As the legal industry dips and sways to the tune of the floundering economy, law school as an investment is in question. As the federal government seeks to receive a better return on its loans from students who borrow and go to law schools, it is possible that gainful employment regulations may be enforced and tightened. Unsuspecting students may take out loans and go to c tier law schools and find themselves underemployed. If this happens, it is also possible that some form of loan forgiveness may also take place sometime down the line. When loan forgiveness happens, ultimately the government isn’t receiving its principal back in the full amount, and is forced to write down some of the loan. The student also doesn’t necessarily receive the best return on their investment. To prevent these two situations and a slew of other not so great outcomes from possibly occurring, new regulations may possibly remove eligibility for federal student aid from schools with bad employment outcomes, according to US News.com.
The cost of education continues to increase, and borrowers are still struggling to repay their debts. These sustained situations increase the likelihood that the government will create more barriers to loans, as a preemptive way of indicating the high opportunity cost of going to law school. This maneuver can possibly act as a decentivizer, which could change the structure of education and costs for schools and students alike. Of course, law schools don’t want extra scrutiny on employment numbers as this could prevent students from being able to receive and take out loans and attend their classes.