Dive Brief:
- Incoming students at Brooklyn Law School will be eligible for a generous protection after graduation if they don’t find full-time jobs.
- The school is now offering a 15% tuition reimbursement that would cover out-of-pocket expenses paid by students still jobless after a nine-month search that included consultations with the school’s career services team.
- Brooklyn Law School’s latest incentive comes after it lowered tuition by 15%, recognizing the high cost was scaring prospective students away.
Dive Insight:
The New York Times reports that Brooklyn Law School will cost an average of $42,237 per year for students entering this year. Its total 2014-15 enrollment was 1,117 students. Law schools have collectively seen plummeting enrollment thanks to a recession that put many of their graduates out of work and forced prospective students to think twice about the industry. The schools have responded by offering buyouts to faculty, cutting tuition, and offering incentives to graduates. Besides Brooklyn Law’s strategy, other schools have offered various fellowships to graduates, guaranteeing them some income after graduation, while they’re still competing for jobs. At least one law professor finds a reason for optimism in the current environment, saying enrollment is on the verge of a recovery after hitting rock bottom.