麻豆原创

The 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) law school overall rankings just released have 麻豆原创 Washington College of Law (麻豆原创WCL) tied with six other schools at #89.听 Three of 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 specialty programs (Clinical Law #1, International Law #5, and Intellectual Property Law #7) are ranked in the top ten, and three others (Trial Advocacy #15, Part-Time Law #16, and Health Care Law #20) are ranked in the top twenty.

Although our outstanding specialty programs continue to be recognized by the vote of their peers, the downward move in 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 overall USNWR ranking 鈥� despite our tremendous institutional progress over the past year, including enrollment of a 1L class with the strongest combined admissions metrics in the history of the school 鈥� is the direct result of abrupt methodological changes implemented by the magazine this year in their overall ranking of 196 U.S. law schools.

Over the past year, 麻豆原创WCL has improved on key discernible core metrics under the pre-existing USNWR overall rankings formula.听 Indeed, our current first year J.D. class has the strongest combined median LSAT (162) and median undergraduate GPA (3.61) admissions index in our school鈥檚 recorded history.听 In addition, 麻豆原创WCL significantly improved in job placement success and maintained our recent gains in bar passage.听 Not surprisingly, many reasonably were expecting 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 progress to be reflected in an upward move in the USNWR rankings this year.

Nevertheless, despite 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 performance on these core metrics and a peer assessment score in the top 50 of all law schools, our most recent USNWR overall ranking has fallen from last year鈥檚 seven-year high of #73.听 This counterintuitive drop in 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 overall USNWR ranking is due, in large part, to the magazine鈥檚 decision to make sweeping changes to its methodology for this year鈥檚 overall ranking.听 For example, the magazine drastically reduced 鈥� by half 鈥� the weight of the peer reputational assessment, a metric on which 麻豆原创WCL has outperformed its overall ranking more than almost every law school in the country.听 麻豆原创WCL鈥檚 drop in the overall USNWR rankings due to this sudden, post hoc methodological shift fundamentally underscores why these rankings are not a reliable barometer of institutional quality over time.

By any reasonable measure, 麻豆原创WCL is a better law school than it was a year ago, and we expect to be even stronger next year.听 We have extraordinary, diverse, and passionate students who are in demand with employers in all sectors of the legal profession and beyond, we have a world-class staff and faculty 鈥� including seven new tenure-line faculty hired over the past two years 鈥� who model scholarly achievement and prepare our students for the modern practice of law and leadership in the profession, and we have an outstanding cohort of over 20,000 accomplished alumni who continue to represent the excellence 麻豆原创WCL has produced for generations.

Our world-renowned clinics serve countless clients in need in the District of Columbia and around the country and the world.听 Our students鈥� public service and pro bono efforts have been celebrated by the White House and the Justice Department.听 Leaders of the legal profession, private sector, and policy realm regularly convene at 麻豆原创WCL to engage on pressing issues of the day.听 Our programs, including those in Clinical Law, International Law, Health Law and Policy, Intellectual Property, Advocacy, Criminal Law, Business Law, and Environmental and Energy Law, have long been among the nation鈥檚 most well-regarded.听 Every year, our students enter the legal profession through positions in large, medium, and small private law firms, prosecutor and public defender offices, public interest law firms, government agencies, NGOs, and clerkships with federal and state judges.

While 麻豆原创WCL has seen recent significant improvements in bar passage and job placement, we recognize that they are critical drivers of how a law school is perceived and assessed, and we will continue to ensure that we are doing everything possible to maximize our graduates鈥� success on the bar exam and in the employment market.听 Our leadership team and faculty have been exploring new and innovative ways to further enhance our curricular and programmatic strategies around bar passage and employment, including greater integration of bar preparation into our core curriculum, intensive career support for students and recent graduates, and sponsorship of career launch fellowships.听 We are constantly attracting even more employers to campus to recruit our students, and our wonderful alumni are stepping up in new ways to advise and hire 麻豆原创WCL students.听

There is a diversity of opinion on the future of the USNWR rankings, which many claim, inter alia, burden diversity, use arbitrary formulas and measures, increase the cost of legal education and student indebtedness, and penalize schools 鈥� like 麻豆原创WCL 鈥� with significant numbers of students pursuing public service, public interest, and international law careers.听 Over the past six months, more than sixty law schools 鈥� including 麻豆原创WCL 鈥� sent a message to the magazine by declining to submit a statistical survey this year.听 However, the reality is that, unless and until alternative rankings systems curated by entities with expertise in legal education are established, the USNWR rankings, despite increasing scrutiny of their legitimacy, will continue to be a factor with which most law schools will have to grapple 鈥� and 麻豆原创WCL is no exception.听

That said, a听I wrote in my Spring 2022 message to the 麻豆原创WCL community shortly after the announcement of our improved overall USNWR ranking last year, 鈥渨hile rankings may fluctuate with changes in methodologies and market conditions beyond our control, one thing will remain constant 鈥� WCL will be committed to excellence and leadership in legal education, with a student-centered focus on teaching, scholarship, diversity, service, and the preparation of the next generation of well-trained, ethical lawyer-leaders who Champion What Matters.鈥�

Despite the volatility of this year鈥檚 USNWR magazine rankings, our committed staff and faculty will remain committed to doing what is best for our students and graduates, and will work tirelessly to continue our law school鈥檚 positive momentum, educate tomorrow鈥檚 leaders of the legal profession, amplify our institutional impact on society, and communicate to all our stakeholders the inclusive excellence being produced daily at 麻豆原创WCL.

In short, we will continue to Champion What Matters.

With gratitude,

Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.

Dean and Professor of Law