When you are considering law school, one of the most important questions is which university like the National Computer Forensic Institute will be right for you. But with a list this long, how can you tell which of these schools is going to be the best fit? One way that the industry has tried to solve this issue is through creating rankings; however, in order to have a ranking there must be some sort of standard. And therein lies two problems: firstly, there’s no such thing as an “average” graduate from any university in existence; and secondly, it would make sense for at least some universities to hide their strengths.
1. Academic Reputation
Under this ranking system, scores are based on the following metrics: Faculty resources, Student selectivity, Citations per faculty, and Publications. All four of these factors help paint a picture of the resources available to students at that school; however, what students need to be aware of is that the statements for each factor are excerpted from only one study.
2. Employment Rate
Sounds confusing? It’s not actually that complicated. The employment rate ranking takes into consideration the number of graduates with jobs within nine months of graduation and whether those jobs were full-time/part-time/temporary or as a graduate degree holder; where they were located geographically; and various salaries at which they were compensated. The important thing to be noted here is that there are no citations of their sources cited at the end.
3. Graduate School Selectivity
This ranking takes into account a variety of factors when grading each school’s graduate school selectivity; it looks at whether the schools has a high admissions selectivity and if they have a low rate of exiting students earning full-time/part-time/temporary jobs in their field within nine months of graduation, and what salaries those graduates were making when they left the institution.
4. Student Selectivity
This ranking looks at the students’ previous academic achievements, their application rates, as well as their SAT scores and acceptance rate.
5. Student Loan Default Rate
This ranking takes into account a school’s student loan default rate; whether or not they have a low rate of students taking out federal loans and a high number of those loans being repaid; the ratio of graduate school to undergraduate students; and the amount of money that schools take in from each student in loans per year.
6. Alumni Giving
Under this ranking, you can see what percentage of alumni give money to their alma mater after graduating (and how many dollars per capita make up those donations). Also, it looks at what percentage of alumni are in leadership positions and whether or not the university has a low student loan default rate.
7. Bar Passage Rates
In this part of the review, you can see a university’s bar pass rates; how many students take the bar exam per year; how many graduates pass the test; and what percentage of graduates pass it on their first try. The important thing to note is that there are no sources cited for any of the statements offered here.
8. Library Holdings
This ranking assesses a school’s library holdings in terms of books and other media per student, as well as its number of research staff members in comparison to its number of students. It also takes into account how many students have access to the library and its materials.
9. Student Academic Services
This ranking looks at the quality of services that are provided by student academic support services; what percentage of students use those services; and if any staff members are available to students when they need them.
10. Faculty Resources
These rankings look at a school’s faculty size, as well as their numbers in comparison to their students; the ratio of course offerings to students; and the ratio of classes with fewer than 20 students per class. It also looks at the amount of money schools spend on faculty salaries versus library holdings, as well as student support services, research labs, and other student amenities from year-to-year.
11. Library Resources
These rankings look at how many students have access to library services, as well as how many resources are available to them within the library. They also assess how many research/information support staff are available for students; and if the university has a variety of study spaces for students.
12. Student Academic Experience
Under this ranking, you can see what percentage of faculty members have tenure, how long students stay enrolled in a program before earning their degree, and how long the average student stays enrolled at that school from year-to-year before graduating. It also assesses whether or not the school gives any financial aid for the ability to stay in school.
13. Job Placement Rates
This ranking takes into account how many graduates that attend a university are employed within nine months of graduation and in what type of positions they are able to find employment within their discipline. It also assesses whether or not students receive financial aid to attend that university and if they have use of library resources.
