University of Montana Law School 7th Best Value in Nation

The UM School of Law has been ranked the seventh "Best Value Law School" in the nation by National Jurist magazine. The ranking was announced in the September issue of the magazine, which is read by law students across the country.

The ranking takes into account the cost, debt load, bar passage and employment of graduates in actual law jobs. The UM School of Law emphasizes a skill-based curriculum, and the success is evident as UM alumni enter the workforce.

That recognition takes into account 89 percent bar passage for UM law students in 2011, 82 percent employment after graduation – 78 percent of that in legal jobs – and 2012-13 yearly tuition and fees of $11,100 for resident students and $27,770 for nonresidents.

The program has consistently offered students a top-tier law degree for a reasonable price. PreLaw Magazine – a sister publication of National Jurist aimed at undergraduate, pre-law students – ranked the UM School of Law as the program with the third-lowest increase in tuition between 2000 and 2010 in its spring 2012 issue. The new “Best Value” ranking also will be published in a PreLaw Magazine feature in mid-October.

University of Montana Law School Dean Irma Russell