Job placement success yields top-25 ranking for KU law school
LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas School of Law is one of the 25 best public law schools in the nation, according to Business Insider magazine.
The rankings, which focus primarily on graduates’ success landing high-quality jobs, place KU at 48th among all law schools and 24th compared to its public peers.
“Our students have had increasing success over the past five years finding meaningful legal employment,” said Stephen Mazza, dean of the law school. “Our career services office, faculty and alumni all work together to help graduates make connections that lead to their first jobs and to future success. A ranking system that focuses on employment outcomes and low tuition aligns with our goals, and it’s nice to receive recognition for what we value – an excellent legal education at an affordable price.”
KU Law’s tuition is the third-lowest among public schools on the Business Insider list, and the school ranks 30th in the nation for lowest average student loan debt at graduation.
Using American Bar Association data, Business Insider considers the percentage of graduates with full-time, long-term jobs that require passing the bar, giving greater weight to positions at the nation’s largest law firms and clerkships with federal judges. The ranking also examines the percentage of graduates who are unemployed but seeking employment, bar-passage rate, tuition and median LSAT scores.
Since 2011, the overall employment rate of KU Law graduates has risen by 12 percent, to 91 percent for the Class of 2015. In the category of “best jobs” – full-time, long-term positions that require bar passage or where a law degree provides an advantage – improvement has been even more pronounced. Over the past five years, the rate of KU Law graduates securing those jobs has increased by 19 percent, to 81 percent for the Class of 2015. These outcomes placed KU’s 2015 class in the top 23 percent of all law schools nationally for overall and best jobs employment.
“The credit for this success lies first with our committed and focused students,” said Arturo Thompson, assistant dean for career services. “Their tenacity, combined with the support of our dedicated faculty and alumni, produces graduates in high demand across the region and the country. Every year our graduates land prestigious judicial clerkships, jobs at law firms ranging from the largest in the world to small offices in western Kansas communities, and positions with top companies and consultancies.”