Digital Commons @ Georgia Law Press Releases, Media Mentions, Graduates in the Media Archives News & Faculty Highlights 9-1-2010 09/2010 Newsclippings Office ofomm C unications and Public Relations Recommended Citation Office of Communications and Public Relations, "09/2010 Newsclippings" (2010). Media Archives. 2. https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/media_archives/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Press Releases, Media Mentions, Graduates in the News & Faculty Highlights at Digital Commons @ Georgia Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Media Archives by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Georgia Law. Please share how you have benefited from this access For more information, please contact [email protected]. A SECTION-BY-SECTION GUIDE TO THE LSAT FALL 2010 VOL. 14, NO. 2 LAW With tuition up and lawyer salaries stagnant, it's more important than ever to choose a law school that delivers a good value. We crunched the numbers to identify the cream of the crop for value. LS With tuition up and lawyer salaries stagnant, it's more important than ever to choose a law school that delivers a good value. We cru nched the numbers to identify the cream of the crop for value. BY REBECCA LARSEN Even though Jennifer Kce~n had gone as other schools she was consid<~ring . privare, including Brigham Young to Florida State as an undergraduate, she More rhan ever bdore, law srudcnrs University and Phoenix School wasn'r. ready ro enter law school at the same should be concerned abour rhe value of a of Law, a school that received full university without looking around at other J.D. Tuition and cost-of-living expenses ABA accredir;Hion in June. places. have been risi ng quicker than entry-level T he Best Value study is nor designed to "J had a long list of 15 schools includ­ salaries for lawyers. The recent recession identifY the schools where students can get ing private schools and schools outside rhe has slowed hiring, making ira challenge for their greatest return on invesrmenr. While state, because I like rrying new things," graduates with large debt loads. such a 'financial investment' approach may she said. "Bur when I looked at all the fac­ To help prospective studen ts, prelaw be imporranr for some, rhis ranking is rors - actual cost, the amount of career magazine has crunched the numbers co designed for srudcnrs who wam a qualiry placement, the bar passage rare - I crossed identify rhc best value law schools. This legal education at an affordable price. many of the places off my list. FSU had all year's lis r has 60 Besr V.'llue schools, wirh T he vast majoriry of law school gradu­ rhc things I wanted ar an incredibly good each assigned a letter grade of A, A-, B+ or ates either work for a small, regional law COS(. " B. The schools that received an A are also firm or in public service. This ranking She's now a first-year law student at ranked - with Georgia Srare ar rhe rop. idcnrif1es rhc law schools that provide the Florida State. law schools make the Best Value rank­ best value for rhose graduares. Kara Wilder, also a first year, was accept­ ings if they meet three criteria: Their bar For example, The University of ed ar nine law schools she applied m and pass rate is higher than the stare average; Connecticut's tuition is approximately thought she wanted to leave Georgia for their average indebtedness after graduation $20,000, while Yale Law School, just New York or California. Bur then she is below $1 00.000; and r.heir employmem down the road, is more rhan $48,000. experienced sticker shock. Her firsr year ar rate nine months after graduation is 85 per­ The median privare starting salary for one of the other schools could have cosr cem of the class or higher. We chen weighr each school ($120,000 for UConn and her more than $70,000. She chose Georgia the schools using the same three factors $160,000 for Yale) would suggest that Ya.le State University instead, where she thinks plus in-state tuition costs. (See sidebar on is a better return on investment. Bur that she can save at least $30,000 a year in how we did the rankings for more derails.) is only true if the student is inreresred in c:xpcnses. She also said Georgia State wa.s Although most schools are publicly landing a job at one of the nation's largest ranked at about the same level academically funded, II of rhe 60 schools this year are law firms. continued on page 27 22 prelaw 2010 Best Value Law Schools School Statewide b;n Graduates Median private Median Tuition Average . passage rate known to be sector starting public se1vice Indebtedness . fo1 filst-time employed nine sal?')' starting salary (20081 test takers months alter graduation t:$.; Georgia State University 94·19% 89.27°/o 97·30% $80,000 Sst,ooo $11,838 $22,129 2 Brigham Young University •91.15°/o 85.58% 98.70% $120,000 $50,25 0 $9.980 $44,035 3 University of Louisville 8].96% 8).08% 93.50% Sss.ooo $44,000 $14,632 $26,177 4 Univ. of Nebraska·Lincoln 92.85% 88.64% 90.50% $55,ooo $44.100 $12,154 $49.946 5 University of Kansas 95·14% 89.17% 85.10% $62,500 $46,ooo $14,478 $J9,099 6 University of New Mexico 92.05% 91·59% 93·30% $6'1,000 $44.000 St2,62o $51,685 7 University of Mississippi 90.00% 88.oo% 90.50% $9.350 $60,121 8 rlorida State University 86.87% 80.76% 9$.10% 570,000 $42,000 $14,239 $52,969 9 University of Memphis 93.10% 88.10% 88.20% Ss9.281 $47,ooo $13,710 $49.737 10 Florida International 88.oo% 80.70% 92.oo% $12,800 $58,119 11 University of Tennessee 89.66% 88.10% 91.30% $76,250 $48.750 $13,118 $53.751 12 University of South Carolina 90·97% 81.83% 91.00% S75,ooo S39,ooo $19,034 S41,6t2 13 Northern Illinois University 96.o8% 90·94% 87.]0% $14,487 Sso,88o 14 U~v~ lty of Kentucky 93·70% 83.08% 93.70% $6o,ooo _ S3s.ooo $t6,020 sss.87o - . ~ 15 U111ve1S1ty of Georg1<1 98.85% 88.83% 96.so% $130,000 Sss.ooo $14.41,8 S6s.o47 16 University of Alabama 97.15% 88.96% 87.70% $90,000 $43.750 $14.450 Ss6,643 17 Texas Tech University 86.6o% 84.50% 9o.so% $15,194 $54.373 18 louisiana State Unive rsity 80.95% 67.32% 91.90% S7s,ooo $44.687 $14.350 $65.)24 19 University of North Dakota 87.33°/o 87.03% 81.20% $48,000 $47,100 59.461 $6],236 20 Unive rsity of Rorida 88.69% 81.47% 87.)0% $85,ooo $44.500 $14,228 $6),509 •see page 31 {or how we did the ranking and honor roll 24 prelaw 2010 Best Value Law Schools hilt£it·tiiiil1::wa. · 11* - 50* 1 a i4D&&J - Arizona State University 89.53% 84.03% 92-90% $100,000 $511,ooo $19,225 $]3.317 Cleveland State Un iversity 90-30% 88.09% 89.50% $8o,ooo $49.000 $16,764 $61,500 Temple University 89.11% 86.69% 88.90% $125,000 S45.ooo $17,226 $78,502 University of Arizona 91·53% 82.49% 92-30% $n5.ooo $52,000 $20,895 574,678 University of Connecticut 92-31% 88.28% 92.20% S12o.ooo Ss2.125 $20,374 $65,224 University of Houston 91-34% 84-54% 96.oo% $95,ooo $47.400 $21,029 $70,575 Univ. of Missouri- Ka nsas City 97-62% 92-33% 88.70% $62,500 $43.800 $14,242 $75,093 University of Nevada- Las Vegas 81.48% 76.94°/o 93-60% $78,000 $56,ooo $18,838 S55.944 University of North Carolina 89.84°/o 82.61% 90-30% $130,000 $46,ooo $16,014 $63,621 University of Oklahoma 96.27% 92.80% 88.6o% $52,250 $4$.040 $t6,976 $65.775 University of Toledo 88.78% 87.12% 95-00% $70,000 $42,$00 $19,137 $74,167 University of Washington 84.68% 74-40% 93-60% $125,000 S49,ooo $22,267 $69.945 University of Wisconsin 99-31% 91-79% 96.20% $125,000 $47.500 $16,426 $67,655 Wayne State 95-90% 82.13% 86.oo% $23.713 $61,180 College of William and Mary 90-90% --- 83.50% 92-30% $zt,646 $76,155 B+ Faulkner University 93-44°/o 89.03% 90.00% N/A N/A $3o,87o $74.674 George Mason University 88-46% 82.70% 96.8o% $t4s.ooo Sss.ooo $20,556 $89,857 Indiana University-Bloomington 93-89°/o 86.69% 92.50% $9],000 Sss .ooo $24.891 $91,142 Loyola University New Orleans 67.39°/o 67.32% 91-90% $34,166 sso,1o3 Oh io State University 90-30% 88.09°/o 93.50% $1oo,ooo $46,500 $22,433 $79,855 Rutgers · Newarl< 86.85% 84.69% 93-00% $120,000 S41,000 $23,676 $73.244 University of Colorado 93-28% 83.29% 92-70% $82,500 $47,000 $25.399 $74.916 University of Iowa 93-06% 89.66% 94-60% 592.500 $47.750 $21,432 $81,735 University of Maine 91-53% 90-74% 87.10% $6o,ooo $41,000 $20,702 $72,627 University of Maryland 90.05% 85.51% 94-00% $109.999 $45,ooo $23,762 $81,872 Unive rsity of Oregon 83.84°/o 78-53% 89.40% $72,500 $47,000 $22.)28 $7].571 University of Pittsburgh 90.63% 86.69°/o 90-40% $102,500 $47.000 $25,098 $83,826 University of Texas 89.00% 84.50% 94-60% $27,177 $80.)22 Will amette Unive rsity 84.89% 78.zo% 94-10% $59,625 $45,ooo $29,680 $78,393 B- Gonzaga University 79-89% 76-92% 85.40% $67.500 $54,500 $31,460 594,074 Hamline University 91.62% 91.17% 88.20% $uo,ooo Sso.ooo $J2,014 $92,794 Lewis & Oark College 80.54% 78.64% 92.60% $80,370 Sso,ooo $31.934 S9s.6o8 Michigan State University 84.16% 83·93% 87.10% $33,054 $65,292 Mississippi College 94-28% 88.19% 90.10% S7s,ooo $51.500 $26,300 $89.906 Phoenix School of Law 96.88% 84.00% 88.oo% N/A N/A $]4.396 St.