Law Students

Law School Enrollment Increases by 36
Download PDF
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

law school enrollment

Summary: Overall enrollment numbers at ABA-accredited law schools increased by a total of 36 students, the first increase in 6 years.

Law schools can breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in six years the number of law school students increased ever-so-slightly. At American Bar Association-accredited schools there were an additional 36 students bringing the grand total to 37,107.

  
What
Where


While an additional 36 students is nothing to rave about, it’s at least a step in the right direction. First year enrollment has dropped 29 percent over the past six years. Law schools have been forced to take drastic measures to make it by with the falling enrollment numbers. Staff have been cut, class sizes shrunk, and admission standards lowered in an effort to keep their programs afloat.

Professor Derek Muller at Pepperdine University School of Law has been tracking enrollment trends. His data suggests that a “flat” enrollment will likely be the new norm for law schools. He explained, “I think it’s bad for a lot of law schools that were hoping for growth, both in terms of quantity and quality. For schools that had been bracing for a short-term decline, with this bottoming out, I think they’re going to have to expect that this is the new normal.”

Professor Alfred Brophy at the University of North Carolina School of Law added, “I think it’s good that we’re not losing students. But I think there’s probably still too many law schools for this many students. My guess is some places will have to shut down or merge.”

Get JD Journal in Your Mail

Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!




For this year, 110 of the 205 ABA-accredited law schools are showing an increase in their first-year classes with 94 schools reporting a decrease compared to last year. Arizona Summit Law School reports the largest decline at 46 percent. The University of South Dakota School of Law is next with a 39 percent decrease.

Indiana Tech Law School has seen the largest increase this year with 41 new students enrolled. They only had 13 last year. They were unaccredited last year so they struggled to recruit students. They have since achieved ABA provisional accreditation but had still announced that they plan to close the school at the end of the academic year because of the low enrollment.



Do you think that conditions for law schools have improved? Tell us your predictions in the comments below.

To learn more about law school enrollments, read these articles:

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org



 

RELEVANT JOBS

Litigation Attorney - Environmental

USA-CA-Burbank

Full-Time Benefits Offered 401K, Dental, Medical, Vision Compensation $110,000 to $165,0...

Apply now

Personal Injury Paralegal

USA-GA-Duluth

***********IMPORTANT-READ ENTIRE DESCRIPTION************ Are you a compassionate and friendly leg...

Apply now

Paralegal/Legal Assistant

USA-WI-Milwaukee

Job details Job Type Full-time Location Falk Legal Group in Milwaukee, WI 53202 Benef...

Apply now

Sr. Real Estate Paralegal

USA-FL-Orlando

GENERAL PURPOSE OF JOB Provide legal and administrative support to the Real Estate Counsel and Ma...

Apply now

BCG FEATURED JOB

Locations:

Keyword:



Search Now

Associate Attorney

USA-CA-Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an associate attorney with ...

Apply Now

Associate Attorney

USA-MA-Braintree

Braintree office of our client seeks associate attorney with 1-5 years of experience in civil litiga...

Apply Now

Criminal Defense Attorney

USA-NC-Raleigh

Raleigh office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks a criminal defense attorney with 1...

Apply Now

Most Popular

SEARCH IN ARCHIVE

To Top