Which law schools had the biggest drops in enrollment?
Eighteen law schools had enrollment declines of more than 30 percent in the last three years.
The two schools with the biggest drops are the University of La Verne, with a 66.2 percent drop, and Cooley Law School, with a 40.6 percent decline, National Jurist reports. The Careerist and Above the Law noted the story.
The University of La Verne saw a drop in enrollment after losing ABA accreditation in 2011, the National Jurist says. It now has provisional approval, but its enrollment numbers are still suffering.
Paul Zelenski, associate dean of enrollment and student services at Cooley Law School, told National Jurist that Cooley has seen a drop in both applications and enrollment, like most if not all law schools, and the decline was anticipated. He said the lower numbers were spurred by the economic downturn and negative attitudes toward the legal profession.
The median law school had an enrollment decline of 10.8 percent. The National Jurist examined 196 law schools for its study.
The law schools with enrollment declines above 35 percent were:
University of La Verne (down 66.2%)
Cooley Law School (down 40.6%)
Catholic University (down 39.5%)
New York Law School (down 38.7%)
University of Dayton (down 38.5%)
Pacific McGeorge (down 38.4%)
Widener University-Harrisburg (down 36.9%)
