How Many Law School Applicants Per Year?

Law school admission can be one of the most daunting educational endeavors. With the average acceptance rate being 41% at law schools and Stanford and Yale having average acceptance rates as low as 12.6%, entering law school may prove challenging.

Successful applicants typically boast high GPA and LSAT scores, in addition to being adept at managing their time well and keeping pace with fast-paced courses.

The number of applicants

Law school applicants have seen a decrease since 2021. LSAC has tracked applicant volume throughout admissions cycles and released summary data on every law school’s applications – rising at 43 schools while decreasing at 152.

Application volumes within the highest score bands have experienced an appreciable decrease since last year; particularly applicants in the 165 and higher range who submitted applications up through Dec 19 were down 9.8% and 17.4% from their peak levels. These figures reflect all received applications up until that point in time.

However, application volume in the lowest score band has actually seen an uptick–though not significantly so–concurrent with an uptick in first-time LSAT test-takers; an increase which LSAC attributes to an overall shift in applicant pool demographics.

Importantly, these statistics only account for first-time applicants to law schools – thus not accurately reflecting the true student body at each law school. As a result, actual enrollment numbers will likely be much lower; nonetheless, these data demonstrate that many prospective law students still want to attend law school, regardless of concerns over legal job markets.

One factor contributing to this change is applicants being influenced by social justice movements. This has caused some applicants to apply to non-ABA-approved law schools with lower bar passage rates and no disclosure of employment outcome data, yet the vast majority of law students graduate and secure jobs after attending them.

Another challenge lies in the increase of stringency of the application process. Now more applicants must provide detailed personal statements, submit letters of recommendation, and complete writing samples to apply to law schools – but doing so helps law schools gain a better insight into each applicant’s background.

Even though law school applications can be more competitive than ever, it still pays to submit your application. In order to be admitted into an elite law school, having both an exceptional GPA and LSAT score are crucial. Furthermore, an application with no flaws should also be carefully constructed before submission.

The number of accepted applicants

Law school admissions can be fiercely competitive, but with hard work you can land yourself a top law school. A number of factors will come into play here including your LSAT performance and GPA; to maximize your chances of admissions success it is wise to start practicing extensively as early in the admissions process as possible while taking the LSAT repeatedly until you achieve success or have failed it completely – that way if there are problems you have the chance to retake and improve upon previous attempts.

It appears that law school applications are down this year, though its duration remains uncertain. According to data compiled by LSAC comparing applications received for 2024 enrollment cycles through December 19, which typically shows a 1.5% decrease across law schools as an overall trend, though individual law schools’ numbers can fluctuate widely depending on how closely their applications reflect trends at other institutions.

This year, over 71,000 individuals applied to law schools – an increase of 13 percent over last year’s application cycle and the highest total seen since 2009. While some applicants will be accepted into law school programs, others may decline or defer. Law schools must accept only certain students to maintain comfortable student-faculty ratios; as a result, only certain numbers can be accepted each year.

Overall, this trend can only be seen as beneficial. The United States desperately requires a more diverse pool of lawyers; however, pumping out more graduates has not proven an effective solution; in fact, due to current economic climate law school demographics have seen changes as high-earning potential lawyers opt out of Biglaw for lucrative business gigs instead.

Although enrollment at ABA-approved law schools has remained steady over time, applicants remain worried about legal jobs in the future. To make smart decisions when applying to law schools and make your applications stand out among competitors it is crucial that applicants become aware of prevailing median GPA and LSAT scores at target schools.

The number of waitlisted applicants

Law school waitlists can be distressing for applicants. However, it’s important to remember that being placed on a waitlist doesn’t guarantee acceptance into any school; many waitlisted individuals won’t receive seat offers and may even lose out on scholarship money as many schools use scholarships as an incentive for accepting admission offers.

Waitlisted applicants vary year to year depending on seat availability; law schools only admit certain numbers into each class, using waitlists as yield protection measures to control class enrollment levels and manage enrollment growth – an essential aspect of law school admissions process.

Applications to law schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) spiked during the pandemic, but have since decreased dramatically. According to LSAC’s volume summaries, this cycle is less competitive than last year and could possibly reflect changes introduced by the ABA which could alter law school application experiences and potentially affect numbers of applications submitted.

This year has seen an alarming decline in black and Hispanic applicants to colleges across the U.S. This could be linked to Trump administration anti-immigration policies or simply political turmoil and social movements energizing students – either way it represents a downward trend for diversity that will likely take years to reverse.

If you are on a law school waitlist, it is crucial that you maintain contact with the admissions office and submit updated materials. By doing this, it will show your enthusiasm for attending and demonstrate seriousness about attending. Submitting letters of recommendation may help distinguish you from other waitlisted candidates.

As well as keeping in touch with the admissions office, it is also crucial that you remain flexible and patient. Law schools typically do not respond until later in summer if at all. Furthermore, being on a waitlist doesn’t guarantee scholarship opportunities since most law schools give priority consideration for top candidates who apply first.

The number of accepted students

As law school admissions become more competitive, students seek ways to increase their chances of acceptance. A well-rounded application, including strong GPA and LSAT score as well as an impressive personal statement is often key in this regard; additionally some schools take extracurricular activities, work experience or unique courses of study into account when reviewing applications.

The 2022 class was the most diverse ever seen at law schools, with women making up 55% of matriculants. Yet gender disparity has grown wider since 2018: female applicants now outstrip male applications for law school enrollment by 2:1 and it appears this trend will only become more pronounced going forward.

Overall law school applications remain relatively steady this year, although there may be signs of decline. Some of this decrease can be attributed to COVID-19 deferment cycle requirements while other causes include international student applications declining significantly – either way the overall number will likely be much smaller than previous years.

Admissions committees seek to admit as many qualified students as possible; however, each school has a maximum enrollment limit that varies based on factors like physical space and faculty availability as well as how many applicants decline or defer their acceptance or fail to pay fees; those not admitted will remain on a waitlist until places open up.

On a yearly basis, the American Bar Association publishes median LSAT scores for all 196 of their approved law schools. This figure represents the average of students enrolling in full-time JD programs. Other factors, such as undergraduate GPA and standardized test scores are taken into consideration when evaluating applicants.

In 2022, the average LSAT score for the incoming class of 2022 was 158.5; this represents a decrease from its predecessor and higher than the decade average of 151; partly owing to the large number of first-time test-takers who achieved scores above 160 for their test attempts in 2022.