Considering Vanderbilt
3rd, Best Law Schools for Standard of Living, National Jurist - The study looks at net median private practice starting salaries after average debt payments and estimated federal and state taxes adjusted by cost of living for the regions where graduates were employed.
Best Quality of Life, Princeton Review Best Law Schools - 4th (2008), 5th (2009), 6th (2010), 5th (2011) - Based on student assessment of: whether there is a strong sense of community at the school, how aesthetically pleasing the law school is, the location of the law school, the quality of the social life, classroom facilities, and the library staff.
5th (tied), "2010 Princeton Review Top 50 Law Schools," TaxProf Blog - a compilation of of Princeton Review rankings over time
16th, Top Law Schools 2011, US News
First-year class profile: JD Class of 2014
Top academics
Best Classroom Experience, Princeton Review Best Law Schools - 4th (2008), 7th (2009), 6th (2010), 6th (2011) -Based on student assessment of professors' teaching abilities, balance of theory and practical skills in the curricula, tolerance for differing opinions in class discussion, and classroom facilities.
Vanderbilt placed 10th in the nation in a 2010 study of law faculties' scholarly impact from 2005 to 2009, Leiter
Top prospects
Best Career Prospects, Princeton Review Best Law Schools - 7th (2007), 4th (2011) - Based on student assessment of career services and career prospects, incorporating school data on placement.
9th, Judicial Clerkship Ranking, US News 2010
10th (tied), National Law Journal 2010 look at where new partners in 2009 went to law school.
11th, Top 25 Law Schools, Vault - survey of 400 law firm hiring partners across the nation
12th, National Law Journal 2010 "Go-to" law schools with the highest percentage of graduates hired by NLJ 250 firms
Vanderbilt On-Campus Interviews (OCI) - Each fall semester, employers from across the nation come to the law school to interview second- and third-year students for summer and permanent employment. A smaller on-campus interview program is offered each spring for first-year students.
Judicial Clerkship Program - In the last three years, 119 graduating students and recent graduates have secured clerkships with the following courts and judges:
- 1 with the Supreme Court of the United States
- 28 with U.S. Court of Appeals judges
- 54 with U.S. District Court judges
- 5 with U.S. District Court magistrate judges
- 6 with U.S. Bankruptcy Court judges
- 1 with a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces judge
- 6 with state Supreme Court justices, and
- 18 with state appellate court and trial court judges
Employed across the nation - Since 2007, 82 percent of new graduates have taken employment out-of-state with New York, Washington, DC, Georgia, Texas, California, and Illinois the most popular destinations. In all, an extensive network of more than 8,300 Vanderbilt Law alumni covers 49 states, DC, three US territories, and 29 foreign nations.
Career Services Web Site - look for the Career Services Brochure which provides information about employers that interview on-campus, public interest summer stipend and externship placements, and employers / locations of the most recent graduating class.
Top location
Nashville:
- Friendliest City in the United States - Travel and Leisure
- Included among "Seven Cool Cities" that are "fun and affordable" for young professionals - Kiplinger's
- 2nd, "Best Metros for Standard of Living" - Expansion Management
- 3rd, Kiplinger 2011 “Best Value Cities” that offer vibrant economies, low cost of living and lifestyle amenities
- 4th, 2010 Livability.com “Top 10 College Towns: Great Cities for School and Life After Graduation”
- 5th, Forbes 2010 “Most Affordable Cities”
- 6th, Black Enterprise 2010 “Best Cities for African Americans”
- 6th, Forbes 2011 “Best Places for Business and Careers”
- 6th, "Top 20 Best Places to Live and Work in America" - BestJobsUSA.com
- 7th, "The 25 Best Cities for Careers"- Forbes Magazine
- 8th, "Entrepreneurial Hot Cities" – Entrepreneur
- 8th, "Top 10 Most Diversified Local Economies". - Moody's Investor Service
- 10th, "Best Cities for Black Families" – BET
- 13th, "Best Cities for Culture" - Forbes
Questions? Contact the Admissions Office
615-322-6452 | admissions@law.vanderbilt.edu