UCD School of Law ranked among top 50 worldwide

By Brían Donnelly | Oct 19 2018

The UCD Sutherland School of Law has placed 47th in the world in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by subject. This is the second year in which THE have released subject rankings specifically for law and the first time the School has ranked.UCD is the only Irish university to have a law school ranked in the top 100.Stanford University was named the best university in the world at which to study law, with Duke University coming second - a reversal of last year's position. Meanwhile, the University of Cambridge moved up three places from last year, nabbing third place globally.University rankings released on 17th October for four subjects areas including law, business and economics, education and social sciences, showed that Trinity College Dublin rose 23 places to become the 76th best university at which to study a course in education. UCD placed in the 126-150 bracket alongside the University of Limerick while NUI Galway and University College Cork ranked 251-300. Dublin Institute of Technology was placed in the 301-400 bracket for education.UCD trails TCD marginally when it comes to business and economics, with the Belfield-based university sitting in the 176-200 bracket, behind the University of Dublin's 151-175. In social sciences, TCD again leads among Irish universities, with the University just falling short of a spot in the top 100 and placing 101-125.Earlier this year, THE world rankings showed that UCD had retained its overall rank in the 201-250 bracket. Against a backdrop of funding cuts, UCD has plummeted in the Times Higher Education University Rankings for the past 7 years. Ranked 94th globally in 2011, UCD has sat in the 201 – 250 bracket since 2017.The subject rankings were released the same week as the Irish Universities Association, the representative group of the seven Irish universities, began their 'Save Our Spark' campaign. The IUA are urging the Government to address a funding crisis the third level education sector.In a press release, Director General of the IUA Jim Miley stated that “if the higher education crisis is not addressed by Government urgently, then we risk a serious drop in quality or a shortfall in places for students in the future.""For the first time ever, all seven Irish universities are coming together to demand urgent action on the funding crisis, as we need substantial investment to accommodate the extra students that are expected to enter the system over the next decade. Our universities are where the Irish spark burns brightest and the key to protecting that spark is securing better state funding. The Government simply can’t continue to ignore this crisis. It’s time to take action now and we’re encouraging students, their parents and everyone with an interest in the future of the country to visit the Save Our Spark website, sign our petition and contact public representatives about the issue."Writing in The University Observer earlier this year, Miley stated that "the political inaction since [the publication of the Cassells report on higher education funding] has surpassed many previous ‘dust-gathering on a shelf’ records"."All political parties express a strong regard for the Cassells Report but we’re no closer to a solution."