The state of Michigan
Each spring, U.S. News & World Report releases its edition of "Best Law Schools" for the given year. The rankings are based on a number of factors, including admission percentages, average LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, peer review and resources. The rankings are broken down into four tiers, with the Top 100 law schools making up the first two tiers. The state of Michigan is home to one Tier 1 school, two Tier 3 schools and two Tier 4 schools.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan Law School is one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. Ranked at No. 9 in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the school is home to more than 1,100 students. Michigan is also ranked as the second-best public law school in the country, placing only behind the University of California-Berkeley. In 2009, 21 percent of nearly 5,600 applicants were offered admission, making it by far the most selective school in the state of Michigan. Students accepted had median scores of 169 on the LSAT and a 3.70 GPA.
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
(734) 764-1358
law.umich.edu
Michigan State University
Although considered a Tier 3 school in the national rankings, Michigan State University has a solid reputation in the state of Michigan and is considered to be the best alternative for students wishing to work in Michigan who are not able to attend the University of Michigan. Despite its affiliation with the state's largest public university, Michigan State University College of Law is actually a private and independently functioning law school. In 2004, it changed its name from Detroit College of Law and moved the campus to East Lansing in order to strengthen its affiliation with the large public research institution. The school is home to approximately 1,000 students, of whom 30 percent are enrolled in the part-time J.D. program. More than 55 percent of of the 1,999 applicants were offered admission in 2009, with admitted students possessing median LSAT scores of 156 for the full-time program and 150 for the part-time program. GPA results also differed between the two programs with a full-time median of 3.16 and a part-time median of 2.87.
Michigan State University
368 Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1300
(517) 432-6800
law.msu.edu
Wayne State University
Wayne State University Law School offers a smaller program than the University of Michigan and Michigan State law schools, as it is home to approximately 615 students. As a Tier 3 school, and the only public law school in Detroit, Wayne State has distinguished itself from Tier 4 schools in Michigan with stricter admissions standards and a strong reputation of producing Michigan lawyers. The school boasts an impressive 93 percent bar-passage rate in the state of Michigan, meaning graduates are well prepared to enter the Michigan legal workforce. Slightly less than 45 percent of the 1,738 applicants in 2009 were offered admission. Reported LSAT medians were 154 for the full-time program and 151 for part-time students. Full-time students entered Wayne State with median GPAs of 3.19, while part-time students produced a median of 3.10.
Wayne State University Law School
471 W. Palmer St.
Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 577-3933
law.wayne.edu
Fourth Tier Michigan Law Schools
In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, there were three Michigan law schools ranked in the fourth tier. That number has since decreased to two schools, as Ave Maria School of Law moved its campus to Naples, Florida, prior to the 2009-2010 school year. The two remaining law schools are the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and the University of Detroit-Mercy.
The Thomas M. Cooley School of Law is perhaps known best for the sheer size of its law school. MOre than 3,100 of its 3,600 students are enrolled in one of the part-time law degree programs. Officially the school accepted 61 percent of applicants, although the reported enrollment of the part-time program greatly exceeded the number of offers made, meaning that percentage could be higher.
Thomas M. Cooley School of Law
300 S. Capitol Ave.
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
(517) 371-5140
cooley.edu
The University of Detroit-Mercy is a private school located in Detroit with approximately 750 students. The acceptance rate in 2009 was slightly less than 46 percent. Nearly 70 percent of Detroit-Mercy graduates stay within Michigan, while at least 15 percent seek employment in foreign countries. Despite its low ranking nationally, the school does boast a 90 percent bar-passage rate in the state of Michigan.
University of Detroit-Mercy
651 E. Jefferson
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 596-0200
law.udmercy.edu
Tags: State University, state Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State, Michigan State University