Incorrect U.S. News Ranking for Nebraska Law

If you follow U.S. News and World Reports rankings, you may have noticed the most recent ranking places the University of Nebraska College of Law much lower than it has been in recent years. We want to alert you to the fact that this ranking is wrong and was based on incorrect data used by U.S. News.

Last year, Nebraska ranked in the top tier of law schools in the U.S. News rankings. U.S. News recognizes that it used incorrect data in ranking the University of Nebraska College of Law this year. So far, U.S. News has only been willing to state that the University of Nebraska College of Law “would have ranked higher if [correct] data had been used in the rankings.”

Our true ranking this year is probably in the low 70s out of 184 ranked schools. (Last year, U.S. News ranked us at 73.) This estimate is based on four independent reports that rely on U.S. News data, but leave out of their analysis the data that are most suspect (including the incorrect item for us – the 9-month employment rate). Those reports list Nebraska at 60, 69, 72 and 72. Clearly, based on the correct data, UNL is still safely within the first tier of law schools.

The error in the 9-month employment rate occurred because the number from the percentage of those students employed 9-months after graduation (94) was mistakenly used in place of the true raw number (112) of students employed 9-months after graduation, causing a loss of 18 employed students in the incorrectly calculated statistic. Basically, a percentage was mistakenly used where a raw number was required for an accurate calculation. (Based upon an estimate using U.S. News’ calculation formulas, UNL’s 9-month employment rate would have been greater than 96 percent, had the correct data been used.)

Unfortunately, despite the mistake, the ranking has been published. But, again, our ranking in that list is simply wrong. And while we continue to work with U.S. News to get more information on our corrected ranking, we want you to know the University of Nebraska College of Law is the same great place it was last year – that we will be next year and into the future.
We understand how this incorrect information could be confusing. We want to assure you we will be doing all we can to get the word out about our true ranking. Please feel free to contact us should you have questions, concerns or if you feel there is something else we can do to personally address this for you.

Office of the Dean University of Nebraska College of Law 402-472-2161