Why Philly-area law schools are seeing more applicants
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Philly-area law schools have seen a huge spike in applicants this year.
The big picture: Observers say more people paying attention to the courts and law in this presidential transition year, plus changes to the LSAT exam, have encouraged more applicants.
- Applications to nearly 200 law schools nationwide have jumped 20.5% compared with last year, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Zoom in: Some reasons hit closer to home, school officials tell Axios.
- Pennsylvania was one of the states with the most lawyers in 2024. So Philly is a great landing spot for newly minted members of the bar because of its vibrant mix of corporate and public-sector jobs.
State of play: Temple's Beasley School of Law has had about 2,900 applicants — a 38% increase from last year — for roughly 220 seats. A large slice are first-generation college grads and students of color, dean Rachel Rebouché tells Axios.
- Plus, it has the No. 4 part-time law school program in the country — an attractive option for people with established careers looking to make a change.
Drexel's Thomas R. Kline School of Law, one of the region's smaller law schools, has received more than 2,300 applications — up 42.6% from last year, law school dean Daniel Filler tells Axios. The school admitted about 550 students so far this year and expects to have a class size of about 160 in the fall.
- Drexel's reputation has surged nationally since graduating its inaugural class in 2009, Filler says, with many students now turning down offers from Philly's heavy hitters to become a Dragon.
What they're saying: "At moments like this, we see law and the courts and lawyers on center stage," Filler says. "That gets a lot of people thinking, if they want to make an impact in the world, then law … is a path that's a pretty obvious way to do that."
Rutgers Law School had about 4,300 applicants this cycle, a 25% increase over last year. It admits about 430 students for its full-time and part-time students at its Newark and Camden campuses, dean Matt Saleh tells Axios.
- He says people often go back to school during economic downturns to firm up their credentials for when the economy rebounds.
The University of Pennsylvania didn't return Axios' request for comment.
Between the lines: Some law-school hopefuls also say that the removal of the logic games section from the LSAT this cycle helped raise their scores, leading to more applicants.
- Temple now accepts the GRE in place of the LSAT.