Harvard and Yale law schools ditch U.S. News & World Report's rankings: "Profoundly flawed"

Officials at Yale's and Harvard's law schools said Wednesday the institutions will no longer participate in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of the top law schools. An official at Yale Law School called the methodology behind the influential listing "profoundly flawed."

Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken, who made the announcement in a blog post, said the rankings discourage universities from admitting low-income students and supporting those who wish to pursue careers in public service. Tuition and housing at Yale Law School — whose alumni include former President Bill Clinton and four of the current Supreme Court justices — run nearly $97,000 per year. Tuition and living expenses for Harvard Law School are more than $107,000 annually.

"We have reached a point where the rankings process is undermining the core commitments of the legal profession," wrote Gerken, who noted that Yale Law School "has taken the top spot every year" since the rankings began. "As a result, we will no longer participate."