Law students are more diverse, face more debt than 20 years ago, new study says
Compared to 20 years ago, law students today are a more diverse group and more face student debt despite their career goals staying about the same, according to new research from Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research. (Image from Shutterstock)
Compared to 20 years ago, law students today are a more diverse group and more face student debt despite their career goals staying about the same, according to new research from Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research.
Released Nov. 19, 20 Years of LSSSE: Sharing Trends in Legal Education draws from surveys of nearly 86,000 law students at 150 law schools conducted in 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024. In spring 2024, the Law School Survey of Student Engagement survey was administered to 13,000 law students at 71 law schools.
Women now make up 60% of law school student bodies, up from 51% in 2004. In addition, over the past 20 years, the percentage of students in law school who were people of color has increased from 17% in 2004 to 32% in 2024, with much growth stemming from the numbers of multiracial and Latinx students. The percentage of students identifying as LGBTQ+ also increased, from 4% in 2009 to 17% in 2024.
Meanwhile, the percentage of students who expect to owe more than $100,000 in student loans has increased from 18% in 2004 to 36% in 2024.
Who faces that debt has shifted. While racial differences among students expecting to owe more than $100,000 were marginal 20 years ago, according to the report, today, 51% of Black students and 53% of Latinx students surveyed expect that level of debt, while 32% of white and Asian Americans do. When considering gender and race, 54% of Latinx women now claim that they will face $100,000 in student debt, the highest of any other group.
Notably, the percentage of law students planning to have no student loans upon graduation more than doubled over the past 20 years, with 11% in 2004 and 25% in 2024.
Expectations for employment after law school graduation remained consistent over the past two decades. About half of all students surveyed this year expect to join private law firms, and about 6% plan to work in public-interest law, echoing earlier surveys. Meanwhile, those planning to work in government increased slightly, from 26% in 2004 to 28% in 2024.
