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In a recent preview of U.S. News & World Report’s top law school rankings, Yale Law School and Stanford Law School are tied for first place. This is a significant shift from last year when Yale Law was ranked number one and Stanford Law was number two. Many other law schools have also shifted positions in this year’s preview rankings. However, the rankings are only considered final once published on April 18.
Georgetown University Law Center, ranked number 14 last year, did not make this year’s top 14 preview list. Meanwhile, the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, ranked number 15 last year, made it to the top 14.
This year’s rankings rely on data that accredited law schools must disclose to the American Bar Association. This change aims to provide students with a “level playing field” after several law schools refused to supply additional data to U.S. News & World Report and boycotted the rankings.
The University of Chicago Law School and Cornell Law School are the only law schools in the top 14 that continue to participate in the rankings.
It remains to be seen whether these concerns will lead to further changes to the rankings in future years. For now, the top 14 law schools in the preview of U.S. News & World Report’s new rankings are as follows:
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- Yale University and Stanford University (tied)
- The University of Chicago
- Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania (tied)
- Duke University and New York University (tied)
- Columbia University and the University of Virginia (tied)
- Northwestern University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (tied)
- Cornell University
- The University of California at Los Angeles
U.S. News & World Report’s new methodology for ranking law schools includes several changes. There is a significant increase in the weight given to bar passage rates. The “ultimate bar passage” rate, which measures bar passage success of a graduating class over two years, will also be considered. Additionally, there is a significant increase in the weight given to employment rates ten months after graduation.
Full credit will be given for full-time, long-term fellowships for which bar passage is required or a J.D. is an advantage. School-funded fellowships will also be included. Maximum credit in employment outcomes will be given to those enrolled in graduate studies.
There will be a significant reduction in the weights given to reputation surveys. Peer assessment and industry assessment surveys will be given equal weight. Additionally, there will be a reduction in the weight given to median LSAT, GRE, and GPA scores.
Several law schools have expressed concerns about the metrics used in the rankings. Some law schools believe that U.S. News & World Report relies too much on reputation rankings provided by lawyers, judges, and professors without detailed knowledge about the schools. Additionally, some law schools believe that the metrics disincentivize support for public-interest careers. The weight given to median LSAT, GRE, and GPA scores also pressures law schools to use financial aid to recruit high-scoring students rather than those with the highest need.
In summary, the top law school rankings for 2023 have seen significant changes in the preview rankings. Yale Law School and Stanford Law School are tied for first place, and there have been several other shifts in positions among the top 14 law schools. The new rankings rely on data that accredited law schools must disclose to the American Bar Association. The methodology has been updated to include changes in the weight given to various metrics. However, some law schools have expressed concerns about the metrics used in the rankings. The final rankings will be published on April 18.
