Yale Law School ditches U.S. News & World Report's rankings, calling them "profoundly flawed"

Yale Law School said Wednesday it will no longer participate in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of the top law schools, with an official at the Ivy League institution calling the methodology behind the influential listing "profoundly flawed."

Dean Heather K. Gerken, who made the announcement in a blog post on Yale Law School's website, 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.

"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."