Law schools have been doing their very best to recruit diverse students and professors; in fact, even in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in higher education, more incoming law students identify as people of color than ever before, and in recent years, we’ve seen record numbers of law school deans and faculty members of color. If you’re a person of color searching for a law school where you’ll be truly valued for who you are as a person, rather than a law school where you’ll be a face in marketing materials to promote diversity and inclusion efforts, then have we got a ranking for you.
The National Jurist’s preLaw magazine recently updated its Best Law Schools for Diversity ranking, noting the top law schools for each major minority category in the nation: African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans. The following criteria were considered for inclusion on this year’s list:
In its analysis, preLaw magazine, grades, law schools, based on how well they support and provide a strong environment for Asians, Hispanics, Blacks and Native Americans. To determine the ranking, we look at each schools percentage of minority students (which counts for 50% of the schools total score); the percentage of minority professors (25% of the total score); and diversity services offered by the school (25% of the total score).
Without further ado, here are the top 5 law schools for Black students, Asian students, Hispanic students, and Native American students:
Black Students
- Howard University
- North Carolina Central University
- Southern University Law Center
- Texas Southern University
- Florida A&M University
Asian Students
- UC Irvine
- CUNY School of Law
- McGeorge School of Law
- USC Gould
- UC Davis
Hispanic Students
- Texas Southern University
- CUNY School of Law
- University of New Mexico
- California Western School of Law
- McGeorge School of Law
Native American Students
- University of Arizona
- North Carolina Central University
- University of New Mexico
- University of Tulsa
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Congratulations to each of the law schools listed and all of their students!
Click here to see the full rankings, courtesy of preLaw magazine.
Best Law Schools for Diversity [preLaw / National Jurist]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
