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NCCU SCHOOL OF LAW DEEMED "BEST VALUE"
According to PreLaw magazine, NCCU’s School of Law gives students more value for the dollar. PreLaw, a National Jurist publication, says NCCU’s School of Law is the “best value” law school in the country.
NCCU and law schools throughout the nation were judged on such criteria as tuition costs, bar passage rate and the employability of graduates. The annual rankings were recently released and NCCU School of Law was ranked # 1, edging out the University of Alabama School of Law (# 2) and Georgia State University College of Law (# 4). Two other North Carolina law schools made it into the top 50—the University of North Carolina School of Law at 29 and Campbell University’s Norman Adrian School of Law at 49.
What is North Carolina Central’s School of Law doing that is winning praise for the institution and its graduates? The answer, according to Dean Raymond Pierce is that, “we have turned this law school into a world-class institution. Our costs remain steady, affordable, and when our students graduate, they are not saddled with unmanageable debt.” Currently, tuition costs for the 2007-2008 academic year stands at less than $6,000 for residents; and the non-resident rate is little more than $8,700.
The North Carolina Bar Association listed NCCU’s bar passage rate at 86 percent in 2006 compared with the overall state ratings of 71 percent. Pierce remarks the faculty is progressive and “they are diligent in their efforts to prepare our students for success.” The faculty-to-student ratio at the law school is about one professor for every 21 students according to statistics gathered in January of this year.
“People like our graduates,” says Pierce. “The word is out and within nine months of graduation, about 88 percent of our young attorneys have jobs.”
Professor James Beckwith, 30 year veteran of the Law School, says, “I think this article validates our position as the pre-eminent school of opportunity in the country. We make a quality legal education available at an affordable cost.”
Lamont Johnson, a second year student from Detroit, Michigan, says, “NCCU law is number one when it comes to giving under-represented students a chance…I selected North Carolina Central University’s School of Law because of a combination of factors—price, diversity, bar passage rate.”
NCCU's law school rated as top bargain
North Carolina Central University - School of Law
Eric Ferreri, Staff Writer
DURHAM - Law students at N.C. Central University pay low tuition, pass the bar exam in droves and get jobs quickly.
As preLaw Magazine sees it, that is the legal triple crown.
The magazine, a common presence in collegiate offices where pre-law students can be found, has tabbed NCCU the nation's top value among law schools.
The magazine's Back to School 2007 issue ranks 62 law schools on the basis of tuition, bar passage rate and job placement rate. It cites NCCU's diverse student body, low tuition and accessible faculty in placing the Durham institution at the top of the list. The law schools at UNC-Chapel Hill, No. 29; Campbell University, No. 49, and Wake Forest, No. 52, are the other North Carolina schools on the list.
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