Twelve law schools have earned top marks for their criminal law programs on preLaw magazine’s Criminal Law Honor Roll, a list that recognizes the breadth of opportunities available to students preparing for careers in the field.

The A+ group includes schools from across the country, from Brooklyn Law School and Rutgers Law in the East to UC Berkeley and UC Law SF in California. The schools are listed alphabetically rather than in a numerical order.

Criminal law offers paths for students interested in prosecution, defense and other work involving the justice system. For prospective lawyers weighing those options, a school’s courses, clinics and externships can help shape how they encounter the practical and legal questions at the center of criminal cases.

The [preLaw magazine Honor Roll](https://nationaljurist.com/top-law-schools-for-criminal-law/), published by The National Jurist, evaluates schools based on the breadth of their curricular offerings. Its formula gives the greatest weight to a criminal law concentration, at 30%, followed by a clinic, at 24%.

A center and an externship each account for 12% of the score. A journal counts for 9%, a student group for 8% and a certificate for 5%, with additional value awarded for other offerings.

According to preLaw, the schools receiving A+ grades for criminal law are:

- Brooklyn Law School - Cardozo School of Law - Case Western Reserve University - LMU Loyola Law School - Northwestern Law - Oklahoma City University - Rutgers Law - UC Berkeley - UC Law SF - University of Minnesota - University of Texas - Western State College of Law

The methodology emphasizes the range of programs available rather than identifying a single top-ranked school among the A+ recipients. Its heaviest categories—concentrations and clinics—together account for more than half of the stated formula, while externships, centers and student-led activities also contribute.

For students interested in the field, those categories reflect different ways to explore criminal law: through focused study, practical training and participation in the broader academic community. The Honor Roll does not, by itself, determine which school is the best fit for an individual student.

The full [Criminal Law Honor Roll](https://nationaljurist.com/top-law-schools-for-criminal-law/) is available through The National Jurist.