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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Law school, graduate programs fall in national rankings

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File Photo by Sophia Goedert | Staff Photographer
The GW Law School on H Street.

Updated: April 15, 2024, at 2:55 p.m. 

At least seven of GW’s graduate schools and programs fell in U.S. News & World Report’s national ranking of graduate and law schools this year.

GW Law dropped to No. 41 in the rankings, a 16-spot drop over the past two years, and the School of Nursing’s master’s degree program is unranked this year after being ranked No. 19 last year. Eight of the nine schools corresponding to graduate school categories remained within the top 100 rankings on the list compared to last year.

A University spokesperson said the nursing school was unranked because officials opted not to participate in the rankings this year.

In 2023, the law school fell from No. 25 to No. 35, tying with Emory University, the University of Alabama, the University of California, Irvine and the University of Iowa. The School of Nursing’s master’s degree program rose eight spots last year, from No. 27 in 2022 to No. 19 in 2023.

GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew responded to the rankings in a University release Tuesday, saying the rankings provide only a “snapshot” in analyzing schools.

“No single number can tell you all you need to know about faculty, career prospects, curriculum, climate, clinics, externship opportunities, programs or all the many factors you will need to assess to pick the best law school for you,” Matthew said in the release.

U.S. News & World Report uses surveys sent to experts in related fields to calculate a program’s reputation and statistics that evaluate research, faculty and students’ success to determine graduate and law school rankings.

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development dropped from No. 58 last year to No. 76 this year, tying with Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles and the University of Oklahoma Rainbolt.

GW’s public affairs program fell to six spots to No. 16, ranked alongside Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, Georgia State University and the University of California-Los Angeles. The program rose to No. 10 in 2023, up from No. 12 in 2022.

The School of Business dropped from No. 59 last year to No. 62 this year, with its international business program falling from No. 8 last year to No. 9 this year.

The Milken School of Public Health rose in the rankings, advancing from No. 12 in 2023 to No. 11 in 2024.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science remained at No. 92, the same spot it held last year, tying with Florida A&M University, Florida International University, the University of Kentucky and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The School of Medicine and Health Sciences remained at No. 58 this year in the rankings for research medical schools, tying with Stony Brook University, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Illinois and the University of Nebraska.

This post was updated to include the following:

The Hatchet updated this post to include a statement from a University spokesperson.

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