For the past eight months, my days have consisted of researching law schools and scholarships, writing personal statements, submitting applications, preparing for interviews and taking tours.
I anticipated that I’d be stressed and probably lose sleep. What I didn’t anticipate was just how competitive applying to law schools would be — and how a soft job market and even President Donald Trump’s return to office might raise the bar for admissions.
I had spoken with friends and law school graduates about what to expect and spent time lurking on online forums to see what strangers’ experiences had been like. I learned that the prior cycle had been more competitive than usual. That was the start of an emerging trend.
This year, law school applications are growing by the thousands.
What the growth looks like
By October, applicant numbers were running 33% ahead of the previous year’s pace. Through April, the total applicant pool had grown roughly 10% year over year, with 7,000 more people competing for the same number of spots. Applications are up about 31% from two years ago and 38% from three years ago.
Those are some staggering increases. As applicants, we felt the effects.
With a bigger pool of prospective students, admissions officers have increased their standards. The median GPA and LSAT scores for law schools increased.
The moving targets add one more layer of uncertainty to an already stressful process.
As applicants, we create our list of schools partly based on where we would be strong candidates. But medians change — and if applicants submit early before schools release updated data, there’s a chance you’re applying to schools where your stats are no longer as competitive.
I applied to most programs before the holiday season and heard back from a select few in less than a month, while others took longer. In the months it took to get all my decisions back, I checked my inbox constantly in hopes of good news. Thankfully, many schools were transparent about how it might take longer to render decisions due to the higher volume of applications.
What’s causing the increase?
Experts have a few ideas about what’s driving growth.
Over 41% of recent college graduates are underemployed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning they are underutilizing their skills or degrees at work. When the job market is soft, it’s typical for people to consider returning to school.
There may be other factors. Political upheavals and legal changes might be inspiring renewed interest in law school.
Test-prep company Kaplan conducted a survey of admissions officers, more than half of whom said politics played a major role in the increase. Constitutional law and civil rights are prominent national legal topics, perhaps prompting students to apply, one admissions officer said.
There’s also the so-called Trump bump, in which law school applications increase because of the president. Some admissions officers attribute this rise to students who feel politically activated. The bump was present during Trump’s first term as well.
One admissions consultant attributed part of the surge to mass layoffs at federal agencies, which may have prompted fired workers to pursue law.
A common trend
Law schools aren’t alone. MBA and some medical programs are seeing application boosts, too.
The Graduate Management Admission Council found a 13% spike in applications to two-year MBA programs last year, with growth continuing this year. That was especially true for in-person programs, suggesting that the shift away from remote work might have been a contributing factor.
The Association of American Medical Colleges recently saw enrollment reach an all-time high at American MD-granting schools. Physician assistant programs are seeing strong application and matriculation growth projections, along with nursing schools. New federal loan caps under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act might change things moving forward, though.
An uncertain job market coupled with political and legal chaos has so far proven to be a recipe for competitive law school admission cycles. With some law schools increasing their class sizes to take in more students, there’s a chance we could see similar, growing competition in the legal job market in the years to come.
For now, I’ll gladly savor the serenity of a completed application cycle.
Contact IndyStar opinion fellow Sadia Khatri at sadia.khatri@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Law schools are booming. Getting in feels harder than ever. | Opinion
Reporting by Sadia Khatri, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
