‘Yessssss! We acquired jobs!’
The Princeton Evaluation just lately launched its annual legislation faculty rating, overlaying the very best 168 legislation faculties within the nation (however disregarding the truth that there are ~200 legislation faculties with various levels of accreditation by the ABA). Our condolences to the ~30 legislation faculties that have been unable to make the minimize for the Princeton Evaluation’s 2025 version of the rankings — it should sting realizing that your establishment is a part of the small sliver of legislation faculties that aren’t among the many “greatest.”
We’ve targeted on one of many 14 rankings classes that we thought folks could be essentially the most involved in: The legislation faculties the place graduates have the very best profession prospects. It wasn’t way back that the Princeton Evaluation’s unfastened definition of “profession prospects” meant a whole class of legislation graduates could possibly be placing the “bar” in “barista,” however fortunately the methodology was modified, and these profession rankings imply one thing now.
Princeton Evaluation’s “Greatest Profession Prospects” outcomes are actually primarily based on extremely related information reported by legislation faculty directors, together with median beginning salaries, the proportion of scholars employed in jobs requiring bar passage (and never employed by the varsity), and the proportion of scholars who have been in a position to cross the bar examination on their first strive. The Princeton Evaluation additionally depends on responses from scholar surveys.
Listed below are the highest 10 legislation faculties on the Princeton Evaluation’s “Greatest Profession Prospects” listing for 2025. Issues modified fairly a bit for T14 faculties this 12 months:
1. Duke Legislation (ranked #4 final 12 months)
2. Columbia Legislation (unranked final 12 months)
3. Michigan Legislation (ranked #3 final 12 months)
4. Chicago Legislation (unranked final 12 months)
5. UVA Legislation (ranked #2 final 12 months)
6. Penn Legislation (unranked final 12 months)
7. Northwestern Legislation (ranked #5 final 12 months)
8. Harvard Legislation (ranked #7 final 12 months)
9. NYU Legislation (ranked #1 final 12 months)
10. UC Berkeley Legislation (ranked #9 final 12 months)
What occurred to as soon as once more create such shuffling within the rankings? For the reply, let’s return to Princeton Evaluation’s methodology. Every legislation faculty was given a “profession score,” which on prime of the entire statistical information reported by legislation faculty directors, consists of the next data:
This score measures the arrogance college students have of their faculty’s skill to cause them to fruitful employment alternatives, in addition to the varsity’s personal document of getting executed so. This score takes into consideration each scholar survey responses and school-reported statistical information. We ask college students about how a lot the legislation program encourages sensible expertise; the alternatives for externships, internships, and clerkships; and the way ready to follow legislation they count on to really feel after graduating.
Princeton Evaluation depends closely on college students’ suggestions over precise information — however this time, it appears like issues turned out a bit extra precisely than they often do. Up to now, individuals who felt like they’d get nice jobs gave the impression to be extra essential than the individuals who have been truly in a position to get nice jobs. Because of this many colleges which can be extremely profitable in the case of graduates getting jobs have been left off the listing final 12 months — faculties like Columbia, Chicago, and Penn, for instance. This 12 months, issues are trying a extra in step with actuality, other than the order wherein these faculties are ranked. (Click on right here to see which legislation faculties have been the very best for getting Biglaw jobs.)
Did your legislation faculty make the minimize? If it did, do you suppose it was ranked pretty? If it didn’t make the listing for greatest profession prospects, do you agree with that evaluation? Please e mail us or textual content us (646-820-8477) together with your ideas.
Greatest Legislation Faculties 2025 [Princeton Review]Greatest Profession Prospects 2025 [Princeton Review]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Legislation, the place she’s labored since 2011. She’d love to listen to from you, so please be happy to e mail her with any ideas, questions, feedback, or critiques. You may comply with her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or join together with her on LinkedIn.
