The National Jurist magazine this month ranked the University of Nebraska College of Law the No. 1 best-value law school in the nation. It is the first time the college, which is consistently ranked as one of the country’s top 10 best-value schools, has received the publication’s top ranking.
“Each year we are thrilled to be recognized as a top-value law school,” Dean Susan Poser said. “The National Jurist ranking acknowledges that our graduates receive an incredible education that sets them up for success and because of their low debt upon graduation, they have great freedom to choose whatever career path they want.”
The methodology behind the ranking takes into account bar passage rate, tuition costs, post-graduation employment rate, cost of living and average indebtedness. The employment rate is weighted heaviest in the calculation.
Poser said since the recent economic downturn, the College of Law has maintained its academic standards while building the curriculum to make certain that graduates can compete in an increasingly competitive job market.
“Our faculty has taken a hard look at the curriculum in the last five years and we have made some changes that have benefited our students,” she said.
Examples of these curriculum changes include the addition of an international law course to the first-year curriculum, the creation of an entrepreneurship legal clinic and the development of a solo/small firm practice area of concentrated study.
“Employers know what we have always known: Our students graduate with an impressive knowledge base and with the skills needed to put that knowledge into practice effectively,” she said. “This is why Nebraska Law graduates have jobs around the country, from top New York law firms to the most rural parts of our state.”
In March, the college was ranked No. 56 of 198 law schools by U.S. News and World Report. In three years, it has climbed more than 30 spots in the annual rankings.
