TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 9, 2026

Vanderbilt University Law School has moved up two spots from 14 to 12 in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings released April 7. The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law also rose from 146 in 2025 to 140. Two Tennessee schools slipped slightly. The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law ranked 57 this year (down from 55 last year) while Belmont University College of Law ranked 85 (down from 84 last year). Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, which ranked 169 last year, slipped to the 175-194 category for schools in the bottom 10%, but came in 68 out of 78 for part-time schools. Nashville School of Law was not reviewed by the publication. Outside of Tennessee, Stanford Law School bumped Yale Law School from the top spot for the first time since the magazine began its rankings in 1990. Yale is now in second place, tied with the University of Chicago, according to Bloomberg Law. View the full rankings or rankings based on practice area.