The law schools of Duke University and the University of Michigan have withdrawn from participating in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.
Kerry Abrams, dean of Duke’s law school, said, “We have long had serious concerns that the design and influence of these rankings create incentives that are not aligned with our mission and our values.”
Michigan’s dean, Mark D. West, said, “Over time, I increasingly have come to believe that the U.S. News law school rankings no longer serve the public interest. Although we have had sustained discussion for years within the Quad about parting ways with the rankings, it would have been difficult for us to take this step alone. I applaud Yale Law School (and Dean Heather Gerken, Michigan Law, ’94) for being first mover and share the concerns expressed by Yale and other schools that have withdrawn.”
Michigan and Duke join (in addition to Yale) the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia, Georgetown and Stanford Universities in leaving the U.S. News rankings.
U.S. News has vowed to continue ranking law schools.
