The latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report and recent graduate employment outcomes shine a light on the University of St. Thomas School of Law's unwavering commitment to its mission and students.
The Minneapolis-based law school is ranked No. 94 in the 2025 U.S. News rankings. St. Thomas has been among the top 100 law schools in the country for the past three years. This year it moved up four spots, earning its highest ranking ever.
“Our momentum is strong,” said Dan Kelly, dean and Mengler Chair in Law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. “We are fulfilling our mission as a leading Catholic law school focused on practical training, scholarly impact and professional formation. We are preparing purpose-driven lawyers who are equipped to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. It is gratifying to see these efforts reflected in the national rankings.”
Since it was founded, St. Thomas Law has sought to offer an innovative legal education that combines practical skills, theoretical knowledge and comprehensive mentoring with a commitment to promoting the common good, integrating faith and reason and forming ethical leaders.
“Everything we do is about forming lawyers who are not only smart and skilled, but who are also grounded in ethics, have purpose and work to serve their clients and communities,” Kelly said. “That’s what our mission calls us to do, and it’s what we have found that employers are looking for.”
Among 2023 St. Thomas Law graduates, 92.5% were working in “gold-standard” positions within 10 months of graduation. A gold-standard position is a full-time, long-term position that either requires a law license, or for which having a J.D. degree provides a significant advantage to performing or obtaining the role. For 2024 graduates, just under 90% are working in gold-standard jobs.
“These outcomes speak to the quality of our curriculum and the hard work of our graduates,” said Monica Gould, director of Career and Professional Development. “St. Thomas has built a reputation for students who are well-prepared academically but also practice-ready. They’ve been in courtrooms, served clients, drafted real legal documents. They don’t just know the theory—they know how to apply it.”
St. Thomas Law takes a comprehensive approach to career development that focuses on each student’s individual interests and aspirations. The Career and Professional Development Office leads the charge, coordinating with multiple law school offices and programs, to support students with goal setting, coaching, networking and relationship-building.
Professional preparation is integrated into the law school’s curriculum, aimed at guiding students in their transition from law student to lawyer, putting them on a path toward meaningful employment. Students are encouraged to reflect upon the law as a vocation and explore paths in the legal profession that will contribute to the common good.
Two elements of the law school’s curriculum that emphasize practical training are its programs in Lawyering Skills and Clinical Education. In the 2025 U.S. News specialty rankings, St. Thomas’ Legal Writing program climbed to No. 34, a 52-spot jump; its Clinical Training program improved to No. 43, among the top 25% of programs in the country. Students also benefit by learning from faculty who are leading scholars in their fields; St. Thomas ranks No. 23 nationally in the Sisk Scholarly Impact Rankings.
Another distinctive component of St. Thomas Law’s curriculum is its awarding-winning Mentor Externship Program. The program pairs every law student with a lawyer or judge each year of law school to help the student gain work experience, build relationships and navigate the legal field. Mentor Externship is one of the reasons St. Thomas Law has been among the top three schools for practical training for more than decade. When National Jurist recently announced its 2025 practical training rankings, St. Thomas Law was No. 3 on this year’s list.
