The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law has again been ranked as one of the best in the nation in the 2017 edition of The Princeton Review, with top rankings in several key categories.
Included among the 172 best American Bar Association-accredited U.S. law schools, the UH law school was ranked:
- 2 as the Best Environment for Minority Students
- 3 as the school Most Chosen by Older Students
- 2 as the school with the Most Diverse Faculty
“We pride ourselves on offering a school that welcomes students, nurtures their growth, and inspires them to excel, but also to give back to their communities,” said Dean Avi Soifer. “These rankings again testify to the creative and inclusive feeling Richardson provides for our students, and the high quality of our faculty.”
The law school repeatedly ranks among the country’s most outstanding law schools, and it is consistently among the top schools in each of the above categories. It ranked even higher than it did a year ago in terms of its choice by older students, and its faculty diversity.
The annual survey uses 11 lists to look more closely at what the accredited law schools offer and the student sense of the environment on their campuses.
The Princeton Review editors explained: “We don’t have a ‘Best Overall Academics’ ranking list nor do we rank the law schools 1 to 172 on a single list because we believe each of the schools offers outstanding academics. We believe that hierarchical ranking lists that focus solely on academics offer very little value to students and only add to the stress of applying to law school.”
The rankings are drawn from surveys of 19,400 students attending the law schools, and from administrators at the schools. The surveys asked students about academics, student body characteristics, and campus life, as well as about themselves and their career plans.
Only about 33 percent of the best law schools appear on one or more of the lists used by The Princeton Review, notes Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of the educational survey.
The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its tutoring, admission and test-prep services, books, and other student resources. It is not affiliated with Princeton University.
—By Beverly Creamer
