Legal Education Data Deck

AccessLex prepares the Legal Education Data Deck for the use of the legal education community, policymakers, and others interested in the latest law student trends organized around our three driving principles: access, affordability, and value. The Data Deck is a living document that is updated periodically, and we are happy to announce the most recent version is now available. The updated deck illustrates snapshots and trends on law school applications, admissions, enrollment, and more. Notable updates include the following:

• Admission rates differ markedly by race and ethnicity and, to a lesser extent, by gender. In 2024, 79% of White law school applicants received at least one offer of admission compared to 45% of Black applicants. Meanwhile, 68% of female applicants were admitted compared to 72% of male applicants.
• Overreliance on LSAT score in admissions may contribute to differences in acceptance rate by race and ethnicity. While more than 40% of White and Asian applicants attain LSAT scores of 160 or higher, less than 20% of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native applicants do the same.
• Black and Hispanic students withdraw from law school at disproportionate rates compared to their White peers. These students comprised 22% of first-year enrollment in the entering class of 2023-24 and 33% of non-transfer attrition after the 1L year. In the same year, White students comprised 58% of the entering class and only 47% of non-transfer attrition.
• Conditional scholarships, which offer greater access to law school but can be rescinded based on subsequent academic performance, are becoming increasingly rare. In 2023, 19% of all entering students received conditional scholarships. This represents the lowest share of all matriculants since 2011. Moreover, 29% of these scholarships were rescinded in 2023, the highest share since 2015. 
• Black and Hispanic/Latine law students are awarded financial aid packages with a lower proportion of institutional grants than their White and Asian peers. Institutional grants make up 11% of the average financial aid awarded to Black students and 16% of the average aid awarded to Hispanic/Latine students, falling well below the overall average of 31%. 

The data contained herein exists thanks to the work of the Law School Admission Council, the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the National Association for Law Placement, the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Department of Labor. We thank these and other organizations for making such data available.

AccessLex Institute uses these data as the basis for the presentation, analysis, and commentary contained herein, and takes sole responsibility for the quality and accuracy of such presentation, analysis, and commentary.