TALLAHASSEE—The Florida State University College of Law again has been named one of the Top 10 law schools in the nation for Hispanics. The law school jumped from tenth to sixth place in an annual ranking by Hispanic Business magazine. The law school was ranked tenth by the magazine for the past two years. The rankings appear in the magazine’s September issue. 

The magazine surveyed law schools accredited by the American Bar Association and ranked them based on the percentage of Hispanic students enrolled, the percentage of full-time Hispanic faculty, services for Hispanic students, Hispanic recruitment efforts and retention rates, quality of education and reputation. Reputation was based on the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s law schools in that magazine’s Best Graduate Schools edition. 

The magazine praised Florida State in particular for hosting programs and events geared toward recruiting Hispanics and for striving to provide a supportive environment for current students. Organizations such as the Spanish American Law Student Association, Cuban American Student Association and Puerto Rican Student Association provide mentoring and peer support for Hispanic students. 

For the 2005-2006 academic year, Hispanics made up 8 percent of the school’s 772 student body enrollment and received 19 of the 274 law degrees awarded to the class of 2006. 

“Clearly, our overall program strength and reputation for academic excellence has caused us to be higher in the rankings than schools with a higher Hispanic enrollment,” said Dean Don Weidner. 

The University of New Mexico School of Law was ranked number one for the first time this year, with 24 percent Hispanic enrollment overall and 27 percent earning law degrees in 2006. The University of Miami fell to second place in the rankings, with 12 percent Hispanic enrollment and 15 percent earning a degree in 2006. The University of Texas at Austin ranked third. 

Other law schools in the Top 10 for 2006 include: Stanford University, the University of Arizona, University of Florida, Southwestern University, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Connecticut.