The University’s College of Law dropped to No. 47 in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the nation’s best law schools, down another 12 spots from 2012.
Overall, the college has dropped 24 spots since 2011. The college was ranked No. 35 last spring after a Nov. 2011 report revealed that Paul Pless, former assistant dean of admissions, had manipulated student data to make the law school seem more selective.
Pless resigned at the end of the two-month long University-led investigation, in which it was found that he had changed LSAT scores and GPA data for the Classes of 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
In July, the American Bar Association fined the College of Law $250,000, following an independent investigation by the organization. Additionally, the ABA ended the Illinois Law Early Action Program (iLEAP), a program that allowed University juniors to apply to the law school without an LSAT requirement.
The association’s investigation concluded that a key objective of iLEAP, which was championed by Pless in 2009, was to admit undergraduate students with high GPAs, without running the risk of bringing down the median LSAT score.
