“I love that these rankings reflect a group accomplishment,” said Lumen Mulligan, dean of the School of Law. “We have bright students, committed faculty, hard-working staff and engaged alumni working together for to reach this success. As we celebrate this benchmark today, I cannot wait to see what this committed team achieves next.”

When it comes to rankings, U.S. News and World Report factors in many elements that are important to students, alumni and the legal community. The most prominent factors are employment and bar passage. Other factors include academic-peer assessment, lawyer and judge assessment, library resources and academic quality of entering students.

The ABA recently released 2024 employment results, and UMKC School of Law boasts an impressive 96.8% employment rate for 2024 graduates.

“As part of our Career Services team, I have seen firsthand how our students and graduates excel in employment, and this top 100 recognition highlights the strength of our holistic approach to preparing students for successful legal careers,” said Desiree Rognlie, associate director of the UMKC School of Law Professional & Career Development Center.

UMKC Law graduates excel in bar passage, another prominent ranking factor by U.S. News and World Report. In July 2024, UMKC Law’s first-time bar exam takers of the Missouri exam had a pass rate of 90.6%, the highest pass rate of all public universities located in Missouri and Kansas. These students were the first to benefit from UMKC Law’s bar preparation program, which provides every juris doctorate student with a commercial bar preparation program and in-person supplemental course at no extra cost.

“What the U.S. News and World Report metrics don’t tell is the deeper story,” said Nancy Levit, Curator's Professor and Edward D. Ellison Professor of Law. “UMKC Law is a happy place. It has a vibrant student community, a nationally renowned advocacy program, excellent student-faculty relations, superb faculty scholarship and outstanding alumni who mentor our students and recent graduates.”

UMKC Law is home to nationally ranked competition teams, students earning statewide awards for their public service and exceptional faculty.

“I’ve known for years that my alma mater educates outstanding young lawyers,” said United States District Court Judge Stephen Bough (J.D. ‘97). “That’s why I bring so many of them into my chambers as interns and clerks. It’s great to see this national ranking reflect the high quality that I’ve observed for decades.”

Additionally, two law school programs ranked in the top 50 in the country. UMKC Law was ranked at #34 for best legal writing preparation and #41 for best trial advocacy programs. Also in the top 100 programs were business law, healthcare law, intellectual property law and dispute resolution.