U.S. News & World report released its annual list of Best Graduate Schools today and UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law came away with its highest-ever overall ranking.

The school climbed 16 spots to 62nd out of 197 accredited law schools in the Best Schools of Law category. Boyd’s part-time law program also ranked 19th nationally, and the school was again ranked among the 50 most diverse in the nation (tied for 46th).

"We are proud of this recognition and, with the support of our alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff, we continue to work to build a better law school every day," said Daniel Hamilton, dean of the law school.

In the law school specialty rankings, UNLV’s Lawyering Process Program ranked second in consecutive years for its legal writing programs. The Lawyering Process Program emphasizes professionalism and prepares students to enter the workforce proficient in the key language skills of legal practice. Boyd also ranked ninth in dispute resolution for the fourth straight year for its Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution, which includes advance study of the nature of conflict and the methods to resolve it. 

For its 2018 Best Graduate Schools Rankings, released today, U.S. News analyzed nearly 2,000 graduate and specialty programs in a wide range of disciplines. Programs are ranked and evaluated on standardized test scores of newly enrolled students, opinions from experts on each program’s quality, acceptance rates and/or criteria specific to each degree field.

The UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law has nearly 400 students and offers three juris doctor degree programs: a full-time day program, a part-time day program and a part-time evening program. The school also offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Gaming Law and Regulation and three dual degree programs: a J.D./MBA, a J.D./M.S.W. and a J.D./Ph.D. It is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools.