Law Schools

The 2023 U.S. News Law School Rankings Are Here

A big change in the T14 and some of the largest rankings tumbles and gains.

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.

103. Syracuse University (-1)
103. University of Montana (+31)
105. DePaul University (+6)
105. Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge (+4)
105. Marquette University (-3)
105. Texas Tech University (-3)
105. University of New Hampshire (-17)
105. Washburn University (+4)
111. Drake University (-9)
111. Stetson University (0)
111. University of Mississippi (-13)
114. University of Maine (+10)
114. University of Missouri–Kansas City (-3)
116. Gonzaga University (+13)
116. Seattle University (+10)
118. Chapman University (+16)
118. Hofstra University (+1)
118. University of Tulsa (-7)
118. West Virginia University (-2)
122. Albany Law School (-6)
122. Mercer University (+2)
122. Suffolk University (+7)
122. University of Baltimore (+7)
122. University of Dayton (-3)
127. Cleveland State University (Cleveland-Marshall) (-11)
127. University of St. Thomas (-1)
129. Duquesne University (-10)
129. New York Law School (-10)
129. University of Wyoming (-10)
129. Willamette University College of Law (+) (ranked 147-193 last year)
133. Belmont University (+1)
133. CUNY (-21)
133. Loyola University New Orleans (+11)
133. Santa Clara University (-7)
133. University of South Dakota (+1)
133. University of the Pacific (McGeorge) (+8)
139. Creighton University (+2)
139. Samford University (+5)
139. University of Detroit Mercy (+) (ranked 147-193 last year)
142. Pace University (-3)
142. Regent University (+) (ranked 147-193 last year)
142. University of Idaho (-3)
142. University of Memphis (+2)
142. Vermont Law School (+) (ranked 147-193 last year)

Congratulations to Maine (+10), Seattle (+10), Loyola New Orleans (+11), Gonzaga (+13), Chapman (+16), and Montana (+31) 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 NYLS (-10), Wyoming (-10), Duquesne (-10), Cleveland State (-11), Mississippi (-13), New Hampshire (-17), and CUNY (-21; tied for the worst drop with Oklahoma). 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).

147-192. Appalachian School of Law (0)
147-192. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (0)
147-192. Ave Maria School of Law (0)
147-192. Barry University (0)
147-192. California Western School of Law (0)
147-192. Campbell University (0)
147-192. Capital University (0)
147-192. Charleston School of Law (0)
147-192. Elon University (0)
147-192. Faulkner University (0)
147-192. Florida A&M University (0)
147-192. Golden Gate University (0)
147-192. Liberty University (0)
147-192. Lincoln Memorial University (0)
147-192. Mississippi College (0)
147-192. Mitchell Hamline School of Law (0)
147-192. New England Law Boston (0)
147-192. North Carolina Central University (0)
147-192. Northern Illinois University (0)
147-192. Northern Kentucky University (0)
147-192. Nova Southeastern University (0)
147-192. Ohio Northern University (0)
147-192. Oklahoma City University (0)
147-192. Quinnipiac University
147-192. Roger Williams University (0)
147-192. South Texas College of Law Houston (-) (129 last year)
147-192. Southern Illinois University–Carbondale (0)
147-192. Southern University Law Center (0)
147-192. Southwestern Law School (0)
147-192. St. Mary’s University (0)
147-192. St. Thomas University (0)
147-192. Texas Southern University (0)
147-192. Touro College (0)
147-192. University of Akron (-) (134 last year)
147-192. University of Arkansas–Little Rock (-) (141 last year)
147-192. University of Illinois–Chicago (0)
147-192. University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth (0)
147-192. University of North Dakota (0)
147-192. University of San Francisco (0)
147-192. University of the District of Columbia (0)
147-192. University of Toledo (-) (129 last year)
147-192. Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School (0)
147-192. Western New England University (0)
147-192. Western State College of Law at Westcliff University (0)
147-192. Widener University–Delaware (0)
147-192. Widener University–Pennsylvania (0)

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 2023 rankings, there are 25 ties in the Top 100 alone. This is not only unhelpful, but it actually does a disservice for pre-law students.

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!

2023 Best Law Schools [U.S. News & World Report]
2023 USNWR Law School Rankings: This Year vs. Last Year (+/-) [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

, , ,