Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law rose 23 places in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, surging to its highest rank ever at #71. After tying for the largest move in legal education last year of 28 places, this 51-place move over two years is the second-greatest increase in the nation.
The Law School has focused relentlessly on academic excellence and student outcomes while joyfully leaning into its distinctive Catholic mission and collegial, supportive culture in the nation’s capital. The school’s applications for admission this year were already up almost 50% over last year prior to this improvement in ranking.
“We knew that the increased focus by U.S. News on student outcomes would help our ranking because our graduates do incredibly well in the job market,” said Dean Stephen Payne. The school’s employment outcomes will be even stronger for next year’s rankings, despite reduced hiring by the federal government. The class of 2024 achieved over 95% placement in positions considered of the highest quality by U.S. News. The school also boasts robust bar-passage results and growing national recognition for its outstanding faculty and programs, including several centers and institutes that are unique in the law school landscape.
With the help of generous donors, the school has established three new endowed faculty chairs in recent years, which has allowed it to recruit faculty away from higher-ranked schools, to support existing faculty’s research efforts, and to retain faculty who regularly publish in the country’s leading law reviews. Alumni donors, in particular, have focused on supporting scholarships for students. “Our school has emphasized the highest-quality teaching and practice-based training for a long time,” said Dean Payne. “While doubling down on the best teaching, our faculty have propelled our research and publication profile to new heights. We could not have attracted the high-quality students we have or supported our faculty’s research to this extent without the help of our alumni and other critical donors.”
As the school builds on this success, it remains dedicated to providing an outstanding legal education grounded in its distinctive tradition, innovation related to its prime location in the nation’s capital, and service to the profession and the world.