Donations, Deans and Dwindling Enrollment: The Year in Law Schools
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Here are 10 of The National Law Journal’s top stories on law schools and legal education in 2015.
Law School Enrollment Slumps 5 Percent
Enrollment in the nation’s law schools dropped nearly 5 percent in 2015, including a slump by 2.2 percent in first-year class sizes, according to data provided by the American Bar Association. Although total enrollment for Juris Doctor degrees is down by nearly 6,000 to 113,900 this year, total first-year matriculation is more of a mixed bag. Ninety-seven schools reported same or increased first-year classes compared with last year’s 69 schools, while 107 schools reported decreased first-year enrollment compared to 127 last year.
Bar Exam Pass Rates Drop Across the Country
Bar exam passage rates sank in several big states, indicating a drop in the qualifications of students amid fewer law school applications. Pass rates in California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania all came in lower for the July 2015 exam. “As demand for law schools has dropped over the last few years, law schools, as a result, have been admitting and graduating less-qualified students,” said Derek Muller, an associate professor at Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California.
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