Clarification of 2019 U.S. News Employment Data
The 2019 U.S. News & World Report display of employment at 10 months after graduation is misleading because U.S. News failed to include school-funded jobs, such as our Public Service Fellowships, in its employment percentage. Under the ABA standards, the percentage of 2016 graduates employed 10 months after graduation is 85 percent.
Founded on the principles of experiential learning, interdisciplinary studies, and a commitment to public service, UCI Law students graduate with the intent and commitment to pursue a variety of professional goals. We are proud of all we do to extend our commitment to public service beyond the three years of law school through our Public Service Fellowship program, and are ranked fifth in the country in placing our students in government and public interest position (National Law Journal).
Fourteen graduates from the class of 2016 (11.8 percent of the class) launched public service careers through a UCI Law Public Service Fellowship. These students were not included in the U.S. News employment percentage.
Class of 2016 Fellows held a variety of positions across the country, including at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, the California Appellate Project, Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, the International Justice Resource Center, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and multiple local public defender offices.1
Further, of the 118 graduates in the class of 2016, three students (2.5 percent of the class) decided to pursue an advanced degree and their continuing study is not reflected in the employment percentage listed by U.S. News.
The disconnect between actual employment outcomes available to and attained by graduates and the U.S. News display of employment “success” is not a new phenomenon, nor is it wholly unique to UCI Law. Yale Law School also recognized the problematic discounting of weight provided by U.S. News to public interest fellowships in 2016.
Employment opportunities available to graduates should be a factor in deciding where to attend law school. UCI Law is proud of the ability to support students in the launch of public interest careers and urges prospective students to review our complete statistics on employment and that of other law schools under consideration, rather than relying on a single incomplete source.
Laura Baker
Assistant Dean for Career Development