Graduate programs at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law and the College of Education were recognized by U.S. News and World Report's book of "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009."

The law school moved up in national ranking and placed 82nd on the list. The law school is also the 14th most selective school with regard to the applications/admissions ratio, and its faculty/student ratio is among the top five in the country, the book said.

Yet its tuition was among the lowest in the nation, and students graduate with the seventh lowest average law school debt. Also, the law school's bar passage rate remained among the top 25 within the elite 100 law schools.

UH-Manoa's College of Education ranked 65th out of 278 schools surveyed.