TALLAHASSEE — The National Jurist magazine has ranked Florida State University College of Law the 12^th best value law school in the nation. The ranking, published in The National Jurist’s September 2012 issue, weighs important student outcomes – bar passage rate and employment rate – against tuition, cost of living and indebtedness. According to The National Jurist, the rankings are “designed to find the law schools where graduates have the best chance of passing the bar and getting a legal job, without taking on a ton of debt.” Florida State is the only law school in Florida ranked in the top 20.

The national ranking, which also will be published in the fall issue of preLaw magazine, reflects the College of Law’s strong student outcomes. For eight of the last 13 administrations of the Florida Bar Examination, Florida State’s bar passage rate was either first or second among Florida’s 11 law schools.

“We are thrilled to be ranked one of the nation’s best value law schools, especially because job placement is a major factor in this ranking,” said Dean Don Weidner. “Launching the careers of our students is the most important thing we do.”

The best value ranking comes on the heels of the Wall Street Journal reporting recently that Florida State is the nation's 25th best law school in terms of placing graduates in jobs that require law degrees.