U.S. News & World Report delays law, medical school rankings amid inquiries from schools

U.S. News and World Report is delaying its law and medical school rankings, amid an influx of inquiries from schools about how the data is collected, the company said on Wednesday.

U.S. News said it has received an “unprecedented number of inquiries” from schools during its data review period for the 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools lists, causing it to further delay its law and medical school rankings.

“We are working to address these inquiries,” the company said in a statement. “The level of interest in our rankings, including from those schools that declined to participate in our survey, has been beyond anything we have experienced in the past.”

The news organization had previously announced that it was delaying the release of all graduate school rankings until April 25.

However, in its latest update, the company did not provide a specific timeline for the law and medical school rankings, instead saying they “will be released when this work has been completed.”

The well-known college rankings have become embroiled in controversy recently, as several high-profile institutions criticized their methodology and refused to participate. After both Harvard Law and Yale Law left the rankings, U.S. News announced in January that it would be making adjustments to how it ranks law schools. 

“We take our role as a journalism enterprise very seriously and are working as quickly as possible to produce the best information available for students,” the company added in Wednesday’s statement.