Law Schools

Elite Law Schools Welcome Record-Breaking Diversity In Their 1L Classes

This is one thing we can actually thank the pandemic for -- without sarcasm.

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The pandemic is not what anyone would have wanted. One silver lining was it forced us to get really creative and we had some excellent results.

— Kristi Jobson, Harvard Law’s assistant dean for admissions, commenting on the school’s push to make incoming student diversity a priority during the pandemic years. Through virtual recruiting events, Harvard Law was able to reach a high number of prospective students from underrepresented groups. Jobson reports that 56% of the J.D. class of 2024 are students of color (up from 47% a year ago) and 54% of the new class are women.

Diversity has increased at numerous T14 law schools. At Yale, students of color make up 54% of the incoming class (up from 52%), and women comprise 51% of the class. With 36% students of color and 51% women, UVA Law just welcomed its most diverse class on record. At UC Berkeley, 53% of first-year students are people of color and 62% of them are women. Duke Law’s 1Ls are 37% students of color (up from 33%), and 53% of them are women. Michigan’s entering students are also 37% people of color (up from 36%) and 49% of them are women.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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