Three Texas Law Schools Cut Enrollment, But Economy Isn’t the Reason
Three Texas law schools have cut enrollment this fall, but school officials say the primary reason is the need for smaller class sizes rather than the economic downturn.
School officials emphasized the personal attention that comes with smaller class sizes, although one also mentioned the economic downturn and another talked about the boost in “quality indicators” that comes from increased selectivity, Texas Lawyer (sub. req.) reports.
First-year fall enrollment is down 3.8 percent at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, down 18.2 percent at the University of Houston Law Center in Houston, and down 9.6 percent at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, the story says.
St. Mary’s law dean Charles Cantú told Texas Lawyer in an e-mail that small class sizes are a hallmark of the law school. “The focus on smaller classes allows us to maintain our admission selectivity, which has resulted in this year’s incoming class having the highest overall quality indicators in recent years at St. Mary’s.”
Monica Ingram, the assistant dean of admissions for UT, said UT’s Board of Regents planned for smaller class sizes four years ago. While the economy was not a factor in the decision, school officials are aware of the increase in the number of law schools at the same time that lawyer jobs are becoming more scarce. It “would be untrue to say that we have not thought about our overall responsibility to the profession” when considering class sizes, she told Texas Lawyer.
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