The FAMU College of Law was recognized by U.S. News & World Report for having the most diverse law school in the nation - for the third consecutive year.FAMU earned the No. 1 spot with a diversity ranking of 0.66.
According to U.S. News & World Report, to identify law schools where students are most likely to encounter classmates from different racial or ethnic groups, U.S. News has created a diversity index based on the total proportion of minority students—not including international students—and the mix of racial and ethnic groups on campus.
The index is calculated using demographic data reflecting each law school's student body during the 2009-2010 academic year, including both full- and part-time students. The groups that form the basis for the calculations are African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and non-Hispanic whites. The formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The closer a school’s number is to 1.0, the more diverse is the student population. Law schools that enroll a large proportion of students from one ethnic group, even if it is a minority group, do not score high in this index.
To be included in the ranking, a law school must be accredited by the American Bar Association. The FAMU College of Law received full accreditation from the ABA in July 2009, and was provisionally accredited from 2004 to 2009. Because student-body ethnic diversity data are not consistently compiled and reported as yet for other types of graduate schools, U.S. News & World Report has prepared a diversity table only for law schools.