The Competition to Get Into Law School Is Brutal This Year

Applications are surging as students seek stability in a difficult job market

By

Sara Randazzo

March 15, 2025 5:30 am ET

The University of Michigan Law School now has more applications than ever before.

A weakening white-collar job market and a contentious political climate are fueling interest in law school, leading to one of the most competitive years for would-be law students in recent memory.

The number of applicants to the nation’s nearly 200 law schools is up 20.5% compared with last year. Georgetown University Law Center alone received 14,000 applications to fill 650 spots, while the University of Michigan Law School now has more applications than at any point in its 166 years of existence.

When Michigan Law’s admissions dean, Sarah Zearfoss, shared the numbers with faculty members, “The whole room gasped,” she said.

The heightened competition is creating busy admissions offices and anxious candidates awaiting decisions. Some prospective law students are targeting dozens of schools to boost their chances, as the barriers to entry rise and institutions keep their options open with lengthy wait lists.

Law-school deans and applicants point to several possible reasons for this year’s surge, including economic forces, a recent public spotlight on the legal system, and changes to the law-school admission test.

The market for office jobs is slowing, with many laid-off workers in technology and other sectors struggling to find full-time work. Even some with M.B.A.s from top schools can’t quickly land a job.

Some prospective law students are targeting dozens of schools to boost their chances.

Many perceive law as a stable career and one more immune to AI advancements than other industries. The starting salary for lawyers at large corporate law firms has soared to $225,000, a number that lures many law-school applicants even though only a fraction of graduates land such jobs.

Popular law schools are heavily using wait lists to make sure there isn’t overenrollment. Some campuses now have tiered lists and “priority” groups that applicants liken to airline boarding, which can give them a better sense of where they stand.

For those on Georgetown Law’s three levels of wait lists, “The bad news is, you’ve applied during a year that’s the most competitive we’ve ever had,” said Andrew Cornblatt, the school’s dean of admissions. “The good news is, because it’s unpredictable, I think there will be some movement.”

Many hopefuls pore over online forums in which people share their credentials and admissions results, leading to detailed dissections of their odds of getting in.

“It’s probably not great for anyone’s mental health,” said Andreas Saint-Rouge, who has applied to 11 law schools since November and has been frustrated by the slow responses from most of them.

At Michigan Law, Zearfoss said she initially discounted the rise, thinking it would level off. Then, in November, she told faculty members that applications were up 30%. They were stunned. “I thought, oh, maybe this is a bigger deal than I thought,” she said.

Michigan Law’s admissions dean, Sarah Zearfoss, surprised faculty members with news that applications were up 30%.

Reading more than 8,900 applications to fill a class of around 320 enables her to look beyond top academic credentials to find those who will be happy living in Ann Arbor and strengthen the school community.

“I’m holding out for the people I think will be really good fits,” Zearfoss said. “I don’t always have the luxury of holding out for that.”

Law school applications often rise during recessions, such as in 2008 and 2009, or in the midst of a tough job market, as in 2021.

Election years commonly arouse more law-school interest. Some cite a second “Trump bump” as applicants follow high-profile legal battles, including over immigration and diversity policies.

Joshua Epstein originally intended to work for a few years before applying to law school, but he rushed his applications after President Trump took office. He witnessed what he perceives as government overreach from the administration and Elon Musk’s cuts to the federal workforce. “I’ve learned that you can protest all you want,” Epstein said, “but it’s the law that deters the government from abusing its power and protects people from losing their rights and freedoms.”

A swath of law-school applicants view the legal profession as a way to make a difference and champion issues they feel strongly about.

“Our applicant pool talks about doing good,” said Joshua Fershée, the dean of Creighton University School of Law in Nebraska, where applications are up 25%.

Nationwide, despite the surge, total current numbers still fall below historic peaks of the early 1990s and mid-2000s, when roughly 100,000 hopefuls sought admission. The Law School Admission Council has recorded almost 63,000 applicants so far, with most decisions completed by May when institutions request deposits.

A significant change to the application process also occurred this cycle, when LSAC removed an analytical reasoning section—known as logic games—from the Law School Admission Test after settling a discrimination lawsuit by blind test-takers. Some applicants thrived on the section while others feared it.

The University of Michigan Law School attracts thousands of applications.

Tyla Evans had almost abandoned her law-school ambitions after struggling with the logic games section. “When I found out they were changing the test, I was ecstatic,” said Evans, a 2023 George Washington University graduate. Her LSAT score jumped 15 to 20 points on the revised test, enabling a second round of applications. So far, she has received two sizable financial-aid offers and is waiting to hear from a few more schools.

Matthew Saleh, the head of admissions at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey, cautions against a repeat of 2021, when the influx of applicants led schools to enroll thousands more students.

“I’m worried about the overenrollment in this year’s class and the impact that’s going to have on these students’ futures three years down the line,” Saleh said. “There are just not enough jobs out there.”

Write to Sara Randazzo at sara.randazzo@wsj.com

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751637)

Lolwut

Anyways makes me proud I was one of the VERY SELECT FEW accepted by Georgetown University Law Center back in my day.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751641)

Joshua Epstein originally intended to work for a few years before applying to law school, but he rushed his applications after President Trump took office. He witnessed what he perceives as government overreach from the administration and Elon Musk’s cuts to the federal workforce. “I’ve learned that you can protest all you want,” Epstein said, “but it’s the law that deters the government from abusing its power and protects people from losing their rights and freedoms.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751644)

A significant change to the application process also occurred this cycle, when LSAC removed an analytical reasoning section—known as logic games—from the Law School Admission Test after settling a discrimination lawsuit by blind test-takers. Some applicants thrived on the section while others feared it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751647)

Tyla Evans had almost abandoned her law-school ambitions after struggling with the logic games section. “When I found out they were changing the test, I was ecstatic,” said Evans, a 2023 George Washington University graduate. Her LSAT score jumped 15 to 20 points on the revised test, enabling a second round of applications. So far, she has received two sizable financial-aid offers and is waiting to hear from a few more schools.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751762)

autistic phrasal adjective usage

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751654)

https://youtu.be/sEdZRqvdI-g?si=QTDFLNSTFjtaRvKL&t=243

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751698)

Hehe

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751659)

yeah, LLMs have little to offer when it comes to reading, summarizing or writing documents. lmao.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751798)

statement is true regardless of whether it refers to AI or attorneys with LLM degrees. can be read as sarcasm or a sincere statement depending on which one. 180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5694855&forum_id=2Elisa#48751819)