For the third consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Ohio Northern University’s
Pettit College of Law in the top 25% of law schools throughout the nation for trial advocacy,
coming in at No. 47.
The ranking tied ONU with 11 other elite institutions such as George Washington University, the
University of Notre Dame and William and Mary Law School.
ONU Law also moved up in overall rankings, which places it in a higher tier than a year ago, at
No. 146.
Law schools were evaluated on a number of criteria, such as job placement and bar passage
rates. “These two categories are the true measure of a law school’s quality,” says Dean Charles H.
Rose, III.
Other factors considered included faculty resources; the achievements of entering students;
and opinions of law schools, lawyers and judges on overall program quality.
“It’s been a banner year for us,” says Rose. “It’s very gratifying to see entities like U.S. News and World Report recognize we are training ethical, competent and compassionate attorneys.”
A Year of Firsts
It’s been a year of firsts for ONU Law. The National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine ranked ONU Law NO. 17 in the nation for practical training, and NO. 1 for clinical offerings based on size and student involvement.
The College of Law was also named among Best Law Schools in the 2023 edition of the Princeton Review, coming in at NO. 24 on the list of the top 50 law schools in the nation for teaching and accessibility. According to Rose, this particular ranking is important. “The Princeton Review is sometimes referred to as the gold standard for rankings because it relies upon student input. The rankings cannot be influenced by advertising, money, or reputation. It is a true assessment of how the law school is perceived in the eyes of the students currently studying there.”
And while ONU Law has always been among the most affordable private law schools in the region, the Board of Education just ranked the law school NO. 2 in Ohio with the lowest debt to income ratio.