Deconstructing USNWR
Placement Rankings

The first ranking is calculated in the same way as the USNWR rankings:  placement at graduation (%1) is accorded 30% of the total score, placement after nine months (%2) is accorded 60%, and bar passage ratio ("% Var" from Bar Passage) is accorded 10%.  The data is taken from the USNWR, whenever possible.

Some schools did not report placement rates at graduation.  USNWR does not explain, either in print or on their web site, how they estimate for schools that don't report this data.  I've estimated placement rates at graduation for all schools marked with an asterisk (*) by comparing to other schools competing for jobs in the same market. For instance, in the San Francisco market, Hastings and Davis placed only 57% and 49% at graduation (the effect of competing against Berkeley and Stanford, I imagine).  So I estimated McGeorge and Golden Gate at 40%, assuming they would do more poorly than their higher-ranked competitors.  I estimated DePaul and Chicago-Kent much higher, since Loyola and John Marshall reported high placement rates at graduation.

So Rank 1 should be what USNWR used, allowing for  the accuracy of my estimates.  

But I think Rank 1 is not the best.  I prefer putting greater weight on placement at graduation, since this number more likely reflects the number of graduates who have jobs they want (as opposed to what they could get to pay the bills).  So I added my own ranking, weighing placement at gradation 60% and the nine-month rate 30%, with the same 10% for bar passage.  The schools are listed here in order of the second ranking.

Finally, I showed the difference in rank between my calculation and theirs.  A positive number indicates a school that would move up in the rankings if my calculation were used; a negative number indicates a school that would be ranked lower.  

school %1 %2 % Bar tot1 rank1 tot2 rank2 diff
Stanford 99 99 40 93 1 93 1 0
Yale 99 100 25 92 2 92 2 0
Harvard 98 98 24 91 4 91 3 1
Cal-Berkeley 93 98 48 92 2 90 4 -2
NYU 96 100 26 91 4 90 4 0
Columbia 98 99 17 91 4 90 4 0
Chicago 97 98 18 90 7 89 7 0
Penn 95 98 25 90 7 89 7 0
Duke 94 99 25 90 7 89 7 0
Michigan 93 99 24 90 7 88 10 -3
Virginia 92 98 18 88 11 86 11 0
Georgetown 91 98 21 88 11 86 11 0
Northwestern 90 99 17 88 11 85 13 -2
Cornell 88 96 24 86 14 84 14 0
Seton Hall 91 95 11 85 18 84 14 4
George Mason 90 98 -4 85 18 83 16 2
Vanderbilt 88 99 -1 86 14 82 17 -3
George Wash. 85 97 18 86 14 82 17 -3
Marquette 86 95 22 85 18 82 17 1
Toledo 90 96 -8 84 23 82 17 6
Cal-UCLA 80 98 32 86 14 81 21 -7
Brigham Young 84 99 4 85 18 81 21 -3
Boston College 84 94 19 84 23 81 21 2
Texas 84 97 9 84 23 80 24 -1
Loyola-Chicago 84 98 5 84 23 80 24 -1
Fordham 83 96 16 84 23 80 24 -1
Hawaii 79 99 18 85 18 79 27 -9
Illinois 82 96 7 83 28 79 27 1
Southern Cal. 89 99 -41 82 33 79 27 6
Iowa 76 99 5 83 28 76 30 -2
William Mitchell 83 90 -5 78 51 76 30 21
N. Carolina 74 98 16 83 28 75 32 -4
William & Mary 72 99 20 83 28 75 32 -4
Wash & Lee 72 97 24 82 33 75 32 1
Rutgers-Camden 76 94 14 81 36 75 32 4
Boston U. 75 95 16 81 36 75 32 4
Utah 78 94 4 80 39 75 32 7
DePaul* 77 96 -4 80 39 75 32 7
Alabama 70 99 23 83 28 74 39 -11
Minnesota 73 99 9 82 33 74 39 -6
Notre Dame 76 95 0 80 39 74 39 0
Wash. U. 72 99 -4 81 36 73 42 -6
Rutgers-Newark 72 95 13 80 39 73 42 -3
Cleveland St. 73 96 -7 79 44 72 44 0
Connecticut 68 99 4 80 39 71 45 -6
Wake Forest 68 95 14 79 44 71 45 -1
Campbell 67 94 22 79 44 71 45 -1
Buffalo-SUNY 72 95 -3 78 51 71 45 6
Idaho 69 96 3 79 44 70 49 -5
Georgia 67 96 10 79 44 70 49 -5
Case Western 68 95 5 78 51 70 49 2
Houston 68 92 11 77 56 70 49 7
San Diego 70 89 11 76 66 70 49 17
Wisconsin 67 96 -1 78 51 69 54 -3
Maryland 69 94 -5 77 56 69 54 2
Albany 63 99 5 79 44 68 56 -12
W. Virginia 65 97 1 78 51 68 56 -5
Dayton 67 96 -7 77 56 68 56 0
Mississippi 64 96 4 77 56 68 56 0
Chicago-Kent* 68 93 -5 76 66 68 56 10
Tulane 64 92 20 76 66 68 56 10
Cal-Hastings 57 96 38 79 44 67 62 -18
Saint John's 64 95 4 77 56 67 62 -6
Arizona 63 95 6 77 56 67 62 -6
Catholic 64 98 -11 77 56 67 62 -6
American 65 95 -4 76 66 67 62 4
Miss. Coll 65 94 -2 76 66 67 62 4
Emory 61 93 20 76 66 67 62 4
Washington 60 94 22 77 56 66 69 -13
S. Dakota 62 98 -2 77 56 66 69 -13
Tennessee 60 96 8 76 65 66 69 -4
Loyola-L.A. 62 91 13 74 84 66 69 15
Villanova 67 80 19 70 122 66 69 53
Memphis 59 96 10 76 66 65 74 -8
Drake 60 96 4 76 66 65 74 -8
Cincinnati 60 93 16 75 74 65 74 0
MO-Columbia 61 93 8 75 74 65 74 0
Kansas 61 95 -1 75 74 65 74 0
SMU 61 96 -5 75 74 65 74 0
Arizona St. 60 94 5 75 74 65 74 0
Ind. Bloomington 61 93 2 74 84 65 74 10
Denver 63 90 -1 73 94 65 74 20
Baltimore 67 84 -4 70 122 65 74 48
Baylor 58 94 15 75 74 64 84 -10
Ohio State 58 95 11 75 74 64 84 -10
S. Carolina 59 93 6 74 84 64 84 0
Louisiana St. 59 82 36 71 115 64 84 31
Brooklyn 55 96 9 75 74 63 88 -14
Cardozo 59 93 1 74 84 63 88 -4
Pittsburgh* 58 92 9 74 84 63 88 -4
Ind. Indianapolis 57 94 6 74 84 63 88 -4
Creighton 57 95 2 74 84 63 88 -4
Louisville 58 94 -1 74 84 63 88 -4
Loyola-N.O**. 60 93 -5 73 94 63 88 6
MO-K. C* 60 92 -7 72 104 63 88 16
Vermont* 58 90 8 72 104 63 88 16
N. Illinois* 60 93 -13 72 104 63 88 16
N. C. Central* 60 88 6 71 115 63 88 27
Oklahoma 53 97 8 75 74 62 99 -25
Kentucky 52 98 10 75 74 62 99 -25
Stetson* 55 94 11 74 84 62 99 -15
Mercer 55 94 8 74 84 62 99 -15
Saint Louis 58 95 -10 73 94 62 99 -5
Temple 58 93 -7 73 94 62 99 -5
Hamline 58 94 -10 73 94 62 99 -5
Georgia St.* 55 94 5 73 94 62 99 -5
Washburn 59 91 -5 72 104 62 99 5
Montana 55 93 3 73 94 61 108 -14
Penn State 53 94 9 73 94 61 108 -14
Franklin Pierce 58 90 -6 71 115 61 108 7
Syracuse 54 93 0 72 104 60 111 -7
Texas Tech 52 92 7 72 104 60 111 -7
Duquesne* 53 90 8 71 115 60 111 4
Hofstra* 55 90 -3 70 122 60 111 11
Santa Clara* 55 85 16 69 128 60 111 17
Pepperdine 54 86 14 69 128 60 111 17
Nebraska 49 96 6 73 94 59 117 -23
Wayne State 50 93 15 72 104 59 117 -13
Cal-Davis 49 90 29 72 104 59 117 -13
Valparaiso 51 95 -2 72 104 59 117 -13
Northeastern 53 89 6 70 122 59 117 5
John Marshall 58 89 -21 69 128 59 117 11
W. New England 56 88 -12 68 135 59 117 18
Whittier 60 86 -25 67 137 59 117 20
Richmond 48 96 6 73 94 58 125 -31
Capital* 50 97 -14 72 104 58 125 -21
Tulsa 53 92 -11 70 122 58 125 -3
Florida St. 50 90 6 70 122 58 125 -3
Miami 53 90 -6 69 128 58 125 3
Samford 47 93 10 71 115 57 130 -15
Howard* 55 85 -14 66 142 57 130 12
New Mexico* 55 81 -2 65 146 57 130 16
Ark. Little Rock* 45 95 3 71 115 56 133 -18
Colorado 46 88 19 69 128 56 133 -5
Widener 51 89 -12 67 137 56 133 4
S. Illinois* 50 88 -4 67 137 56 133 4
Saint Mary's* 50 87 -4 67 137 56 133 4
Southern* 50 75 32 63 153 56 133 20
Quinnipiac* 45 93 -1 69 128 55 139 -11
Ark-Fayetteville 45 93 -3 69 128 55 139 -11
Detroit Mercy 45 91 2 68 135 55 139 -4
Wyoming 50 82 6 65 146 55 139 7
Maine* 50 83 0 65 146 55 139 7
N. Dakota 40 100 -3 72 104 54 144 -40
Akron 40 97 5 71 115 54 144 -29
San Francisco* 45 86 8 66 142 54 144 -2
Texas Wesleyan* 45 91 -11 67 137 53 147 -10
Oregon 45 88 0 66 142 53 147 -5
Roger Wms* 45 88 -3 66 142 53 147 -5
Regent* 45 88 -18 64 150 52 150 0
Detroit C./MSU* 45 85 -7 64 151 52 150 1
S.Texas* 45 82 6 63 153 52 150 3
Cal. Western* 50 78 -14 60 162 52 150 12
N. Kentucky* 45 81 -1 62 156 51 154 2
Saint Thomas* 45 83 -9 62 156 51 154 2
Suffolk* 45 82 -9 62 156 51 154 2
Florida 48 72 9 58 166 51 154 12
Gonzaga 44 83 -11 62 156 50 158 -2
Pace* 45 80 -7 61 161 50 158 3
Oklahoma City* 45 78 -1 60 162 50 158 4
New England* 45 80 -10 60 162 50 158 4
Seattle* 44 79 -3 60 162 50 158 4
Lewis & Clark 36 91 0 65 146 49 163 -17
Golden Gate* 40 82 3 62 156 49 163 -7
NYLS 34 91 -5 64 151 47 165 -14
McGeorge* 40 78 -3 58 166 47 165 1
Southwest 38 77 5 58 166 46 167 -1
Willamette 31 90 -1 63 153 45 168 -15
Nova* 40 73 -5 55 169 45 168 1
Ohio Northern 41 68 -34 50 171 42 170 1
Texas Southern 46 57 -33 45 174 41 171 3
Touro* 30 74 -25 51 170 38 172 -2
NY-CUNY* 30 73 -39 49 172 36 173 -1
Thomas Cooley 28 63 -1 46 173 36 173 0

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