In a year that’s been full of surprises, what may be the biggest surprise of all is the sudden interest people now have in going to law school. Law school applicants aren’t just up, they’re way up. According to LSAC, thus far, there’s been a 23.7 percent increase in law school applicants nationally (i.e., ~9,000 more applicants), and all those applicants have been busy, accounting for a 28% increase in filed applications nationwide (i.e., ~70,000 more applications). In fact, in some states, law schools are being “flooded” with applicants — with some schools seeing a 50% increase in applicants.
Take, for example, Pennsylvania, the state where the U.S. Constitution was signed by the Framers. As noted by the Legal Intelligencer, the eight law schools in the Keystone State have seen a 25% increase in applications compared to last year. Whaddaya know, it’s like people suddenly have an interest in law and justice during a time when the rule of law seems like it may be in grave jeopardy.
So, which Pennsylvania law schools are seeing a noted increase in applicants? The Legal Intelligencer has the details:
Three law schools in the state are reporting increases in applications of at least 50%: Drexel University’s Kline School of Law, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Two schools reported application growth between 40% to 49%, including Duquesne University’s Kline School of Law; one school reported growth between 20% and 29% year over year, and an additional two reported increases between 10% and 19%.
Only one school reported a net decrease in applications of 50% or more, a dip that can potentially be attributed to the consolidation at Penn State Dickinson Law. A Penn State representative declined to comment on the school’s enrollment numbers.
Dean Daniel Filler of Drexel University Kline School of Law is seeing a lot of similarities in this application cycle to Trump’s first go-round in the White House. “It’s similar to eight or nine years ago, the law really feels important right now within society,” he said. “In moments when the law feels really steady, it’s unclear how much influence the rule of law has in the life of a 20-year-old. With these dramatic shifts [right now], for students and young adults, the law really frames the nature of their freedoms and their choices. A world like that sends more people to law school because they want to have a voice.”
It’s nice to “have a voice” when it seems like democracy may be at stake, but what could be at stake for these would-be lawyers’ careers? Matthew Saleh, senior associate dean for enrollment management and financial aid at Rutgers Law School has some thoughts on that.
“My concern is going to be if what happened in 2021 rears its ugly face again,” Saleh said. “2021 had a huge uptick in application volume. If schools are still admitting in a similar fashion as they did last year and admitting more students … If schools are not being as responsive as what’s happening in the market right now, they might over-enroll classes, like in 2021, where you saw huge upticks in enrollment. My big fear is the schools enroll larger classes, but the legal market isn’t going to increase the number of jobs.”
“If the job market isn’t going to grow to compensate for the larger number of graduates in 2028, what are schools going to do to respond to that need?” Saleh asked. “Will schools start steering those students into different jobs?”
Over-enrollment should be a huge concern, especially during a time when there’s a government hiring freeze with an end date yet to be determined. How will the market respond to a glut of lawyers? Does anyone remember the “lost generation” of lawyers who graduated in 2010, and went on to have some of the worst employment outcomes on record? We definitely don’t want another repeat of that, but it sure is nice to see how many people have an eye on the law when it desperately needs a helping hand.
Best of luck this law school application cycle, because this could get pretty competitive!
Pennsylvania Law Schools Are Seeing Double-Digit Boosts in 2025 Applications [Legal Intelligencer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post Law Schools Applications Are Up, Which Means That Students Need To Be Admitted Responsibly appeared first on Above the Law.
In a year that’s been full of surprises, what may be the biggest surprise of all is the sudden interest people now have in going to law school. Law school applicants aren’t just up, they’re way up. According to LSAC, thus far, there’s been a 23.7 percent increase in law school applicants nationally (i.e., ~9,000 more applicants), and all those applicants have been busy, accounting for a 28% increase in filed applications nationwide (i.e., ~70,000 more applications). In fact, in some states, law schools are being “flooded” with applicants — with some schools seeing a 50% increase in applicants.
Take, for example, Pennsylvania, the state where the U.S. Constitution was signed by the Framers. As noted by the Legal Intelligencer, the eight law schools in the Keystone State have seen a 25% increase in applications compared to last year. Whaddaya know, it’s like people suddenly have an interest in law and justice during a time when the rule of law seems like it may be in grave jeopardy.
So, which Pennsylvania law schools are seeing a noted increase in applicants? The Legal Intelligencer has the details:
Three law schools in the state are reporting increases in applications of at least 50%: Drexel University’s Kline School of Law, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Two schools reported application growth between 40% to 49%, including Duquesne University’s Kline School of Law; one school reported growth between 20% and 29% year over year, and an additional two reported increases between 10% and 19%.
Only one school reported a net decrease in applications of 50% or more, a dip that can potentially be attributed to the consolidation at Penn State Dickinson Law. A Penn State representative declined to comment on the school’s enrollment numbers.
Dean Daniel Filler of Drexel University Kline School of Law is seeing a lot of similarities in this application cycle to Trump’s first go-round in the White House. “It’s similar to eight or nine years ago, the law really feels important right now within society,” he said. “In moments when the law feels really steady, it’s unclear how much influence the rule of law has in the life of a 20-year-old. With these dramatic shifts [right now], for students and young adults, the law really frames the nature of their freedoms and their choices. A world like that sends more people to law school because they want to have a voice.”
It’s nice to “have a voice” when it seems like democracy may be at stake, but what could be at stake for these would-be lawyers’ careers? Matthew Saleh, senior associate dean for enrollment management and financial aid at Rutgers Law School has some thoughts on that.
“My concern is going to be if what happened in 2021 rears its ugly face again,” Saleh said. “2021 had a huge uptick in application volume. If schools are still admitting in a similar fashion as they did last year and admitting more students … If schools are not being as responsive as what’s happening in the market right now, they might over-enroll classes, like in 2021, where you saw huge upticks in enrollment. My big fear is the schools enroll larger classes, but the legal market isn’t going to increase the number of jobs.”
“If the job market isn’t going to grow to compensate for the larger number of graduates in 2028, what are schools going to do to respond to that need?” Saleh asked. “Will schools start steering those students into different jobs?”
Over-enrollment should be a huge concern, especially during a time when there’s a government hiring freeze with an end date yet to be determined. How will the market respond to a glut of lawyers? Does anyone remember the “lost generation” of lawyers who graduated in 2010, and went on to have some of the worst employment outcomes on record? We definitely don’t want another repeat of that, but it sure is nice to see how many people have an eye on the law when it desperately needs a helping hand.
Best of luck this law school application cycle, because this could get pretty competitive!
Pennsylvania Law Schools Are Seeing Double-Digit Boosts in 2025 Applications [Legal Intelligencer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
