KNOXVILLE — The College of Law at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, continues to be recognized nationally for giving students more “bang” for their tuition bucks.
The UT College of Law has been selected as a 2010 Top 20 Best Value Law School by preLaw magazine, run by the National Jurist, a leading news source in the legal industry.
“We take our responsibility to remain a great value to our students very seriously. We are honored to be recognized for that, particularly in these tough economic times,” said Dean Doug Blaze. “We are as good as, and probably better than, any law school in the country at preparing our students to effectively begin practice when they graduate. And we strive to remain as accessible and affordable as possible.”
To be named a “best value,” a program needed a bar pass rate higher than the state average, an employment rate nine months after graduation of 85 percent or higher, an average indebtedness below $100,000, and tuition costs less than $35,000 a year for in-state residents.
UT’s 2009 bar passage rate for first time takers was 92 percent compared to a state average of 77 percent. In-state tuition for the law program is $12,540, and the college’s graduate employment is 96 percent. The 2009-2010 average indebtedness for graduates was $65,082.
The magazine identified 60 schools meeting the criteria of carrying a low price tag and being able to prepare their students perfectly well for today’s competitive job market.
In the fall issue of preLaw, due out in October, the top 20 best value schools will be ranked. The other 40 honorees will be assigned a letter grade.
UT’s law program is a tier-one program and was ranked 29th among public universities in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list, released in April. The program also was named one of Princeton Review’s “Best 172 Law Schools” last year.
For more information about the National Jurist and preLaw magazine, visit http://www.nationaljurist.com/.
C O N T A C T :
Kristi Hintz (865-974-3993, khintz@utk.edu)