Law Schools, Rankings, U.S. News

Open Thread: 2016 U.S. News Law School Rankings (31 - 50)

Which law school in this section took a gigantic nosedive in the rankings?

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Welcome back to our series of open threads on the latest batch of U.S. News law school rankings. Last time, readers weighed in on the schools that filled out the middle of the traditional first tier (ahh, the good old days when there were more than two). There were some rather significant moves worth noting in that group, like those of William & Mary and UC-Irvine. Also worth noting are the schools that disappeared from that list, and now we’ll get to talk about them.

This time around, we’ll be taking a look at the law schools at the bottom of the top 50, the schools that some would argue belong in the traditional second tier (no, not the dreaded “rank not published” or “RNP” tier). See how confusing you’ve made this, U.S. News?

These schools might not be at the top, but some charge like they’re the cream of the crop.

Here are the schools ranked #31 through #50, per U.S. News & World Report. We’ve noted the difference between last year’s ranking and this year’s ranking parenthetically:

31. UC-Davis (+5; four-way tie at #36 last year)
31. Georgia (-2; tied at #29 last year)
31. Wisconsin (no change)
34. BC (+2; four-way tie at #36 last year)
34. BYU (+2; four-way tie at #36 last year)
34. Fordham (+2; four-way tie at #36 last year)
34. IU-Bloomington (-5; tied at #29 last year)
34. Ohio State (-3; five-way tie at #31 last year)
34. UNC (-3; five-way tie at #31 last year)
40. Colorado (+3; tied at #43 last year)
41. Illinois (-1; tied at #40 last year)
42. George Mason (+4; three-way tie at #46 last year)
42. Arizona (-2; tied at #40 last year)
42. Utah (+7; tied at #49 last year)
42. Washington & Lee (+1; tied at #43 last year)
46. SMU (-4; ranked #42 last year)
47. Florida (+2; tied at #49 last year)
47. Maryland (-1; three-way tie at #46 last year)
47. Wake Forest (-16; five-way tie at #31 last year)
50. Florida State (-5; ranked #45 last year)
50. Tulane (-4; three-way tie at #46 last year)

Just like last year, and almost every year before that, this is the place to come for rankings gangbangs. In this segment of the rankings alone, we’ve got a tie, two three-ways, a four-way, and a six-way. And just like last year, more than half of these schools dropped in rank, with the most notable being Wake Forest (down 16 spots), IU-Bloomington (down 5 spots), Florida State (down 5 spots), SMU (down 4 spots), and Tulane (down 4 spots).

Wake Forest, Florida State, and Tulane, you better shape up or be prepared to ship out of the Top 50 law schools — especially you, Wake Forest. With a loss of 16 spots, this law school was the only one within the Top 50 to take a complete nosedive this year.

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What happened here? Could it be because the school is now accepting more than half of all those who apply? Wake Forest accepted 53 percent of its applicants for the class entering in Fall 2014. Could it be that the school’s LSAT profile also took a relative nosedive? Wake Forest’s 25th/50th/75th LSAT percentiles went from 160/163/164 in Fall 2010 to 157/161/163 in Fall 2014. According to the WSJ Law Blog, Wake Forest’s interim dean was “disappointed” with how the school performed in this year’s rankings, but noted that a “student of [the U.S. News] rankings knows that they are a reflection of the current topsy-turvy world of legal education.” Don’t worry, dean, we’re sure an infusion of cash from the soon-to-be newly named Low Standards Hall of Fame will make you feel much better about Wake Forest’s situation.

On a happier note, check out UC-Davis. The school again made positive progress in the U.S. News rankings, and now it’s that much closer to being a Top 30 law school. Watch out, UC-Irvine, because unlike you, UC-Davis is thirsty for that No. 30 ranking.

Should you be considering attending any of these law schools? Because of all of the ties in this year’s rankings, there’s no real way to differentiate between them, so it makes it that much harder for prospective law school applicants who may be relying on U.S. News to help them in their decision-making. Here’s a hint: check out the Above the Law Top 50 Law School Rankings. We care about the most important thing you’ll care about when you graduate — and that’s whether you’ll be able to land a job that pays enough to allow you to service your law school debt.

Earlier: Open Thread: 2016 U.S. News Law School Rankings (15 – 30)
Open Thread: 2016 U.S. News Law School Rankings (1 – 14)
The 2016 U.S. News Law School Rankings Are Here!

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