Elections, economy and social issues inspire 22.9% jump in law school applications
More people are applying to law schools, and the rise can be attributed to the 2024 elections, an unstable economy and a focus on social issues, experts say.
Applications to ABA-accredited law schools are up 22.9% compared to last year, while the number of applicants has grown 19.5% to 71,065, according to the Law School Admission Council’s latest tally for the 2025 admissions cycle.
Three drivers—the elections, financial instability and geopolitical events—are inspiring more people to go to law school, says Mike Spivey, founder and CEO of Spivey Consulting.
“The usual trifecta that propels people to go to law school is on steroids right now, leading people in much higher numbers to apply to law school,” says Spivey.
The admissions cycle started off with a bang, with applications up a whopping 35% in December 2024 compared to that same period the previous year. That was attributed, in part, to the delay in the previous year’s applications cycle as many law schools adjusted their application process following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning affirmative action and a jump in the number students taking the LSAT ahead of the “logic games” being removed.
Spivey attributes 10% to 20% of this year’s increase to the 2024 elections. “With the election being so dynamic with the late switch to Harris from Biden and with Harris having her legal background, that all heightened interest in the law, as did the Trump campaign’s platform.”
Susan L. Krinsky says she was worried there would be a chilling effect after the affirmative action decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, “but it appears that there has not been.” (Photo courtesy of the Law School Admission Council)Susan L. Krinsky, the LSAC’s interim president, agrees that the bump stems from many factors. “Yes, it was an election year, but much more than that is just the number of issues over the last couple of years, legal issues that become social issues, social issues that can become legal issues,” she adds. “A law degree is an opportunity to get involved.”
Spivey estimates that 8% to 20% of the increase is inspired by economics, as people without jobs or steady income contemplate their next moves as they face “an incredibly stagnant entry-level job market, the threat of elimination of millions of government workers, steadfast inflation, the shake-up with tariffs and a very possible recession looming.”
Meanwhile, about 2% of the increase can be pointed to events like geopolitical conflicts, domestic civil rights protests and natural disasters, Spivey says. “Add the huge influence that social media is making in hitting people with information 24/7, people are paying attention and listening to perspectives they didn’t have access to like this before,” he adds. “It wakes up a level of urgency to gain the qualifications and skills to make things right.”
The trend can be traced back to a jump in LSAT test takers beginning in February 2024, Krinsky noted. An extra day was added to the June administration of the LSAT last year to accommodate the increase in demand. In addition, registration for November’s test had 33,103 registered test-takers, up from 23,798 a year earlier, according to the LSAC.
Applications to law schools in the Great Lakes region grew the most, up 29.4%, with all states in the region. The Northwest followed, up 28.7%, with New England close behind with 28.1%, according to the LSAC figures.
However, increases in applications at ABA-accredited schools are nearly universal among the 197 schools, with only five reporting decreases and three posting no change in applications at all.
The increase in the number of men applying was 20.5%, while the number of woman applicants grew 18.9%. The number of applicants not indicating their gender grew 32.2%, the tally shows.
Some racial subgroups saw increases outpacing the overall increase. The number of African-American applicants rose 25.8%, for instance, according to the LSAC data.
After the 2023 affirmative action ban on admissions, “one of the things we were worried about was that there would be this chilling effect,” Krinsky says, “but it appears that there has not been.”
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
