Law Schools

Law School Overenrollment Is An Even Bigger Problem Than We Feared

This is unlikely to be the end of this story.

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This law school cycle is turning out to be epic. We already know this is the most competitive law school application cycle we’ve seen with a veritable run on applications this year — good ole’ law school is a time honored place to wait out an economic downturn. Some law schools responded to the glut of quality applications with strict deposit guidelines, but others resorted to encouraging deferrals.

We’ve previously reported that some elite law schools were owning up to the over enrollment, but, as predicted, the problem is even wider spread, like at University of Texas School of Law Austin. UT told admitted students that they’re overenrolled (the email is available here) for the class of 2024. By how much the law school is overenrolled is up in the air, at least until more deposits are due. They also let admits know that if folks opted to defer, their seat/scholarship would be available for the following year (hint, hint).

A spokesperson from UT provided the following statement about over enrollment:

Like many law schools nationwide, The University of Texas School of Law saw a marked increase in applications and interest this admissions cycle; and our increased number of deposits reflects this. We have communicated with our deposited students about our enrollment ahead of their upcoming deadline. Whatever the size of our class ends up being, we are prepared and eager to welcome them in the fall.

They aren’t the only law school feeling the impact of a larger than normal applicant pool. Bianca Mack, UNC School of Law Associate Dean for Equity, Admissions, and Student Affairs, had this to say about enrollment at that school:

“We expect to enroll a slightly larger class than originally targeted because our application volume and applicant yield were both higher than usual.”

Duke Law is another top law school that’s telling the class of 2024 things might be a smidge crowded come the fall. They’re also keeping the deferral option on the table for the incoming class. An admissions office representative told Above the Law the following about the situation:

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This year’s application cycle has been extraordinarily competitive, with a 30% increase in the number of candidates submitting applications to law schools nationwide. Duke’s application pool increased by 46% over last year. Due to both the size and strength of our applicant pool, we reduced the actual number of offers of admission. However, a larger percentage of admitted applicants accepted their offers (perhaps due to, among other factors, the school’s employment success which helped secure a #1 ranking in Above the Law’s 2020 Top 50) and we expect Duke Law’s incoming class will  be larger than in recent years (last year, for example, we enrolled 239 first-year students.) We recently provided our incoming students with an update on the class, and a few options in case any students would prefer to enroll next year. Of course, we are quite confident that every student will receive the usual high-quality education, whether they decide to join us this year or next.

And I am certain we’re going to hear from more law schools with more law students than they want as we move through the summer. But remember, the situation is fluid. Take UC Irvine School of Law. In mid-May UCI sent a email to prospective students currently on the wait list, informing them the law school was over enrolled. But, by the time the second deposit deadline passed the enrollment seems to have right-sized itself, and a rep told Above the Law, “At this time we are right on track to meet our admissions goals.”

Given that volatility, this is a story we’ll be keeping an eye on right until folks show up for classes. So, if you know of other law schools are overextended when it comes to the incoming class of 2024, drop us a line. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477).

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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