Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Ranked Number 52 in U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Law School Rankings
The Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law has been ranked number 52 in the country
in the U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) 2023 Best Law School rankings. This is the
fourth year in a row that Caruso Law has been ranked between numbers 46 and 52, an
increase of at least 20 spots from its 2018 ranking at number 72.
Pepperdine Caruso Law received the best rankings in its history in several components of the 2023 Best Law Schools rankings, including academic peer reputation, student selectivity (median LSAT scores, median undergraduate GPAs, and admissions acceptance rate), and average student loan debt. The school was also recognized by its peers with top 50 rankings in five specialty areas—number 1 in dispute resolution, number 28 in tax law, number 31 in trial advocacy, number 39 in international law, and number 46 in clinical training—as well as a number 54 ranking in constitutional law.
“Because of the hard work of our students, staff, and faculty, we have emerged from the pandemic even stronger as a law school,” said Paul Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine Caruso Law. “Our Class of 2021’s full-credit employment rate, which will be reflected in next year’s 2024 Best Law Schools rankings, is 90 percent— by far the highest in our history.”
Straus’ ranking as number one marks the 14th time in the past 18 years that the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution has been recognized as the top ADR program in the country. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute hosted professional trainings to advance the field, clinics to allow students to get hands-on learning at managing conflicts for clients, and scholarly conferences focused on diversity and inclusion. Straus secured a $450,000 grant from international mediation organization JAMS to train law enforcement personnel on workplace conflict resolution. The institute also welcomed Judge Danny Weinstein (Ret.) as Distinguished Mediator in Residence.
The USNWR 2023 Best Law School rankings include 192 law schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Ranking criteria include a weighted average of 14 measures including student selectivity, bar passage, and job placement; quality assessments by academic peers, lawyers, and judges; and resources devoted to the school’s academic program. Specialty program rankings are based on data collected from faculty in each specialty who are asked to rate their peer schools’ programs on a scale of one to five.
For more information about the rankings visit the U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools website.