On Thursday, U.S. News & World Report unveiled its latest law school rankings, which concluded a tumultuous period marked by unprecedented controversy. Roughly one-third of law schools boycotted the annual list, and the orders were delayed by more than three weeks due to data issues. The updated rankings reflect significant changes in elite law schools and those further down the list. The changes were primarily due to overhauling the publication's methodology, prioritizing employment outcomes and bar passage rates while reducing the importance of Law School Admission Test scores and undergraduate grade-point averages. U.S. News implemented these changes in response to criticism that its rankings methodology negatively impacted student diversity and affordability. Notably, this year's rankings differ slightly from a preview of the top 14 law schools that U.S. News released on April 11 but later removed from its website amid questions from schools, leading to the postponement of the law and medical school rankings release.
In the latest law school rankings, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School maintained its No. 4 spot from the preview, marking a two-spot increase from last year's ranking. Duke Law School and New York University School of Law are tied at No. 5, up from No. 6 in the preview. Duke's five-spot gain was the largest among the top 14 schools, moving up from No. 11 on last year's list. The University of California at Los Angeles School of Law retained its No. 14 spot, pushing Georgetown University Law Center to No. 15 and out of the T-14. The most significant changes occurred among non-elite schools, with 62 schools experiencing double-digit rank changes, compared to 27 schools the previous year. Additionally, 27 schools had their ranks change by 20 spots or more this year, up from four schools last year. Duquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, saw the most significant increase, jumping 40 to No. 89, followed by Florida International University College of Law, which rose 38 to No. 60.
