Here's the full top 100 list:

1. Yale - 100
2. Harvard - 97
3. Stanford - 93
4. Columbia - 91
5. Chicago - 88
6. NYU - 87
7. UC Berkeley - 85
7. UPenn - 85
9. Michigan - 84
10. Virginia - 83
11. Duke - 82
11. Northwestern - 82
13. Cornell - 78
14. Georgetown - 77
15. UCLA - 76
15. Texas - 76
17. Vanderbilt - 75
18. USC - 71
19. Washington U-STL - 70
20. George Washington - 69
21. Illinois- UC - 68
22. Boston U - 67
22. Emory - 67
22. Minnesota-TC - 67
22. Notre Dame - 67
26. Iowa - 66
27. Indiana U-B - 65
28. Boston C - 63
28 William and Mary - 63
28. UC-Davis - 63
28. - Georgia - 63
28. UNC- Chapel Hill - 63
28. Wisconsin-M - 63
34. Fordham - 62
34. Ohio State - 62
34. UWashington - 62
34. Washington and Lee - 62
38. Arizona State - 60
38. Alabama - 60
38. Colorado-B - 60
38. Wake Forest - 60
42. Brigham Young - 59
42. George Mason - 59
42. Arizona - 59
42. UC-Hastings - 59
42. Utah - 59
47. Florida - 57
48. American - 55
48. Southern Methodist - 55
48. Tulane - 55
48. Maryland - 55
52. Pepperdine - 53
52. Yeshiva - 53
54. Florida State - 52
54. UConn - 52
56. Case Western - 51
56. Loyola - CA - 51
56. Cincinnati - 51
56. San Diego - 51
60. Georgia State - 50
60. Houston - 50
60. Miami - 50
60. Tennessee-Knoxville - 50
64. Baylor - 49
64. Lewis & Clark - 49
64. Kentucky - 49
67. Brooklyn - 48
67. Kansas - 48
67. New Mexico - 48
67. Pittsburgh - 48
67. Villanova - 48
72. Penn State - 47
72. Seton Hall - 47
72. St. John's - 47
72. Temple - 47
72. Hawai'i - 47
72. Oklahoma - 47
78. Loyola - Chicago - 46
78. UNLV - 46
80. Chicago-Kent - 45
80. LSU - 45
80. Rutgers-Camden - 45
80. Rutgers - Newark - 45
80. Denver - 45
80. Oregon - 45
86. Hofstra - 44
86. Indiana-Indianapolis - 44
86. Northeastern - 44
86. Seattle - 44
86. Syracuse - 44
86. Arkansas-Fayeteville - 44
86. Richmond - 44
93. Chapman - 43
93. Santa Clara - 43
93. Missouri - 43
93. Nebraska-Lincoln - 43
93. West Virginia - 43
98. Catholic - 42
98. DePaul - 42
98. San Fransisco - 42
98. Pacific-McGeorge - 42
98. William Mitchell - 42

http://i.imgur.com/jxGWV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5j5tz.jpg

Here's the full top 100 list:

1. Yale - 100
2. Harvard - 97
3. Standford - 93
4. Columbia - 91
5. Chicago - 88
6. NYU - 87
7. UC Berkeley - 85
7. UPenn - 85
9. Michigan - 84
10. Virginia - 83
11. Duke - 82
11. Northwestern - 82
13. Cornell - 78
14. Georgetown - 77
15. UCLA - 76
15. Texas - 76
17. Vanderbilt - 75
18. USC - 71
19. Washington U-STL - 70
20. George Washington - 69
21. Illinois- UC - 68
22. Boston U - 67
22. Emory - 67
22. Minnesota-TC - 67
22. Notre Dame - 67
26. Iowa - 66
27. Indiana U-B - 65
28. Boston C - 63
28 William and Mary - 63
28. UC-Davis - 63
28. - Georgia - 63
28. UNC- Chapel Hill - 63
28. Wisconsin-M - 63
34. Fordham - 62
34. Ohio State - 62
34. UWashington - 62
34. Washington and Lee - 62
38. Arizona State - 60
38. Alabama - 60
38. Colorado-B - 60
38. Wake Forest - 60
42. Brigham Young - 59
42. George Mason - 59
42. Arizona - 59
42. UC-Hastings - 59
42. Utah - 59
47. Florida - 57
48. American - 55
48. Southern Methodist - 55
48. Tulane - 55
48. Maryland - 55
52. Pepperdine - 53
52. Yeshiva - 53
54. Florida State - 52
54. UConn - 52
56. Case Western - 51
56. Loyola - CA - 51
56. Cincinnati - 51
56. San Diego - 51
60. Georgia State - 50
60. Houston - 50
60. Miami - 50
60. Tennessee-Knoxville - 50
64. Baylor - 49
64. Lewis & Clark - 49
64. Kentucky - 49
67. Brooklyn - 48
67. Kansas - 48
67. New Mexico - 48
67. Pittsburgh - 48
67. Villanova - 48
72. Penn State - 47
72. Seton Hall - 47
72. St. John's - 47
72. Temple - 47
72. Hawai'i - 47
72. Oklahoma - 47
78. Loyola - Chicago - 46
78. UNLV - 46
80. Chicago-Kent - 45
80. LSU - 45
80. Rutgers-Camden - 45
80. Rutgers - Newark - 45
80. Denver - 45
80. Oregon - 45
86. Hofstra - 44
86. Indiana-Indianapolis - 44
86. Northeastern - 44
86. Seattle - 44
86. Syracuse - 44
86. Arkansas-Fayeteville - 44
86. Richmond - 44
93. Chapman - 43
93. Santa Clara - 43
93. Missouri - 43
93. Nebraska-Lincoln - 43
93. West Virginia - 43
98. Catholic - 42
98. DePaul - 42
98. San Fransisco - 42
98. Pacific-McGeorge - 42
98. William Mitchell - 42

http://i.imgur.com/jxGWV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5j5tz.jpg

And look at the scores...CLS has over 90 now...I like to look at rankings...but still: they should never be the sacrosant factor in decision making (there are tons of rankings and all are different!)...particularly not for LL.M. programs...

Berkeley now is on 7th place (( it's sad because I'm going to go there

Berkeley now is on 7th place (( it's sad because I'm going to go there

Thank you for your encouraging response .. )
So I also think rating isn't of such weighty importance.. And maybe I should go to study in the 14 place, which also accepted me...
And also from what factors these ratings are made?

Happy to see UofChicago at #5, as I will be attending there. Hopefully this will further motivate accepted Chicago students to confirm admission before the deadline which is tomorrow. Also, having studied in San Diego, happy to see USD jump 5 spots to #56.

indeed, the latest ranking does reflect the factual strengths and weaknesses of the law schools better than the ranking of the year 2010. well... call me a ranking whore

indeed, the latest ranking does reflect the factual strengths and weaknesses of the law schools better than the ranking of the year 2010. well... call me a ranking whore

Hmm, I wonder why some schools in the back do not make their way to the top 15 or even the top 4 if it is that easy to influence the ranking...

Don't get me wrong: I don't think that the US News ranking is more objective than any other ranking. But I doubt that all the other rankings are better than the US News ranking.

And one thing is for sure: If you get into a top 15 school, you get a great education...

The claim by Leitner is that it is possible to "manipulate" more than half of the data used for the ranking s(not all the parts), not that it is "easy" to manipulate them.

The claim by Leitner is that it is possible to "manipulate" more than half of the data used for the ranking s(not all the parts), not that it is "easy" to manipulate them.

I would think the manipulation argument is only part of the story. And whether the schools do in fact do this is, admittedly, only a matter of speculation. For schools, going down the rankings is as bad as a chef losing a Michelin star, and one could imagine they will do everything they can to prevent this from happening.

In my view, these rankings have a "self-fulfilling prophecy" effect. Why do most people want to go to Harvard and Yale? Judging from the myriad of comments in this website, the answer is not necessarily "because I will get the best education" or "because they have the best professors in my field of interest" or "because I like that part of the country". No. The typical answer given is "beacause they are at the top of the ranking", which is a way of saying "I want to prove that I am part of the best and brightest".

So, yes, most students want to go there because the schools are considered to be at the top, and they are at the top because most students want to go there. For a given number of places, a higher number of applications will translate in a higher number of rejections, which will helps in preserving their place in the rankings for the next year. Professors, like students, also have an ego and they like their name associated with the top schools, so they probably also look at the rankings (besides the pay check which may in some cases tilt the balance). Law firms also want to be perceived as hiring the brightest, which of course means looking mainly at candidates from top name schools, which Harvard and Yale are unable to provide in numerical terms. It's a self-reinforcing circle.

Thus, in an environment where real life decisions are made based on US News rankings, the "reality" will probably end up reinforcing the idea conveyed by the ranking. The ranking is no more simply a measurement, but a cause and effect of what is being measured.

Some will probably use this to say, "but see! you are contradicting yourself! You are making the perfect argument for selecting a school solely based on the US News ranking!!"

I don't think so. That would only be true to the extent that the only thing that matters to you is being measured by the ranking. What happens if your interests and/or needs are not part of the methodology? You may then end up choosing the wrong school for you. I ask: what's the point of being to Harvard or Yale if you are not interested in one of the areas in which they are strong? Are you willing to have a nice title to hang in the wall, but a so-so education in what you want to do for the rest of your life? I am fully aware that this is a completely stupid question for many, but for me it is not.

Good luck!

That indeed is a great answer and I absolutely agree with you.