Law Schools

Law School Enrollment Is Up For The First Time In Nearly A Decade

The Trump bump is real, and young students who want change in America are heading to law school.

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Law school enrollment has been on the decline ever since prospective students realized that contrary to public opinion, a law degree wasn’t an outright guarantee for extravagant riches and job opportunities galore. Overall J.D. enrollment peaked in 2010 at 147,525 students and has dropped precipitously since then, with just 110,183 J.D. students enrolled in 2017 — the lowest it’s been in over 40 years, and a 25.3 percent decrease since J.D. enrollment reached its height seven years ago. In that time, some law schools have been forced to conduct layoffs and some have even closed, but with law school applicants up by eight percent this year — the first significant increase in the overall applicant pool since 2010 — law deans have been hopeful that J.D. enrollment would see some improvement too.

The American Bar Association has finally released enrollment data for Fall 2018, and we’re happy to announce that overall enrollment is up for the first time in nearly a decade. Total J.D. enrollment is now at 111,561, an increase of 1.2 percent from 2017.

(Photo via Derek Mueller / Excess of Democracy)

The good news for law schools doesn’t end there. First-year law student enrollment is up as well, having increased by 2.9 percent since 2017 to 38,390, the largest 1L class since 2013. In fact, more than 100 law schools reported an increase (or no change) in their 1L class sizes since last fall. Law deans must be absolutely thrilled.

(Photo via Derek Mueller / Excess of Democracy)

These enrollment increases further solidify the theory that the law school “Trump bump” isn’t an alternative fact, it’s real — even if it seems to be humble (unlike the president himself). Policy changes made by the Trump administration have prompted college graduates to consider legal careers, and with at least two more years of this presidency to go, we may well see additional enrollment increases in the future.

Students who want positive changes to be made in America are heading to law school. Debt loads aside, there’s no real way to see this as a bad thing. Nice work, everyone! All it took a perversion of the rule of law to inspire people to go to law school. Yay…

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2018 Standard 509 Information Report Data Overview [American Bar Association]
Law school JD enrollment inches upward as non-JD enrollment continues to soar [Excess of Democracy]

Staci ZaretskyStaci 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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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