Dive Brief:
- The number of students enrolled in American law schools dropped 6.9% in 2014, to 119,775, the American Bar Association reported.
- The 2014 enrollment figure is 17.5% below 2010's all-time high and the lowest since 1982, when there were 169 ABA-approved schools — compared to 204 today.
- First-year enrollment was 37,924, down 4.4% from 2013 and 27.7% from the 2010 peak.
Dive Insight:
The declining student enrollment — especially for first-year students — raises questions about when some law schools, especially those considered on the lower tier, will be forced to close. The ABA report says that nearly two-thirds of the law schools reported first-year student enrollment declines, with 64 schools reporting a decline of at least 10% and 25 reporting declines of more than 20%.