U.S. News & World Report published its 2023-2024 Best Law Schools ranking, after months of boycotts from almost a third of law schools and its three-week delay due to data issues.
Along with the release of the rankings, U.S. News also posted a letter addressed to aspiring law students, written by Erin Gertler, the CEO.
Gertler explains that the purpose of these rankings is to provide students with information to make informed decisions about their law school education. The letter mentions that despite some law schools not participating in the survey, the rankings are still being published because students have relied on them for over 30 years.
The editorial team engaged in conversations with more than 110 law school deans to gather feedback, which indicated the importance of measuring law school outcomes. Following complaints that its rankings methodology hurt student diversity and affordability, U.S. News made those adjustments.
As a result, the rankings now place increased emphasis on employment outcomes after graduation and introduce a new metric called “Ultimate Bar Passage,” which measures bar exam success over a two-year period. According to a press release from U.S. News & World Report, approximately 60% of the rankings methodology focused on evaluating law schools based on their graduates’ successful job placements and bar passage rates. Further details about the changes can be found on a dedicated methodology page.
This change in methodology resulted in minimal movement within the top 10 ranked schools. However, the publication reports that 14 schools outside the top group experienced significant improvements in their positions.
Gertker acknowledges that changes in methodology and weightings can impact a law school’s ranking, but the intention is to provide objective data for informed comparisons among different law schools. He said that the rankings are meant to be one of several resources that students rely on when making decisions about their education.
“Our mission, as always, is to help students like you make informed decisions about your education,” Gertler said in the letter. “With four decades of experience, U.S. News is committed to providing reliable and trustworthy information to help you achieve your goals. As we look ahead to the future, we remain steadfast in our commitment to this mission, and we plan to continue to do so for many decades to come.”
