2018 Best Law Schools
This list of the best law schools in the country is ranked according to evaluations by students and alumni. Yale leads the list with a 100% student recommendation rating and a student score of 91.83. Yale is on the higher end of tuition rates at $38,700 annually but there are some other inexpensive colleges to choose from, such as University of Colorado - Boulder which costs $12,320 for in-state tuition and North Carolina Central University which charges only $6,627 for their in-state tuition.
One student wrote about second-ranked University of Alabama's program, "My graduate program at The University of Alabama is one I'm proud to be associated with. The faculty and staff are some of the warmest and most helpful people I've ever met. At UA, you are not simply a student or a number--you are the reason they are there." Similarly, regarding the University of Florida program, a student said, “The pros include a fantastic knowledgeable, helpful faculty, a variety of specialty certificate programs for students interested in a particular area of law, and great hands-on experience." Check out the list below and click on the schools to read more student reviews.
| Rank | College | Campus Location | 2018 Student Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Yale University | Campus Location New Haven (CT) | 2018 Student Score 91.83 | |
| #2 University of Alabama | Campus Location Tuscaloosa (AL) | 2018 Student Score 90.00 | |
| #3 University of California - Berkeley | Campus Location Berkeley (CA) | 2018 Student Score 89.88 | |
| #4 (tie) University of Arkansas | Campus Location Fayetteville (AR) | 2018 Student Score 89.67 | |
| #4 (tie) University of St. Thomas | Campus Location Saint Paul (MN) | 2018 Student Score 89.67 | |
| #6 Case Western Reserve University | Campus Location Cleveland (OH) | 2018 Student Score 89.25 | |
| #7 University of Florida | Campus Location Gainesville (FL) | 2018 Student Score 89.07 | |
| #8 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | Campus Location Norman (OK) | 2018 Student Score 89.00 | |
| #9 Washington University in St. Louis | Campus Location Saint Louis (MO) | 2018 Student Score 88.81 | |
| #10 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Campus Location Ann Arbor (MI) | 2018 Student Score 88.65 | |
| #11 University of Memphis | Campus Location Memphis (TN) | 2018 Student Score 88.21 | |
| #12 Stanford University | Campus Location Stanford (CA) | 2018 Student Score 88.13 | |
| #13 Rutgers University-Newark | Campus Location Newark (NJ) | 2018 Student Score 87.35 | |
| #14 (tie) Texas Tech University | Campus Location Lubbock (TX) | 2018 Student Score 87.22 | |
| #14 (tie) University of Colorado Boulder | Campus Location Boulder (CO) | 2018 Student Score 87.22 | |
| #16 University of Virginia - Main Campus | Campus Location Charlottesville (VA) | 2018 Student Score 86.78 | |
| #17 Duke University | Campus Location Durham (NC) | 2018 Student Score 86.60 | |
| #18 Loyola University Chicago | Campus Location Chicago (IL) | 2018 Student Score 86.18 | |
| #19 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Campus Location Minneapolis (MN) | 2018 Student Score 86.09 | |
| #20 Northwestern University | Campus Location Evanston (IL) | 2018 Student Score 85.79 | |
| #21 University of Chicago | Campus Location Chicago (IL) | 2018 Student Score 85.57 | |
| #22 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Campus Location Chapel Hill (NC) | 2018 Student Score 85.33 | |
| #23 Harvard University | Campus Location Cambridge (MA) | 2018 Student Score 85.18 | |
| #24 North Carolina Central University | Campus Location Durham (NC) | 2018 Student Score 84.85 | |
| #25 Arizona State University | Campus Location Tempe (and 4 others) | 2018 Student Score 84.72 |
Methodology
Our goal in presenting this school data is to create a standardized and trustworthy method to assess institutions based on reliable statistics. In order for a school to be eligible to be featured on a 2018 Top Programs List, at least five students from that particular degree program must have submitted feedback on their institution. Graduate Programs only considers regionally or nationally accredited, non-profit institutions for our rankings. Aggregated student rating values were multiplied by 20 to create a Student Score out of 100; in the event of a tie, schools were awarded the same rank value.
Together with our internal recommend rate data, which is calculated based on tens of thousands of student reviews submitted to our site, the data used in the school listings were gathered in 2016-2017 from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This site is the primary governmental entity for gathering and presenting data related to education. NCES data is updated annually. However, in many cases the most recently available data will not be for the current academic year. Additionally, tuition rates may vary by program, so prospective students should contact a representative from their institution of choice for more details.
You Might Also Be Interested In
- Viewing other subjects covered in the 2018 Doctoral Program Rankings
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