2009 Reputational Scores from U.S. News Surveys of Academics and Practitioners

Copies of the new US News rankings have appeared on the Internet.  Two notable methodological changes this year:  numerical credentials of part-time students were factored into the ranking (hence George Washington's dramatic drop, which of course bears no relationship to anything in the real world, just the methodology change); and US news averaged two years' worth of surveys of practitioners (those results were prone to dramatic movements, no doubt due to the small response pool--only 31% of lawyers and judges responded, compared to over 70% of academics).

Obviously, I won't be discussingthe nonsense number or movements in "overall" rank, but I will report the reputational survey results (with the caveat that there is an echo chamber effect).  Last year's reputational results are here.   The 2009 results follow.

Academic reputation for the top 40 (where the evaluation might actually reflect some knowledge of the schools evaluated) (25% of the overall score):

1.  Harvard University (4.8)

1.  Yale University (4.8)

3.  Stanford University (4.7)

4.  Columbia University (4.6)

4.  University of Chicago (4.6)

6.  New York University (4.5)

6.  University of California, Berkeley (4.5)

8.  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (4.4)

9.  University of Pennsylvania (4.3)

9.  University of Virginia (4.3)

11. Cornell University (4.2)

11. Duke University (4.2)

13. Georgetown University (4.1)

13. University of Texas, Austin (4.1)

15. Northwestern University (4.0)

15. University of California, Los Angeles (4.0)

17. Vanderbilt University (3.8)

18. University of Southern California (3.7)

19. Washington University, St. Louis (3.6)

20. Emory University (3.5)

20. George Washington University (3.5)

20. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (3.5)

20. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (3.5) 

20. University of Wisconsin, Madison (3.5)

25.  Boston College (3.4)

25.  Boston University (3.4)

25.  University of California, Davis (3.4)

25.  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (3.4)

25.  University of Iowa (3.4) 

25.  Washington & Lee University (3.4)

31.  College of William & Mary (3.3)

31.  Fordham University (3.3)

31.  Indiana University, Bloomington (3.3)

31.  Ohio State University (3.3)

31.  University of California, Hastings (3.3)

31.  University of Notre Dame (3.3)

37.  University of Arizona (3.2)

37.  University of Washington, Seattle (3.2)

39.  Tulane University (3.1)

39.  University of Florida, Gainesville (3.1)

39.  University of Georgia (3.1)

39.  Wake Forest University (3.1)

Lawyer/Judge Reputation for the top 40 (15% of the overall score):

1.  Harvard University (4.8)

1.  Stanford University (4.8)

1.  Yale University (4.8)

4.  Columbia University (4.6)

4.  University of Chicago (4.6)

4.  University of Virginia (4.6)

7.  New York University (4.5)

7.  University of California, Berkeley (4.5)

7.  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (4.5)

10. Duke University (4.4)

10. Georgetown University (4.4)

10. University of Pennsylvania (4.4)

13. Cornell University (4.3)

13. Northwestern University (4.3)

15. University of Texas, Austin (4.2)

16. Vanderbilt University (4.1)

17.  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (3.9)

17.  Washington University, St. Louis (3.9)

19.  Emory University (3.8)

19.  George Washington University (3.8)

19.  University of California, Los Angeles (3.8)

19.  University of Iowa (3.8)

19.  University of Notre Dame (3.8)

19.  Washington & Lee University (3.8)

25.  Boston College (3.7)

25.  University of California, Hastings (3.7)

25.  University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (3.7)

28.  Boston University (3.6)

28.  College of William & Mary (3.6)

28.  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (3.6)

28.  University of Southern California (3.6)

28.  University of Wisconsin, Madison (3.6) 

28.  Wake Forest University (3.6)

34.  Indiana University, Bloomington (3.5)

34.  Ohio State University (3.5)

34.  University of California, Davis (3.5)

34.  University of Washington, Seattle (3.5)

38.  Fordham University (3.4)

38.  Tulane University (3.4)

40.  Brigham Young University (3.3)

40.  George Mason University (3.3)

40.  University of Alabama (3.3)

40.  University of Arizona (3.3)

40.  University of Florida, Gainesville (3.3)

40.  University of Georgia (3.3)