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Top 2012 Law School Rankings

Published October 2006, last updated March 2012

Top Law Schools consolidates all of the 2012 law school rankings available, thereby giving you the necessary information to determine which law schools you should apply to. The variability in these rankings should illustrate that the 2012 law school rankings can act only as a guide, and that you should be the final evaluator of what law school is best for you.

After acceptance, we recommend that you personally visit each law school that you are seriously considering attending. Which law school you attend not only impacts where you will spend three enjoyable and educational years, but also where you will get a job and probably settle down.

Below the 2012 Law School Rankings is a short description of all of the law school ratings listed below. A* indicates that this school is tied with another law school for that position.

Please click on the links of several law schools, which are our exclusive, in-depth profiles of these schools.

Law School Rankings

2012 USN
Rank
(March, 2012)		 2011 USN
Rank		 2010 USN
Rank		 2009 USN
Rank		 Law School Gourman
Report		 Educational
Quality
Rankings		 2012 GPA
25th-75th
Percentile		 2012 LSAT
25th-75th
Percentile
1 1 1 1 Yale U (CT) 3 1 3.83-3.96 170-177
2 3 3 3 Stanford U (CA) 6 4 3.72-3.93 167-172
3 2 2 2 Harvard U (MA) 1 2* 3.78-3.97 171-176
4 4 4 4 Columbia U (NY) 7 5 3.6-3.82 170-175
5 5 5 6* U Chicago 4 2* 3.71-3.94 167-173
6 6 6 5 New York U 11 6 3.57-3.85 170-174
7* 9* 7* 6* UC Berkeley (Boalt) 5 7 3.62-3.88 164-169
7* 7* 7* 8 U Pennsylvania 9 11 3.58-3.93 166-171
7* 9* 10 10* U Virginia 16 10 3.49-3.94 165-171
10 7* 9 9 U Michigan-Ann Arbor 2 8 3.59-3.87 167-170
11 11 11* 10* Duke U (NC) 8 17 3.62-3.84 167-171
12 12 11* 10* Northwestern U (IL) 14 14* 3.35-3.85 165-171
13 14* 14 14 Georgetown U (DC) 17 12 3.44-3.8 167-171
14 13 13 13 Cornell U (NY) 10 14* 3.5-3.77 166-169
15 16* 15* 15* UCLA 13 14* 3.55-3.88 164-169
16* 14* 15* 15* U Texas-Austin 12 10* 3.56-3.8 165-170
16* 16* 17 17 Vanderbilt U (TN) 15 18 3.48-3.84 165-170
18 18* 18 18 U Southern California 27 12 3.54-3.77 165-167
19 20* 22* 20* U Minnesota-Twin Cities 19 21 3.41-3.9 157-167
20* 20* 20 28* George Washington U 32 22* 3.43-3.9 161-168
20* 30* 34* 30* U Washington     3.44-3.82 161-166
22 23* 22* 23* U Notre Dame (IN) 18 46* 3.45-3.74 162-167
23 18* 19 19 Washington U (MO)   29* 3.22-3.8 162-169
24* 30* 22* 20* Emory U (GA)   29* 3.4-3.79 159-166
24* 30* 34* 30* Washington & Lee U   32* 3.5-3.8 159-165
26* 40* 38* 55* Arizona State U   40* 3.43-3.77 160-165
26* 22 22* 20* Boston U   19* 3.5-3.78 163-167
26* 23* 27 23* Indiana U-Bloomington   40* 3.38-3.89 158-167
29* 27* 28* 26* Boston College   32* 3.5-3.77 162-166
29* 30* 34* 30* Fordham U (NY)   26* 3.36-3.71 163-167
29* 35* 38* 30* U Alabama     3.42-3.94 158-167
29* 23* 28* 35* UC Davis   32* 3.47-3.79 161-165
29* 27* 26 26* U Iowa   19* 3.51-3.81 158-164
34 35* 28* 35* U Georgia   31 3.3-3.76 162-166
35* 27* 28* 28* William and Mary (VA)   37* 3.46-3.82 161-167
35* 23* 21 23* U Illinois (UIUC)   22* 3.38-3.85 156-168
35* 35* 28* 35* U Wisconsin-Madison   22* 3.34-3.78 158-165
38 30* 28* 30* U North Carolina   32* 3.33-3.69 161-165
39* 42* 42* 41* Brigham Young U (UT)     3.51-3.87 160-167
39* 40* 42* 41* George Mason U (VA)   26* 3.24-3.78 157-165
39* 35* 34* 35* Ohio State U 8 32* 3.45-3.81 159-165
39* 42* 48* 43* U Maryland     3.31-3.75 156-163
43 42* 42* 43* U Arizona (Rogers)   40* 3.24-3.76 158-163
44* 42* 42* 39 UC (Hastings) 11 29* 3.38-3.73 157-165
44* 47* 38* 45* U Colorado-Boulder   40* 3.33-3.8 158-165
44* 39 38* 40 Wake Forest U (NC)     3.2-3.8 160-164
47 42* 42* 45* U Utah     3.41-3.72 157-163
48 47* 47 51 U Florida   46* 3.43-3.82 160-164
49* 50* 48* 45* American U (DC)   46* 3.22-3.59 159-163
49* 54* 52* 55* Pepperdine U (CA)     3.33-3.78 158-165
51* 56* 64* 65* Baylor U (TX)     3.37-3.88 159-163
51* 50* 54* 51 Florida State U     3.18-3.68 160-163
51* 54* 56* 71* Loyola (Los Angeles)     3.32-3.67 158-163
51* 50* 48* 49* Southern Methodist U     3.31-3.81 157-165
51* 47* 48* 45* Tulane U (LA)   40* 3.31-3.68 158-163
56 50* 52* 49* Yeshiva U (Cardozo)   28 3.4-3.73 158-165
57 56* 60* 59* U Houston     3.16-3.6 157-163
58* 61* 60* 65* Georgia State U     3.21-3.75 159-162
58* 67* 64* 61* Lewis and Clark (OR)     3.2-3.68 157-163
58* 61* 72* 65* Temple U (PA)     3.16-3.56 158-163
58* 67* 86* 77* U Richmond (VA)     3.13-3.66 158-164
62* 61* 80* 77* IIT (Chicago-Kent)   37* 3.09-3.66 155-162
62* 56* 54* 52* U Connecticut     3.21-3.64 157-163
62* 71* 64* 55* U Kentucky     3.32-3.8 155-161
65* 67* 67* 61* Brooklyn Law School   46* 3.19-3.54 160-165
65* 67* 56* 61* U San Diego   22* 3.24-3.59 158-162
67* 61* 56* 55* Case Western Reserve     3.22-3.67 153-160
67* 71* 78* 87* Loyola U Chicago     3.13-3.57 156-162
69* 61* 72* 77* Seton Hall U (NJ)     3.22-3.66 155-161
69* 61* 56* 52* U Cincinnati     3.36-3.8 155-162
69* 77* 80* 77* U Denver (Sturm)     3.17-3.64 155-161
69* 77* 60* 71* U Miami (FL)     3.19-3.57 156-160
69* 79* 67* 77* U New Mexico     3.05-3.69 152-161
69* 71* 67* 71* U Pittsburgh     3.14-3.66 157-161
69* 56* 60* 59* U Tennessee-Knoxville     3.24-3.75 156-162
76* 71* 86* 94* Northeastern U (MA)     3.24-3.64 154-163
76* 60 72* 65* Pennsylvania State U     3.31-3.77 156-161
76* 71* 78* 75* U Nevada-Las Vegas     3.12-3.64 157-161
79* 84* 80* 75* Louisiana State U     3.1-3.66 155-160
79* 95* 72* 87* St. John's U (NY)     3.18-3.69 154-162
79* >100 93* 65* U Missouri-Columbia     3.18-3.7 156-161
82* 79* 98* 94* Catholic U (DC)     3.28-3.45 151-160
82* 95* >100 >100 Michigan State     3.22-3.74 152-160
82* 84* 80* 87* Rutgers-Newark (NJ)     3.06-3.59 155-160
82* 84* 86* 77* Seattle U     3.1-3.52 154-159
82* 84* >100 85* U at Buffalo-SUNY     3.36-3.7 154-158
82* 71* 72* 71* U Oklahoma     3.23-3.75 155-161
82* 79* 80* 77* U Oregon     3.17-3.6 157-160
89* 84* 98* 87* DePaul U (IL)     3.13-3.58 154-160
89* 84* 86* 100* Hofstra University     2.95-3.56 155-160
89* 79* 86* 87* Indiana U-Indianapolis     3.09-3.68 151-159
89* 84* 86* 94* U of Arkansas-Fayetteville     3.19-3.71 153-158
89* 79* 67* 65* U Kansas     3.15-3.74 154-159
89* 100* >100 98* U Louisville (KY)     3.2-3.68 152-158
89* 84* 93* >100 U Nebraska-Lincoln     3.33-3.79 153-159
96* 95* >100 87* Marquette U (WI)     3.03-3.55 154-159
96* 84* 93* 85* Santa Clara U (CA)     3.02-3.47 157-161
96* 100* 86* >100 Syracuse University     3.1-3.56 153-157
99* 84* 80* 77* Rutgers-Camden (NJ)     3-3.62 156-161
99* >100 >100 >100 University of Tulsa (OK)     3.06-3.58 152-157
>100 >100 >100 94* St. Louis U     3.06-3.58 151-158
>100 84* 67* 61* Villanova U (PA)     3.36-3.69 157-161
>100 95* 72* >100 U Hawaii     3.11-3.55 153-160
>100 95* 93* >100 West Virginia University     3.15-3.7 152-157
>100 100* 98* 98* U of San Francisco     3.08-3.57 155-159
>100 100* 98* >100 University of the Pacific     3.09-3.57 155-160
>100 >100 93* >100 Chapman University (CA)     3.31-3.71 154-160
>100 >100 98* >100 William Mitchell College of Law (MN)     3.16-3.62 150-159
>100 >100 >100 87* U South Carolina     3.08-3.63 155-160
>100 >100 >100 100* Gonzaga University     3.15-3.51 153-157
>100 >100 >100 100* University of Maine     3.16-3.57 153-158

You may also be interested in third tier and fourth tier law schools.

Note: UC Irvine School of Law was opened in 2009 and is currently not ranked by US News.

For another excellent source on law school rankings, visit the Prelaw Handbook which lists the most prestigious law schools and also includes law school rankings on selectivity and other factors.

US News law school rankings - the most well known and controversial of all national law school rankings, this report has defined what are perceived as the top law schools.

Gourman Report - the originator of law school ratings, the Gourman Report is an established academic report that measures the academic quality of graduate and undergraduate schools. Dr. Gourman is a professor at California State University - Northridge. Unfortunately, the latest Gourman Report rankings came out in 1997.

Educational Quality Rankings ("EQR") - are published by Brian Leiter, a professor at the University of Texas law school. These recently updated law school rankings focus "exclusively on the three factors central to a good legal education: the quality of the faculty, the quality of the student body, and the quality of teaching."

A * indicates that this school is tied with another law school for that position. Links are to the in-depth profiles we have written on several top law schools.

With law school admissions becoming increasingly competitive, be prepared and spend time on every aspect of your law school application. The best book I have found for increasing your chances of admission is How to Get Into the Great Law Schools. We also recommend several other excellent books for law school applicants.

A final note of caution on the 2012 law school rankings - what is the best law school is a personal choice and should not be solely determined by national law school ratings but instead by what school best suits all of your desires. For example, because I wanted to live and practice law in California, I choose to attend the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) over other top law schools that were ranked higher.

The best advice, personally visit the law schools you are seriously thinking of attending after you have been accepted. Put time and thought in to what is one of the most important decisions of your life.




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