arizona: Marc Miller
43. Case Western: Paul Rose; UC-San Francisco: David Faigman
47. Georgia: Peter Rutledge; San Francisco: Johanna Kalb; Temple: Rachel Rebouché
56. Iowa: Kevin Washburn
60. Pittsburgh: Mary Crossley; SMU: Jason Nance
August 30, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed News, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, August 29, 2024
The Most-Cited Tax Faculty At The 64 Most-Cited Law Schools
Following up on last week's post, The 64 Most-Cited Law Faculties: here are the 13 Tax Profs among the 10-most cited faculty at the Top 64 law schools:
3. Harvard: Louis Kaplow
4. NYU: Daniel Hemel
14. Michigan: Reuven Avi-Yonah
18. UC-Davis: Darien Shanske
22. UC-Irvine: Victor Fleischer
23. Minnesota: Kristin Hickman
34. Cardozo: Edward Zelinsky; Florida State: Steve Johnson
42. BYU: Cliff Fleming
47. San Francisco: Joshua Rosenberg
56. Boston College: Diane Ring
60. Pittsburgh: Anthony Infanti; Santa Clara: Patricia Cain
August 29, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education, Tax, Tax Prof Rankings, Tax Rankings | Permalink
Friday, August 23, 2024
The 64 Most-Cited Law Faculties
Gregory C. Sisk (St. Thomas-MN; Google Scholar), Adam Bent (Florida), et al., Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2024: Updating the Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third:
This updated 2024 study explores the scholarly impact of law faculties, ranking the top third of ABA-accredited law schools. Refined by Brian Leiter, the “Scholarly Impact Ranking” for a law faculty is calculated from the mean and the median of total law journal citations over the past five years to the work of tenured faculty members. In addition to a school-by-school ranking, we report the mean, median, and weighted score, along with a list of the tenured law faculty members at each school with the ten highest individual citation counts.
The law faculty at Yale continues to hold the top ranked position in the 2024 Scholarly Impact Ranking, with the University of Chicago at second, Harvard at third, New York University at fourth, and Columbia at fifth. The University of California-Berkeley remains in the sixth position with Pennsylvania moving up one spot to seventh. Stanford is at eight, and Vanderbilt remains at nine. Virginia, which had climbed from sixteenth in 2018 to ninth in 2021, remains in the top 10. ...
Rank | School |
Most Cited Scholars (* indicates 70 or older in 2024) |
U.S. News Peer Rank | U.S. News Overall Rank |
1 | Yale | *Ackerman, Bruce A.; Amar, Akhil R.; Ayres, Ian; Balkin, Jack M.; *Eskridge, William, Jr.; Gluck, Abbe R.; Macey, Jonathan R.; *Post, Robert C.; *Resnik, Judith; Siegel, Reva B. | 3 | 1 |
2 | Chicago | Baude, William; BenShahar, Omri; Bradley, Curtis A.; Ginsburg, Tom; Huq, Aziz; *Nussbaum, Martha; Posner, Eric; *Stone, Geoffrey R.; Strahilevitz, Lior; *Strauss, David A. | 3 | 3 |
3 | Harvard | Bebchuk, Lucian A.; *Fallon, Richard H.; Goldsmith, Jack Landman; Kaplow, Louis; Klarman, Michael; Lessig, Lawrence; Manning, John F.; *Shavell, Steven M.; *Sunstein, Cass R.; Vermeule, Adrian | 1 | 4 |
4 | NYU | Barkow, Rachel E.; Choi, Stephen; *Epstein, Richard; Friedman, Barry; Hemel, Daniel; *Issacharoff, Samuel; Kahan, Marcel; *Miller, Arthur R.; *Miller, Geoffrey Parsons; Pildes, Richard H.; *Waldron, Jeremy |
3 | 9 |
5 | Columbia | *Coffee, John C., Jr.; Crenshaw, Kimberlé Williams; *Fagan, Jeffrey A.; *Gordon, Jeffrey N.; Greene, Jamal; Hamburger, Philip; *Merrill, Thomas W.; Metzger, Gillian E.; Pozen, David; Wu, Timothy | 3 | 8 |
6 | UC-Berkeley | Bridges, Khiara M.; *Chemerinsky, Erwin; *Farber, Daniel A; Haney Lopez, Ian F.; Kerr, Orin; Menell, Peter S.; Merges, Robert P.; *Samuelson, Pamela; Solomon, Steven Davidoff; Yoo, John Choon | 7 | 12 |
7 | Penn | Coglianese, Cary; Fisch, Jill E.; Hoffman, David; *Hovenkamp, Herbert; Mayson, Sandra G.; Parchomovsky, Gideon; Pollman, Elizabeth; Roberts, Dorothy E.; *Robinson, Paul H.; Skeel, David Arthur | 10 | 4 |
8 | Stanford | Engstrom, David Freeman; Karlan, Pamela S.; Lemley, Mark A.; McConnell, Michael W.; O’Connell, Anne Joseph; Ouellette, Lisa Larrimore; Persily, Nathaniel; *Polinsky, A. Mitchell; *Rabin, Robert L.; Sklansky, David Alan | 1 | 1 |
9 | Vanderbilt | Bressman, Lisa S.; Guthrie, Chris; King, Nancy J.; Rossi, Jim; *Rubin, Edward L.; Ruhl, J.B.; Sitaraman, Ganesh; *Slobogin, Christopher; Stack, Kevin; Thomas, Randall S. | 17 | 19 |
10 | Virginia | Cahn, Naomi R.; Citron, Danielle K.; Duffy, John F.; Gulati, G. Mitu; Nelson, Caleb E.; Prakash, Saikrishna; Re, Richard M.; *Schauer, Frederick; *Solum, Lawrence B.; *White, G. Edward | 8 | 4 |
11 | Duke | Adler, Matthew; Blocher, Joseph; *Cox, James D.; Garrett, Brandon; Lemos, Margaret H.; Purdy, Jedediah; Rai, Arti K.; *Schwarcz, Steven L.; Siegel, Neil S.; Young, Ernest A. | 10 | 4 |
11 | UCLA | Bainbridge, Stephen M.; Carbado, Devon Wayne; Crenshaw, Kimberle W.; Cummings, Scott L.; Eagly, Ingrid V.; Harris, Cheryl I.; Hasen, Richard L.; Kang, Jerry; Schwartz, Joanna; Winkler, Adam | 13 | 13 |
13 | Cornell | *Clermont, Kevin M.; Dorf, Michael C.; Grimmelmann, James; Heise, Michael; *Johnson, Sheri Lynn; Lahav, Alexandra D.; Omarova, Saule; Pasquale, Frank; Rachlinski, Jeffrey J.; Rahman, K. Sabeel; Tebbe, Nelson | 13 | 14 |
14 | Michigan | Avi-Yonah, Reuven S.; Bagley, Nicholas; Crane, Daniel; Fletcher, Matthew L.M.; Litman, Leah; *MacKinnon, Catharine A.; Mortenson, Julian Davis; Price, Nicholson; Primus, Richard; Schlanger, Margo; Walker, Christopher J. | 8 | 9 |
15 | Georgetown | *Barnett, Randy E.; Butler, Paul; Cohen, Julie E.; Cole, David D.; Goodwin, Michele; *Gostin, Lawrence O.; *Langevoort, Donald C.; Ohm, Paul; *Thompson, Robert B.; Vladeck, Stephen | 13 | 14 |
16 | Northwestern | *Black, Bernard; Calabresi, Steven G.; Clopton, Zachary; *Diamond, Shari; Koppelman, Andrew M.; McGinnis, John O. ; Pfander, James E.; *Redish, Martin H.; Schanzenbach, Max M.; Schwartz, David L.; Tuerkheimer, Deborah | 10 | 9 |
17 | George Washington | Abramowicz, Michael; Dodge, William; Franks, Mary Anne; *Glicksman, Robert L.; *Kovacic, William E.; Lee, Cynthia; Murphy, Sean D.; *Pierce, Richard J., Jr; Rosen, Jeffrey; Solove, Daniel J. | 27 | 41 |
18 | Emory | Ajunwa, Ifeoma; *Fineman, Martha Albertson; Hutchinson, Darren; Jacobi, Tonja; Nash, Jonathan; Quinn, Kevin M.; Roberts, Jessica L.; Sag, Matthew; Shepherd, Joanna M.; Smith, Fred, Jr.; Witte, John, Jr. | 19 | 42 |
18 | UC-Davis | Amar, Vikram D.; Bhagwat, Ashutosh; Chin, Gabriel (Jack); Horton, David; Joh, Elizabeth E.; Johnson, Kevin R.; Joslin, Courtney G.; Lee, Peter; Shanske, Darien; Ziegler, Mary | 24 | 55 |
20 | Fordham | *Brudney, James J.; Capers, Bennett; Davidson, Nestor M.; Green, Bruce A.; Griffith, Sean J.; Kent, Andrew; Leib, Ethan J.; Pearce, Russell G.; Pfaff, John F.; Squire, Richard; Teachout, Zephyr; Zipursky, Benjamin C. | 32 | 33 |
20 | Texas | Chesney, Robert M. (Bob); *Forbath, William E.; Golden, John M.; Grove, Tara; *Levinson, Sanford; *McGarity, Thomas O.; *Sager, Lawrence G.; Silver, Charles M.; Spence, David B.; Wagner, Wendy E. | 16 | 16 |
22 | UC-Irvine | Baradaran, Mehrsa; Barnes, Mario; Fleischer, Victor; Gold, Andrew; Jiménez, Dalié; Lee, Stephen; Leslie, Christopher; *MenkelMeadow, Carrie; Reese, R. Anthony; Richardson, L. Song; Waldman, Ari Ezra; Whytock, Christopher | 24 | 42 |
23 | Minnesota | Bodie, Matthew; *Carbone, June; Cotter, Thomas F.; Hickman, Kristin E.; Hill, Claire A.; McDonnell, Brett; McGeveran, William; Parisi, Francesco; Schwarcz, Daniel; Wurman, Ilan | 19 | 16 |
23 | St. Thomas-MN | Berg, Thomas C.; Grenardo, David; *Hamilton, Neil W.; Kaal, Wulf; Kelly, Daniel; Organ, Jerome M.; Osler, Mark; Paulsen, Michael S.; *Reid, Charles J., Jr.; Sisk, Gregory C. | 126 | 98 |
23 | William & Mary | Bellin, Jeffrey; Bruhl, Aaron; Criddle, Evan J.; Devins, Neal E.; Gershowitz, Adam; Hu, Margaret; Larsen, Allison Orr; Porter, Nicole Buonocore; Spencer, A. Benjamin; Zick, Timothy | 27 | 36 |
26 | USC | Barnett, Jonathan; Clarke, Jessica; Epstein, Lee; Gruber, Aya; Guzman, Andrew T.; Keating, Gregory; Klerman, Daniel M.; Rasmussen, Robert K.; Sokol, D. Daniel; Tolson, Franita | 19 | 20 |
27 | Boston University | Beermann, Jack M.; *Fleming, James E.; Hartzog, Woodrow; Hylton, Keith N.; McClain, Linda C.; Onwuachi-Willig, Angela; Shugerman, Jed; Van Loo, Rory; Webber, David H.; Meurer, Michael J. | 19 | 24 |
28 | Washington University | Boyd, Christina; Epps, Daniel; *Joy, Peter A.; Kim, Pauline T.; *Kuehn, Robert R.; *Levin, Benjamin; Levin, Ronald M.; Richards, Neil M.; *Seligman, Joel; Tamanaha, Brian Z. | 18 | 16 |
29 | Brooklyn | Araiza, William D.; Baer, Miriam H.; Bernstein, Anita; Godsoe, Cynthia; Janger, Edward J.; Kim, Catherine Y.; Ristroph, Alice; Roberts, Anna; *Schneider, Elizabeth M.; Simonson, Jocelyn | 74 | 114 |
30 | Florida | Bambauer, Derek; Bambauer, Jane; Lawson, Gary; Lidsky, Lyrissa Barnett; *LoPucki, Lynn M.; Maclin, Tracey; Noah, Lars; Rhee, Robert J.; Stinneford, John F.; *Wolf, Michael Allan | 32 | 28 |
30 | George Mason | Bernstein, David; Butler, Henry; Garoupa, Nuno; *Ginsburg, Douglas; Greve, Michael; Kleinfeld, Joshua; *Lund, Nelson; Mossoff, Adam; *Muris, Timothy; Somin, Ilya; Zywicki, Todd | 64 | 28 |
30 | North Carolina | Ardia, David; *Conley, John M.; Coyle, John F.; Gerhardt, Michael J.; *Hazen, Thomas L.; Hessick, Carissa Byrne; Hessick, F. Andrew; Jacoby, Melissa B.; Jain, Eisha; *Marshall, William P.; Su, Rick; Wilson, Erika | 24 | 20 |
30 | Utah | Anderson, Jonas; Anghie, Antony T.; Brown, Teneille Ruth; Cassell, Paul G.; Contreras, Jorge; *Francis, Leslie; Jones, RonNell Andersen; Peterson, Christopher L.; Tokson, Matthew; Warner, Elizabeth Kronk | 44 | 28 |
34 | Cardozo | Gilles, Myriam; Herz, Michael Eric; Levine, Kate; Markowitz, Peter; Reinert, Alexander A.; *Rosenfeld, Michel; Schneider, Andrea Kupfer; Sebok, Anthony; *Sterk, Stewart E.; *Zelinsky, Edward | 51 | 61 |
34 | Florida State | Bayern, Shawn J.; *Johnson, Steve R.; Landau, David E.; Logan, Wayne A.; Morley, Michael T.; O’Hara O’Connor, Erin A.; Ryan, Erin; *Seidenfeld, Mark B.; Slocum, Brian G.; Tsesis, Alexander | 47 | 48 |
34 | Ohio State | Akbar, Amna; Barnett, Kent; Berman, Douglas A.; Colker, Ruth; Foley, Edward B.; Garcia Hernández, César; Schmitz, Amy J.; Simmons, Ric L.; Strang, Lee; Yearby, Ruqaiijah A. | 27 | 26 |
34 | San Diego | *Alexander, Lawrence A.; Bell, Abraham; Dripps, Donald A.; Fox, Dov; *Hirsch, Adam; Lobel, Orly; McGowan, David; Ramsey, Michael D.; Rappaport, Michael B.; Schapiro, Robert; Sichelman, Ted; *Smith, Steven D. | 51 | 68 |
38 | Illinois | *Finkin, Matthew W.; Hurd, Heidi M.; Lawless, Robert M.; Mazzone, Jason; *Moore, Michael S.; Robbennolt, Jennifer K.; Sherkow, Jacob S.; Thomas, Suja A.; Wilson, Robin Fretwell | 38 | 36 |
38 | Notre Dame | Alford, Roger P.; Bellia, Anthony J., Jr.; Bray, Samuel; Garnett, Nicole S.; Garnett, Richard W.; Kozel, Randy; Miller, Paul; Muller, Derek T.; Pojanowski, Jeffrey; Tidmarsh, Jay | 19 | 20 |
38 | University of Arizona | Coan, Andrew; Engel, Kirsten H.; Miller, Marc L.; Orbach, Barak Y.; Puig, Sergio; Sepe, Simone M.; Tsosie, Rebecca; Williams, Robert A., Jr.; Woods, Andrew Keane; Woods, Jordan Blair | 38 | 55 |
41 | Colorado | Anaya, S. James; Carpenter, Kristen A.; Gulasekaram, Pratheepan; Kaminski, Margot; Krakoff, Sarah; Norton, Helen; Roithmayr, Daria; Schlag, Pierre; SkinnerThompson, Scott; Surden, Harry | 38 | 48 |
42 | BYU | Asay, Clark D.; Baradaran Baughman, Shima; *Fleming, J. Clifton, Jr.; Grow Sun, Lisa; Jennejohn, Matt; Jensen, Eric Talbot; Lee, Thomas R.; Plamondon, Stephanie Bair; Shobe, Jarrod; Smith, D. Gordon | 51 | 28 |
43 | Arizona State | Beydoun, Khaled; Bodansky, Daniel M.; Bublick, Ellen M.; Hodge, James G., Jr.; Luna, Erik; Marchant, Gary E.; Miller, Robert J.; *Saks, Michael J.; Selmi, Michael L.; *Weinstein, James | 32 | 36 |
43 | Case Western | Adler, Jonathan H.; Chaffee, Eric C.; Hill, B. Jessie; Hoffman, Sharona; Korsmo, Charles R.; Nard, Craig A.; Robertson, Cassandra Burke; Rose, Paul; Rosenblatt, Betsy; Scharf, Michael P. | 64 | 89 |
43 | Kansas | Bhala, Raj; Craig, Robin Kundis; Drahozal, Christopher R.; *Hoeflich, Michael H.; Jefferson-Jones, Jamila; Levy, Richard E.; Outka, Uma; Velte, Kyle; Ware, Stephen J.; Yung, Corey Rayburn | 64 | 46 |
43 | UC-San Francisco | Depoorter, Ben; Dodson, Scott; Faigman, David L.; Feldman, Robin; *Marcus, Richard; Ming H. Chen; Owen, Dave; Price, Zachary; Reiss, Dorit Rubinstein; Short, Jodi | 64 | 82 |
47 | Chicago-Kent | Baker, Katharine K.; Dinwoodie, Graeme B.; Heyman, Steven J.; Katz, Daniel; Kim, Nancy; Krent, Harold J.; Marder, Nancy S.; Reilly, Greg; Rosen, Mark D.; Schmidt, Christopher W. | 90 | 108 |
47 | Georgia | Bruner, Christopher M.; Burch, Elizabeth Chamblee; Cade, Jason A.; Chapman, Nathan S.; *Coenen, Dan T.; Foohey, Pamela; Levin, Hillel Y.; Rodrigues, Usha; Rutledge, Peter B.; *Wells, Michael L.; West, Sonja R. | 27 | 20 |
47 | San Francisco | Bazelon, Lara; Dibadj, Reza R.; Freiwald, Susan A.; Harris, Lindsay M.; *Hing, Bill Ong; Kalb, Johanna; Kaswan, Alice; Leo, Richard A.; Nice, Julie A.; *Rosenberg, Joshua D. | 138 | 165 |
47 | Temple | Burris, Scott C.; Dunoff, Jeffrey L.; Gugliuzza, Paul R.; Hollis, Duncan B.; Lin, Tom C.W.; Lipson, Jonathan; RamjiNogales, Jaya; Rebouche, Rachel; Spiro, Peter J.; Wells, Harwell | 51 | 54 |
47 | Washington & Lee | Drumbl, Mark A.; Fairfield, Joshua A.T.; Haan, Sarah; Hasbrouck, Brandon; Malveaux, Suzette; Miller, Russell A.; Seaman, Christopher B.; Smith, Catherine E.; Trammell, Alan; Woody, Karen | 38 | 33 |
August 23, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Ed Scholarship, Legal Education | Permalink
Monday, July 29, 2024
2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
I previously blogged the lists of the Top 5 law schools in fourteen categories in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Law Schools. In a series of posts, I will highlight the Top 50 schools in the five categories for which the Princeton Review provides individual law school data:
- Admissions Selectivity
- Academic Experience
- Professors: Teaching
- Professors: Accessibility
- Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
- Career Rating
Today, in my concluding post, I blog the Princeton Review's overall law school rankings, giving equal weight (20%) to each of the Admissions Selectivity, Academic Experience, Professors: Teaching, Professors: Accessibility, and Career Rating rankings:
July 29, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Friday, July 26, 2024
2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Career Rating
I previously blogged the lists of the Top 5 law schools in fourteen categories in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Law Schools. In a series of posts, I will highlight the Top 50 schools in the five categories for which the Princeton Review provides individual law school data:
- Admissions Selectivity
- Academic Experience
- Professors: Teaching
- Professors: Accessibility
- Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
- Career Rating
Career Rating: This rating measures the confidence students have in their school's ability to lead them to fruitful employment opportunities, as well as the school's own record of having done so. This rating takes into account both student survey responses and school-reported statistical data. We ask students about how much the law program encourages practical experience; the opportunities for externships, internships, and clerkships; and how prepared to practice law they expect to feel after graduating. We ask law schools for the median starting salaries of graduating students; the percentage employed in a job that requires bar passage (and not employed by the school); and the percentage of these students who pass the bar exam the first time they take it. This rating is on a scale of 60–99.
July 26, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Thursday, July 25, 2024
2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
Update: 2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
I previously blogged the lists of the Top 5 law schools in fourteen categories in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Law Schools. In a series of posts, I will highlight the Top 50 schools in the five categories for which the Princeton Review provides individual law school data:
- Admissions Selectivity
- Academic Experience
- Professors: Teaching
- Professors: Accessibility
- Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
- Career Rating
Here are the Top 50 law school professor rankings, giving equal weight (50%) to the Professors: Teaching and Professors: Accessibility rankings:
July 25, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
U.S. News Replaces Ordinal Ranking Of Medical Schools With Tiers Due To Boycott. Are Law Schools Next?
Chronicle of Higher Education, ‘U.S. News’ Medical-School Rankings Are Out — Except They’re Not Really Rankings:
U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Medical Schools” lists were published on Tuesday, and, for the first time, the schools don’t have ordinal ranks. Instead, they’re organized into four tiers. Within each tier, the schools are listed in alphabetical order.
Although some rankings critics have touted tiers as a better alternative to ordinal ranks, U.S. News analysts don’t appear to agree, necessarily. Instead, it seems as if “Best Medical Schools: Research” and “Best Medical Schools: Primary Care” are tiered this year because too many schools didn’t supply the magazine’s analysts with the data they needed to create rankings. ...
Twenty percent of last year’s top-100 medical schools for research and primary care didn’t return U.S. News’s statistical survey this year [27% of law schools did not submit data to U.S. News]. Schools that didn’t fill out the survey are listed as unranked. Among them are some of the country’s best-known doctor-training programs, such as Harvard University’s, the Johns Hopkins University’s, and the University of Pennsylvania’s. ...
July 24, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Professors (Accessibility)
Update: 2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
I previously blogged the lists of the Top 5 law schools in fourteen categories in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Law Schools. In a series of posts, I will highlight the Top 50 schools in the five categories for which the Princeton Review provides individual law school data:
- Admissions Selectivity
- Academic Experience
- Professors: Teaching
- Professors: Accessibility
- Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
- Career Rating
Professors: Accessible: This rating is based on how law students rate the accessibility of law faculty members at their school. The rating is on a scale of 60 to 99.
July 24, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Professors (Teaching)
Update: 2024 Princeton Review Law School Rankings: Overall Ranking
I previously blogged the lists of the Top 5 law schools in fourteen categories in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's Best Law Schools. In a series of posts, I will highlight the Top 50 schools in the five categories for which the Princeton Review provides individual law school data:
- Admissions Selectivity
- Academic Experience
- Professors: Teaching
- Professors: Accessibility
- Professors (Teaching And Accessibility)
- Career Rating
Professors: Interesting: This rating is based on how students rate the quality of teaching at their law school. This rating is on a scale of 60-99.
July 23, 2024 in Law School Rankings, Legal Ed Rankings, Legal Education | Permalink