(Image via Getty)
There are many ways to rank law schools, but the way that the National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine does it is quite interesting. Rather than concentrating on the prestige factors that usually dominate law school ranking systems, this ranking focuses solely on factors that provide the “best value” for students. That said, this is a list that is typically dominated by public schools, with a smattering of private schools mixed in. Curiously, for the past two years, a private school has come out on top of the National Jurist ranking — but no longer.
Before we get to the Top 25 ranking, let’s discuss the methodology used to suss out which law schools are providing the best value for students. The National Jurist’s ranking takes into account a law school’s tuition, students’ cost of living expenses, students’ average indebtedness upon graduation (collectively weighted 55%), the percentage of graduates who got a job after graduation (30%), and bar passage rates (ultimate and two-year pass rates) (15%).
As noted previously, based on these inputs, the ranking tends to skew heavily towards public schools. In fact, just one private school cracked the Top 20, with nine others following behind later in the ranking. So without further ado, here are the National Jurist’s Top 20 Best Value Law Schools:
- University of Georgia
- Brigham Young University
- University of Alabama
- University of Kansas
- University of Florida
- University of Montana
- University of Kentucky
- Florida State University
- University of Tennessee
- University of Utah
- University of Missouri
- University of Iowa
- University of Oklahoma
- Texas Tech University
- University of Nebraska
- Texas A&M Law
- University of Wisconsin
- Ohio State University
- University of Illinois
- University of North Carolina
Peter “Bo” Rutledge, UGA Law’s dean, attributes the school’s success in the 2023 Best Value ranking to using the same measures (employment, bar passage, costs) as a form of accountability. Here’s what that means:
“Our mission is to be the nation’s best return on (students’) investment,” Rutledge said. “We define the value we provide both quantitatively and qualitatively.”
The lesson to be learned here is simple: if you want to keep your debt low, consider enrolling at a public law school. If you don’t mind up to a six-figure debt load, enroll in the best law school you can get into (let’s say the top 50), because those are the schools where you’ll be able to get jobs that will allow you to service your loans.
Congrats to the law schools that offer their students the “best value.”
Best Value Law Schools [prelaw Magazine / National Jurist]
Staci 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 and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.