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I've been accepted to the University of Iowa and was wondering what makes Iowa stand out so much to be ranked 20th in the USNWR. I've scanned their LST report and their 509's and outside of an exceptional amount of scholarship money and a decent clerkship program I can't seem to find anything noteworthy.

Iowa fits my goals perfectly btw, I understand it's a hyperregional school and I'm going to be located in Des Moines most likely with an outside shot at working in Chicago. I also understand that the USNWR rankings are highly flawed but their has to be some substance to Iowa being ranked 20th. If anybody has some information on what sets Iowa apart it would be much appreciated as I love the school, I just want to have a better grip on what to expect from an education there.

An education at Iowa will be the same as an education at any other law school in the country.

Its ranking is likely high based on LSAT/GPA medians, overall job placement stats, selectivity in admissions, etc. USNWR lists their factors somewhere.

I think Iowa's recent jump has to do with the fact that its class size has decreased dramatically over the past 4-5 years. It went from almost 200 in 2012 to 100 in 2016. The number of people getting certain jobs looks to be the same each year, but with a significant decrease in class size, it makes the percentage go up. I think this is a big factor in it's recent jump.

All that said, if you want to work in Iowa, the school looks like it will set you up pretty well.

hamshotfirst wrote:I think Iowa's recent jump has to do with the fact that its class size has decreased dramatically over the past 4-5 years. It went from almost 200 in 2012 to 100 in 2016. The number of people getting certain jobs looks to be the same each year, but with a significant decrease in class size, it makes the percentage go up. I think this is a big factor in it's recent jump.

All that said, if you want to work in Iowa, the school looks like it will set you up pretty well.

I would like to highlight that Iowa's ranking is not "recent." Historically, Iowa has done very well in the USNEWS ranking.