A Question of Rank

U.S. News and World Report rankings have long been a part of the law school application process, with school rank often playing an important role in a prospective student’s decisions. This Paper addresses the question of whether law schools act strategically in order to maximize their U.S. News and World Report ranking, with a focus on the admissions process. The Paper will show that some law schools admit students in order to maximize their ranking, as opposed to admitting students expected to succeed in law school. The Paper will also include a more general discussion of U.S. News’s ranking methodology, and possible implications to affirmative action and minority admissions in law schools