The University of California, Berkeley School of Law joined Yale and Harvard law schools on Thursday in dropping out of U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious rankings of law schools.
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law, wrote in a letter to students that the rankings punish schools whose graduates seek advanced degrees and careers in the public good while encouraging spending that raises tuition.
The time has come for law schools to inform U.S. News that they have created unfavourable incentives for legal education, according to Chemerinsky.
A day after Yale and Harvard, ranked No. 1 and No. 4 respectively, announced they would no longer be participating, Berkeley, which is placed No. 9 in the law school rankings, made the announcement.
Regarding whether or how it will rank law schools that withdraw, U.S. News remained silent on Thursday. The magazine will continue its “journalistic objective of ensuring that students can rely on the best and most accurate information” while evaluating institutions, according to its CEO Eric Gertler in a statement released on Wednesday.
The rankings take into account a number of variables, including bar pass and employment rates, student grades and LSAT scores, reputational surveys, and student grades and LSAT scores. A top-ranked education opens doors to judicial clerkships, high-paying associate positions at big law firms, and other desirable positions.
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