UCI School of Law ranks 30th in first year of eligibility
Education, engineering also gain ground on annual U.S. News & World Report list of best graduate schools
Irvine, Calif., March 10, 2015 — The UC Irvine School of Law has been ranked No. 30 overall in the U.S. News & World Report 2016 ranking of graduate school programs. It’s the highest debut rating of any new law school in the history of the report – an impressive first showing for the six-year-old program.
Additionally, the school ranked 11th in clinical training and tied for 10th in student population diversity.
“I am very proud of our accomplishments in building a top law school in only six years,” said Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “We have so much to be proud of, thanks to the hard work of faculty, administrators, students and supporters, both on campus and in the legal community. We are so grateful for the generosity and support we have received.”
U.S. News & World Report’s graduate school rankings, which are released today, show UCI programs consistently among the top 50 in the nation.
Ranked higher this year than last is the School of Education. Under the leadership of founding Dean Deborah Vandell, the education school – in only its third year – moved up five places to 31.
“It was very gratifying to see this latest recognition,” Vandell said. “The faculty, students, and staff have been working tirelessly to build a school that combines cutting edge research, high quality teaching, and close connections with partners in our community.”
Led by Dean Gregory Washington, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering moved up one spot to 37.
In other rankings, the School of Medicine was 45th in research and 62nd in primary care. The full-time MBA program in The Paul Merage School of Business rated 52nd, and its part-time MBA program came in 37th.
Rankings for programs in the sciences, fine arts, social sciences and the humanities were unchanged from last year’s list because U.S. News & World Report does not review them annually. A full list of the rankings can be found on the U.S. News website.
Ranked 30th among 198 fully accredited law schools in the country, UCI’s law school is rooted in a commitment to public service, with 90 percent of its students providing pro bono legal services to underserved community members. Since 2009, its students have completed more than 33,400 hours of free legal work. Post-graduation professional opportunities for UCI law students include federal judicial clerkships, large law firm employment and public interest legal positions across the nation. The law school ranked No. 3 behind Yale and Stanford in a recent study of student placement in prestigious federal judicial clerkships. UCI law also ranked No. 13 in a national review of “Elite Employment Outcomes” based on federal clerkships and employment in large law firms.
“I expect that we will rise significantly in U.S. News rankings in the years ahead,” said Chemerinsky, who praised the school’s “terrific teaching, outstanding students and a real commitment to public service.”
About the University of California, Irvine: Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
