The ranking lists, reported in 14 categories, each name the top 10 law schools. The education services company tallied the lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending 167 law schools in the U.S., and of administrators at those schools. The ranking lists are posted at www.princetonreview.com/best-law-schools, where they can be accessed for free with site registration.
The Princeton Review’s 80-question student survey for this project asked students to rate their law schools on dozens of topics and report on their school experiences. The survey of law school administrators, which numbered more than 200 questions, covered topics from academic offerings and admission requirements to data about currently enrolled students as well as graduates’ employment.
Six of the 14 ranking lists were tallied using both student and administrator-reported data, five solely from student data, and three solely from administrator data.
The ranking lists based on student- and administrator-reported data, and the No. 1 schools on them, are:
“Best Career Prospects” – New York University
“Best Classroom Experience” – University of Virginia
“Most Diverse Faculty”– Southern University (LA)
“Greatest Resources for Women” – Stanford University (CA)
“Greatest Resources for Minority Students” – St. Thomas University (FL)
“Most Chosen by Older Students” – University of the District of Columbia
The lists based solely on student-reported data, and the No, 1 schools on them, are:
“Best Professors” – University of Virginia
“Most Competitive Students” – Baylor University (TX)
“Most Conservative Students” – Ave Maria School of Law (FL)
“Most Liberal Students” – Northeastern University (MA)
“Best Quality of Life” – University of Virginia
The lists based solely on administrator-reported data, and the No. 1 schools on them, are:
“Toughest to Get Into” – Yale University (CT)
“Best for Federal Clerkships” (a new list this year) — Yale University (CT)
“Best for State and Local Clerkships” (a new list this year) — Seton Hall University (NJ)
“Every one of the 167 law schools we chose for our 2020 ‘Best Law Schools’ project offers an outstanding academic program,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief, The Princeton Review. “The schools vary considerably, however, in their offerings and campus culture. Our purpose is not to crown any single law school as ‘best’ overall or to rank the schools from 1 to 167, hierarchically.”
The Princeton Review “Best Law Schools” website area has profiles of the 167 schools with detailed information for applicants. Topics cover the schools’ admission requirements, academics, financial aid, campus life, and career / employment statistics. The profiles display the company’s ratings (scores from 60 to 99) of the law schools in up to five categories.
