Law School Admissions Minority Report
What's up with law school admissions? Not minority admissions.
A report on national law school admissions trends that came from collaboration between the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) and the Lawyering in the Digital Age Clinic at the Columbia University School of Law suggests that even though law school capacities have increased in the past 15 years the trend for admission of Mexican-American and African-American students has taken the opposite trend.
Breaking down the minority admissions numbers...
The report suggests that the number of African Americans and Mexican Americans that have been applying to law school over the past 15 years has remained fairly steady. And that law schools today accept 3000 more first year students than they did 15 years ago. But, just in case you have your calculator out, the report notes a 7.5% proportional decrease in African Americans and 11.7% decrease in Mexican Americans enrolling in law school.
More ups and downs than a roller coaster
The report also suggests that the shut out rate, i.e. rate at which applicants do not receive admission to any law school they apply to, is higher amongst these minority populations.
What's a law school to do?
The website for the survey does not leave a law school hanging in the midst of unsettling minority admissions numbers. It outlines steps that law school admissions programs can take to build diversity.
Related Resources:
- Law School Admissions Lag Among Minorities (New York Times)
- Study: As U.S. Grows More Diverse, Law Student Population Whitens (Wall Street Journal Blogs)
- Stacking Up Law School to Other Grad Programs (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Movie Review: "A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar..." (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- LSAT, Anyone? (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)