Legal Education Statistics

Plans for cutting admissions test requirement paused by ABA Legal Ed council

After receiving letters from various law school deans with concerns about cutting the Law School Admission Test requirement, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar on Friday walked back plans to go forward with the proposal in August.

May 12, 2023 2:28 PM CDT

Following methodology changes for US News rankings, 7 law schools reach top 100

With more weight now given to law school employment outcomes and first-time bar passage rates in U.S. News & World Report’s best graduate schools rankings, there was little movement among the top 10. But 14 schools outside that grouping saw significant position increases, the publication reports.

May 10, 2023 11:01 PM CDT

For 2022 law grads, bar-pass-required jobs increase, while JD-advantage positions decrease

For the second year in a row, there is an increase in jobs for new lawyers, according to data released Tuesday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 25, 2023 12:12 PM CDT

Why are US News law school rankings delayed?

Updated: Following “an unprecedented number of inquiries from schools,” the release of U.S. News & World Report’s best graduate schools rankings, which include law schools, was pushed back twice in the past week.

Apr 17, 2023 3:25 PM CDT

Yale Law keeps top place in US News rankings preview—but it is tied with another school

Yale Law School and Stanford Law School are tied for first place in a preview of refashioned rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

Apr 11, 2023 3:27 PM CDT

How can law schools comply with faculty diversity accreditation standards? Some deans have questions

It’s been almost a month since ABA notice was posted that the University of Oregon School of Law was out of compliance for a diversity accreditation standard, and Marcilynn Burke, the dean, still hasn’t figured out why. She’s in the process of finding out, and in the meantime, is getting a report ready to demonstrate compliance.

Apr 10, 2023 10:49 AM CDT

February bar scores decrease for repeaters and first-time test-takers

For the multiple-choice section of the February 2023 bar exam, there was a decrease of 1.5 points in the national mean scaled score, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Apr 4, 2023 8:40 AM CDT

Studies supporting mismatch theory are replete with ‘demonstrably incorrect’ assumptions, law prof says

Studies supporting an “academic mismatch” theory claim that students are harmed by racial preferences, but the data doesn’t support that assertion, according to a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.

Mar 29, 2023 9:41 AM CDT

How can law schools with history of bar pass issues get their rates above 75%?

For law schools that fall below the bar pass rate required for ABA accreditation, there are many avenues for change. We spoke to three schools that have improved their numbers.

Mar 16, 2023 2:34 PM CDT

Data on about 6,500 law students proves my mismatch theory, shows racial-preference harm, law prof says

A controversial law professor has said data on about 6,500 law students at four law schools provides strong support for his “academic mismatch” theory—that law students with lower qualifications than their peers fall behind and have worse outcomes in a learning environment geared toward better-qualified students.

Mar 16, 2023 11:47 AM CDT

Law school gets extension to meet Standard 316; ABA Legal Ed council posts additional notice on faculty diversity

Updated: The Golden Gate University School of Law, which has not had a two-year bar pass rate at or above 75% since its class of 2017, has received an extension to come into compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within a two-year time period.

Mar 14, 2023 10:52 AM CDT

Which law schools are choosiest? Washington University is in top five, while Yale is mostly No. 1

Yale Law School is No. 1 based data showing that it is the choosiest law school in terms of acceptance rate and median LSAT scores for fall 2022. But it falls to No. 2 in a tie with two other schools based on the median undergraduate grade-point average.

Feb 27, 2023 12:09 PM CST

Legal Ed data shows decrease in first-time bar pass rates

Data released Friday shows a two percentage point drop in bar pass rates for first-time test takers in 2022 compared to 2021.

Feb 24, 2023 1:40 PM CST

US News extends rankings survey deadline; which law schools will file?

Updated: The ABA Journal asked all ABA-accredited law schools whether they planned to submit the survey. Out of the 117 schools that responded, 30 said they would not, and 23 were undecided.

Jan 19, 2023 1:40 PM CST

US News changes its rankings system amid boycotts by most top law schools

U.S. News & World Report is changing its law school rankings system after several law deans announced that they would refuse to provide data to the publication because of their concerns about metrics that emphasize reputation and disincentivize support for public-interest careers.

Jan 3, 2023 10:57 AM CST