George Washington Law School Applications Jump 9%, Thanks To A 'Trump Bump'?

The GW Hatchet, Law School Application Numbers Rise With Waived Fees, ‘Trump Bump’:

Applications to the law school jumped up by 9 percent for this year’s admissions cycle as the school received the second largest number of applications nationwide, a law school spokeswoman said last week.

A 9-percent increase means more than 7,500 students applied to the law school this year – up from about 6,900 a year ago and the largest pool since 2011. Faculty and experts said the school’s decision to waive its application fee coupled with President Donald Trump’s administration sparking an increased interest in law, likely contributed to the increase. ...

The law school ... dropped its $80 application fee this admission cycle for the first time. John Banzhaf, a public interest law professor, said the fee waiver was likely the biggest driver of the increase in applications. “If they can do it on the cheap then they have a better chance of applying to that school,” he said about potential law students. Banzhaf said it was possible that resistance to Trump has created a greater interest in legal professions. After Trump signed his first executive order banning immigration from several Middle Eastern countries, immigration lawyers flocked to airports to represent those who had been detained entering the U.S.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Will Donald Trump Solve The Law School Crisis? (Feb. 2, 2017)
• Is Donald Trump Making Law School Great Again? (Feb. 17, 2017)
• The Atticus Finch Effect: Has Donald Trump Made Attorneys (And Law Schools) Popular Again? (Feb. 23, 2017)
• Brooklyn Dean: Donald Trump Is Causing A Legal Education Renaissance, Just As Woodward & Bernstein Inspired A Generation To Pursue Journalism Careers (Feb. 25, 2017)
• Will Law Schools Experience A Late 'Trump Bump' This Admissions Cycle? (Mar. 21, 2017)