U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 Best Law Schools rankings on April 8, with Vanderbilt Law School placed at No. 14. This is a five place increase from its No. 19 ranking last year.
VLS also ranked top 14 in four of the Law School Specialty Rankings, including No. 13 in Contracts/Commercial Law, No. 9 in Criminal Law, No. 12 in Environmental Law and No. 11 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates at Big Law Firms.
The U.S. News ranking methodology was updated in 2023. The current ranking is derived through scoring on ten unique factors which can be divided into four categories. These categories include placement success and bar passage weighted at 58%, quality assessment at 25%, selectivity at 10% and faculty and library resources at 7%.
Third-year law student Miles Brinkley said he plans to work in corporate law after he graduates in May, and he believes the change in U.S. News’ methodology aligns with the strengths of VLS. According to the American Bar Association Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, Vanderbilt reported a 96.97% first-time bar passage rate in 2023, 92.05% in 2022 and 95.15% in 2021.
“We’re finally being recognized for what we do,” Brinkley said. “[VLS has been] consistent at a high level, but I have noticed a huge jump in our employment [department] — the career services office have doubled or tripled their efforts.”
Brinkley noted that VLS faculty has helped him balance his academics and social life by encouraging him to enjoy Nashville and student life. He believes the “close knit,” “varied” and “social” aspects of VLS have contributed to his well-rounded education.
“I hope we keep our character — the people are good people,” Brinkley said. “I hope that as we rise [in ranking], we keep that spirit about us, the thing that I think makes us special.”
Serena Celi, junior and a Vanderbilt Pre-Law Society Co-Law School Liaison, discussed the jump in ranking to No. 14 and what she believes it could mean for undergraduates on the pre-law track. She emphasized that the rise did not come as a surprise to her.
“[VLS’s] faculty greatly cares for its students,” Celi said. “There are consistent speaker events with provided lunches, and its small size allows [VLS] to host classes only on Monday through Thursday so that students can intern or work at local firms on Fridays.”
Celi sees these student-centered offerings as reflecting a culture of intentional support that contributed to VLS’s rise in the rankings. Celi shared that VPLS has long worked closely with VLS to provide meaningful opportunities and will continue to do so. The Coffee Chats with Local Lawyers program, in particular, is expected to expand.
“We anticipate there being an increase in rigor for our program with many more interested students learning about the opportunities we offer,” Celi said.
Celi believes Vanderbilt’s undergraduate pre-law students are always looking to advance their legal career in the T14 Law Schools and that VLS’s jump in the rankings will only increase its overall competitiveness.
“With only around 500 seats per cycle, the law school’s selectivity is likely to intensify, drawing more interest from both Vanderbilt undergraduates and students nationwide,” Celi said.
Celi credited Kelly Bahiraei, assistant dean for legal studies, as instrumental in helping VPLS grow its offerings. With her help, VLS organized speaker events, connected students to professors, and expanded its programming. Bahiraei declined to comment on VLS’s new ranking.
“We hope that with the law school gaining more attention nationally, Vanderbilt establishes a more defined pre-law track, and more students will engage with what VLS has to offer,” Celi said.
Jae Yu, a senior and incoming VLS student, expressed enthusiasm for his future in the graduate school.
“I’m excited to learn with my peers and from Vanderbilt’s top faculty, and excited to see how VLS continues to grow,” Yu said.
A representative from the university said the law school did not have anything to add in response to a request for comment regarding the ranking.
