Legal Education Statistics

JD enrollment up but 1Ls down, new ABA data shows

Fall 2023 had a slight increase in JD enrollment but a small decrease of first-year students over the previous year, according to data released Friday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 15, 2023 12:49 PM CST

More aspiring law students are applying to fewer schools, new LSAC data shows

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, more students of color are applying to law school, according to the latest figures from the Law School Admission Council.

Dec 14, 2023 9:05 AM CST

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School hit with noncompliance notice

The George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School has received a public notice of being out of compliance with ABA accreditation standards.

Dec 7, 2023 1:48 PM CST

Campus politics playing bigger role in prelaw students’ law school considerations, survey says

As conflicts related to the Hamas-Israeli war flare up on law school campuses, more than half of prelaw students—58%—want to attend a law school where their politics will align with those of others on campus, according to a survey by Kaplan conducted just before the war started and released Tuesday.

Nov 28, 2023 9:17 AM CST

First-generation law students study and work more hours, rack up more student debt

First-generation law students with parents who never obtained a bachelor’s degree differ in some significant respects from classmates with at least one parent who completed a college degree, according to a new survey of more than 13,000 law students at 75 law schools.

Oct 26, 2023 3:37 PM CDT

University of Akron School of Law offers guaranteed admission for qualified Ohioans

The University of Akron School of Law will guarantee admission to Ohio residents who meet or exceed an LSAT score of 151 and an undergraduate grade-point average of 3.4, officials said this week.

Oct 19, 2023 9:06 AM CDT

‘Precruiting’ and ‘exploding offers’ create stress for law students seeking summer associate jobs

An increasing number of BigLaw firms are recruiting students for summer associate programs before the formal on-campus interviewing process, a practice dubbed “precruiting.”

Sep 20, 2023 9:28 AM CDT

Mean scaled score for bar exam’s multiple-choice section sees slight increase

The national mean scaled score for the July 2023 Multistate Bar Examination, which consists of 200 multiple-choice questions, is 140.5, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced Thursday.

Aug 31, 2023 2:27 PM CDT

‘Virtually all’ incoming law students think they will be in the top half of their class, new study finds

Updated: A new survey of more than 600 incoming law students found them to be overconfident about how well they will do in law school and poor predictors of how they would perform.

Jul 26, 2023 11:01 AM CDT

How could alternative licensure alter lawyer labor supply? Law prof’s research may have answers

If jurisdictions eliminate the bar exam as an entry to attorney licensure, the labor supply of lawyers would increase by 16%, according to new research by an associate professor at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

Jun 14, 2023 10:51 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Bar group that ditched drag trivia event criticized; Black law schools guide drops overall rankings

Social justice group criticizes bar drag event cancellation The nonprofit Southern Coalition for Social Justice is forwarding a letter with more than 100 signatures to a bar group that canceled a drag show trivia night, citing “political” reasons. The letter says the decision by the North Carolina Bar Association “flies…

Jun 9, 2023 3:04 PM CDT

These law schools did best in blog’s ‘omnibus specialty rankings’ based on US News data

The best law school for its showing in specialty rankings by U.S. News & World Report is Georgetown University, according to “omnibus specialty rankings” devised by a law dean.

Jun 5, 2023 8:40 AM CDT

Gender, race and finances for law school admittees examined in new report

In 2022, 70% of law school applicants received admissions offers, and men continue to be admitted at higher rates than women, according to a report released Tuesday by the AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit organization.

May 16, 2023 2:32 PM CDT

Plans for cutting admissions test requirement paused by ABA Legal Ed council

After receiving letters from various law school deans with concerns about cutting the Law School Admission Test requirement, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar on Friday walked back plans to go forward with the proposal in August.

May 12, 2023 2:28 PM CDT

Following methodology changes for US News rankings, 7 law schools reach top 100

With more weight now given to law school employment outcomes and first-time bar passage rates in U.S. News & World Report’s best graduate schools rankings, there was little movement among the top 10. But 14 schools outside that grouping saw significant position increases, the publication reports.

May 10, 2023 11:01 PM CDT