Click to view in your browser (mobile-friendly version)

UCI Law Ranks No. 30
in First U.S. News Ranking

UCI Law Clinical Program Ranks No. 11

Image from video
Click image for video

Dear UCI Law Community,

From the beginning, UCI Law set out to be a visionary law school, focused on training talented and passionate lawyers and driven by academic excellence, intellectual rigor and a commitment to enrich our communities through public service. We didn’t want to be just another law school. We wanted to be among the best at inspiring and preparing students for the practice of law at the highest levels of the profession.

Today, U.S. News & World Report announced its law school rankings. Out of 198 fully accredited law schools in the country, UC Irvine School of Law ranked No. 30 in our first-ever appearance on this list. This is the highest debut ranking of any new law school in the history of the U.S. News rankings.

In addition, the Law School was recognized for excellence in key areas that we have emphasized. The UCI Law Clinical Program ranked No. 11 in the nation. Also, UCI Law scored among the Top 10 in student diversity, according to the U.S. News Diversity Index.

This debut U.S. News ranking is one of many important milestones for our Law School and is the result of the tremendous hard work of our entire community—faculty, administrators, staff, students and alumni—over these last six years.

This recognition reflects the great support we have received from Chancellors Michael Drake and Howard Gillman, and our Provosts Michael Gottfredson, Susan Bryant, Howard Gillman and Michael Clark. It also reflects the incredible commitment by our donors and supporters who have guided us and helped us enormously at every step of the way. We are very grateful!

I expect that we will rise significantly in U.S. News rankings in the years ahead. But it is also important to remember that U.S. News does not begin to capture the extraordinary community we have created, with terrific teaching, outstanding scholarship, and a real commitment to public service.

Together, we are creating a very special Law School and I feel so honored to be a part of it.

Erwin Chemerinsky

P.S. I hope you enjoy the video, which tells a bit of our wonderful story. Please click on the image above.