Boston College Law School cracked the top 20 best law schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 graduate school rankings, climbing five places to tie with Notre Dame Law School for the No. 20 spot.
BC Law’s ranking marks its highest placement in 33 years, when U.S News ranked it No. 19 in 1993. The law school rose 17 places in four years after sliding eight spots to No. 37 in 2022.
Within BC Law’s specialty rankings, the law school rose four spots to tie at No. 8 in tax law, rose two spots to No. 16 in “Law Schools with the Most Graduates at Big Law Firms,” and moved up 10 spots to tie for No. 25 in business/corporate law.
The Carroll School of Management’s full-time MBA program, however, slipped out of the top 50 for the first time in half a decade, dropping seven spots to No. 53.
At the same time, the Carroll School’s part-time MBA program rose one spot to No. 16, and the Lynch School of Education and Human Development improved from No. 20 to No. 19.
Six of the Lynch Schools’ specialty graduate programs were also in the top 20. Student counseling and personal services dropped two spots to No. 11, curriculum and instruction rose one spot to No. 12, educational administration ranked No. 13, and elementary, secondary, and higher education programs all placed No. 17.
BC’s doctorate of nursing practice program, however, slid seven places to No. 21, and the master of science in nursing fell three spots to No. 29.
The Connell School of Nursing’s Nurse Anesthesia program was the highest ranking program within the nursing school, rising six spots to No. 20.
U.S. News ranks schools of social work every four years, so the School of Social Work maintained its No. 8 ranking.
Four graduate programs within the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences remained among the top 50 programs in the country. Economics placed the highest at No. 29, sociology tied for No. 42, English tied for No. 44, and history tied for No. 47. All four programs maintained their rankings from last year.
The Clough School of Theology and Ministry and the theology department in MCAS made strides earlier this year. The QS World University Rankings jointly ranked the programs No. 5 in the country, matching the University’s highest ranking to date.
