Key points:
- U.S. law school applicants rose 18% in 2025, the largest increase since 2002.
- Political polarization and a weak entry-level job market are fueling interest in law degrees.
- ABA-accredited law schools enrolled nearly 40,000 students in 2024.
- Employment rates for law graduates remain historically strong, bolstering law’s appeal.
Thousands of first-year law students are entering classrooms this fall after navigating the most competitive admissions cycle in more than two decades. Applications to U.S. law schools increased by 18% in 2025, marking the largest year-over-year growth since 2002, according to the Law School Admission Council data reported by Reuters. Nearly 76,600 people applied—an increase of 12,000 over the prior year—while American Bar Association-accredited schools enrolled about 40,000 students in 2024.
The surge is attributed to a mix of economic and political forces. Law school admissions consultant Mike Spivey described the spike as a convergence of factors: a tight job market for college graduates, strong employment outcomes for recent law graduates, and high-profile political battles placing law at the center of public debate. Early LSAT registration data suggest the trend could continue, with test-takers in late 2025 up by double digits compared to last year.
At the University of Michigan Law School, applications rose by 33%. “It’s a bunch of things coming together,” said senior assistant dean Sarah Zearfoss. At Berkeley Law, dean Erwin Chemerinsky pointed to Donald Trump’s second presidency as a significant driver, noting that many applicants want to protect civil liberties, environmental protections, and immigrant rights. Georgetown Law’s admissions dean Andy Cornblatt observed similar motivations, saying applicants “wanted to feel empowered, whether to fight the Trump agenda or defend it.”
While politics are a factor, Spivey argued that economic pressures may weigh more heavily. Federal Reserve Bank of New York data show the 2025 unemployment rate for recent college graduates was 5.3%, higher than the national average of 4%. More than 41% of graduates were underemployed. Against that backdrop, law degrees appear more secure: the National Association for Law Placement reported that 93.4% of 2024 law graduates secured jobs within 10 months, many at record salaries.
“New law graduates have been employed in record proportions, with median salaries that have broken records as well,” said Aaron Taylor, executive director of the AccessLex Center for Legal Education. Those outcomes reinforce law school as a durable investment, even as the broader job market falters. Admissions experts predict that applications will remain elevated in the coming years, with Spivey forecasting “three straight years of increase.”
