Law Schools

The 2022 U.S. News Law School Rankings Are Here

Check out some of the largest rankings tumbles and gains. Yikes!

By  
on

Now we’ll discuss the bottom third of the ranked schools before examining the schools whose ranks weren’t published this year.

In this segment of the rankings, among too many ties to even name, we see the biggest double-digit gains by far, as well as the most tremendous losses. We imagine that the annual running of the deans will begin shortly after the official U.S. News rankings are published. Deans of a few of the schools listed below may soon be vying for their jobs.

(102) The Catholic University of America (+9)
(102) Drake University (+3)
(102) University of New Mexico (-3)
(102) CUNY (+5)
(102) Syracuse University (+9)
(102) Texas Tech University (+9)
(102) Marquette University (0)
(109) Washburn University (-2)
(109) Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge (-13)
(111) Stetson University (-6)
(111) DePaul University (+7)
(111) Indiana University–Indianapolis (+11)
(111) University of Missouri–Kansas City (+22)
(111) University of Tulsa (0)
(116) Albany Law School (+2)
(116) Cleveland State University (-14)
(116) West Virginia University (-5)
(119) Hofstra University (-17)
(119) New York Law School (+10)
(119) University of Dayton (+22)
(119) Duquesne University (+10)
(119) University of Wyoming (+14)
(124) Mercer University (+2)
(124) University of Maine (-2)
(126) Santa Clara University (-19)
(126) Seattle University (+3)
(126) University of St. Thomas (-8)
(129) Quinnipiac University (-7)
(129) University of Baltimore (-3)
(129) Suffolk University (+7)
(129) University of Toledo (+7)
(129) Gonzaga University (-11)
(134) University of Montana (-12)
(134) University of Akron (+7)
(134) University of South Dakota (+7)
(134) Chapman University (-23)
(134) Belmont University (-5)
(139) University of Idaho (-3)
(139) Pace University (Haub) (-3)
(141) University of Arkansas–Little Rock (+7)
(141) University of the Pacific McGeorge (+8)
(141) Creighton University (-8)
(144) Samford University (+6)
(144) Loyola University New Orleans (-18)
(144) University of Memphis (-3)

Congratulations to NYLS (+10), Duquesne (+10), Indiana (+11), Wyoming (+14), Missouri (+22), and Dayton (+22) on their huge gains in this year’s edition of the U.S. News law school rankings. Moving on to things that aren’t so nice, we’ve got Gonzaga (-11), Montana (-12), Louisiana State (-13), Cleveland State (-14), Hofstra (-17), Loyola New Orleans (-18), Santa Clara (-19), and Chapman (-23). These deans are going to have a rough go of it in the morning.

All of that excitement brings us to the realm of the “Rank Not Published” (RNP).

(147-193) Ohio Northern University (N/A)
(147-193) Regent University (N/A)
(147-193) Mitchell Hamline School of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Willamette University College of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Vermont Law School (N/A)
(147-193) University of Illinois–Chicago (John Marshall) (N/A)
(147-193) Northern Illinois University (N/A)
(147-193) Campbell University (N/A)
(147-193) Southwestern Law School (N/A)
(147-193) South Texas College of Law Houston (N/A)
(147-193) University of Detroit Mercy (N/A)
(147-193) St. Mary’s University (N/A)
(147-193) Liberty University (N/A)
(147-193) Elon University (N/A)
(147-193) Northern Kentucky University (N/A)
(147-193) Widener University–Pennsylvania (N/A)
(147-193) University of North Dakota (N/A)
(147-193) University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth (N/A)
(147-193) University of San Francisco (N/A)
(147-193) Nova Southeastern University (N/A)
(147-193) Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (N/A)
(147-193) New England Law Boston (N/A)
(147-193) Touro College (N/A)
(147-193) Capital University (N/A)
(147-193) Florida A&M University (N/A)
(147-193) Widener University–Delaware (N/A)
(147-193) Oklahoma City University (N/A)
(147-193) St. Thomas University (N/A)
(147-193) University of the District of Columbia (N/A)
(147-193) Roger Williams University (N/A)
(147-193) California Western School of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Faulkner University (N/A)
(147-193) Southern University Law Center (N/A)
(147-193) Western New England University (N/A)
(147-193) Mississippi College (N/A)
(147-193) North Carolina Central University (N/A)
(147-193) Texas Southern University (N/A)
(147-193) Ave Maria School of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Florida Coastal School of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Lincoln Memorial University (N/A)
(147-193) Western State College of Law at Westcliff University (N/A)
(147-193) Charleston School of Law (N/A)
(147-193) Golden Gate University (N/A)
(147-193) Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (N/A)
(147-193) Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School (N/A)
(147-193) Barry University (N/A)
(147-193) Appalachian School of Law (N/A)

So what can be said about these law schools? Should you bother attending one?

Sponsored

Getting a degree from an RNP law school might not be as prestigious as getting one from a higher-ranked school, but to burst the elitist bubble: not everyone cares about prestige. Some of the people applying to and attending these schools just want to be lawyers, and others just want to stay close to home. Some of these schools do very well in regional job markets, and while Biglaw may not be an option for everyone, the rest are content to join small firms or do public service work. But here’s the rub when it comes to the these RNP law schools… law school hasn’t been a golden ticket for quite some time, especially if you’re a graduate of a lower-ranked school. Law school is still a huge economic gamble for these people.

Once again, it’s time to ask a very relevant question: How are prospective law students supposed to differentiate between law schools when there are so many ties present within the rankings? In the 2022 rankings, there are more than 25 ties in the Top 100 alone. This is not only unhelpful, but it actually does a disservice for pre-law students.

Should you really be considering attending any of these law schools? The jury is still out. Because of all of the ties in this year’s rankings, there’s no real way to see concrete differences between them aside from their numerical rank without digging deeper through outside sources, so it makes it that much harder for prospective law school applicants who may be relying on U.S. News to help them decide.

So what do you think of the rankings? Feel free to sound off by email, by text message (646-820-8477), or by tweet (@ATLblog). If you don’t like what you see, you may want to check out the upcoming 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 ever-increasing law school debt. Please stay tuned for the next time we release our Top 50 rankings.

2022 Best Law Schools [U.S. News & World Report]
2022 vs. 2021 USNWR Law School Rankings (+/-) [Spivey Consulting]

Sponsored

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

« Previous 1 2 3

Topics

, , ,