The Best Schools And Programs For Dispute Resolution

Rank and School	Annual Tuition (Full-Time)	LSAT (25th -75th Percentile)	Accep-tance Rate	Median Private (PR) and Public (PU) Sector Starting Salaries	Post-Graduation Debt	Employ-ment After 9 Months (2011 Grads)	Over-all Rank
1. Pepperdine U.	$46,740	154-162	51.6%	$70,000 (PR)$56,000(PU)	$145,893	58.2%	54
2. Ohio State (Moritz)	$28,033(In-State)$42,985(Out-of-State)	157-162	45.4%	$81,250(PR)$54,001(PU)	$97,624	72.1%	31
3. Hamline U.	$37,204	149-156	62.8%	$59,000(PR)$44,000 (PU)	$117,746	72.6%	121
3. Harvard	$53,308	170-175	15.6%	$160,000(PR)$58,000 (PU)	$123,673	94.1%	2
5. U. of Missouri	$19,538(In-State)$36,907(Out-of-State)	155-160	51.7%	$50,000(PR)$46,000 (PU)	$79,428	78.9%	64
6. U. of Oregon	$29,492(In-State)$36,746(Out-of-State)	156-161	49.5%	$61,000(PR)$33,466 (PU)	$104,775	49.1%	100
7. Marquette U.	$39,850	151-157	73.1%	$58,500(PR)$52,000 (PU)	$129,669	67.9%	93
7. Yeshiva U. (Cardoza)	$51,778	156-162	46.0%	$75,000(PR)$53,000 (PU)	$118,677	60.5%	64
9. University of Nevada-Las Vegas (Boyd)	$26,437(In-State)$37,437(Out-of-State)	154-160	32.1%	$70,000(PR)$60,000 (PU)	$94,843	63.4%	83
10. Arizona State University (O’Connor)	$26,268(In-State)$40,818(Out-of-State)	158-164	39.1%	$100,000(PR)$55,000 (PU)	$107,809	72.6%	31
10. Northwestern University	$55,064	161-171	26.3%	$160,000(PR)$63,000 (PU)	$155,777	85.8%	12

 

For the 10th consecutive year, Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution has been ranked #1 in dispute resolution by U.S. News. Founded in 1986 and overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, the Straus Institute offers over 40 courses in dispute resolution, with 35 faculty members from the United States, Latin America, and Asia. The Institute houses the largest library in the field, with over 24,000 titles courtesy of the American Arbitration Association. It has also earned awards for its excellence in teaching, curriculum, and public service from organizations ranging from the American Bar Association to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
To provide students with practical experience, Pepperdine’s Mediation Clinic requires students to mediate at least 20 live client disputes. The Straus Institute also maintains a robust externship program, with students placed in organizations like Coca Cola, Amnesty International, eBay, the Ritz-Carlton, the United States Department of State, and the Red Cross. Recently, the Stratus Institute launched the PACIS Project in Faith Based Diplomacy, which integrates religious respect with traditional diplomacy to foster faith-based reconciliation in locations like Kashmir, Sudan, and Palestine. In 2013, Pepperdine launched a new program focused on international commercial arbitration.