ABA 509 Report Data: Applications

Following up on my previous posts on the ABA's release of the 509 reports for every law school (links below): Mike Spivey, An In-Depth Analysis of the 2019 Law School Admissions & Entering Class Data:

It's also worth noting the small decline in applications last cycle defied the overall increase in applicants.

88 schools saw an increase in the number of applicants, while 112 saw a decline in the number of applicants.

It's not immediately clear what caused this decline in the number of applications submitted by each applicant, which went from 6.37 to 6.08. Generally we would have expected that applicants, in the wake of 2017-2018's competitive cycle, would apply more widely to give themselves the best possible chance of a desirable outcome. It's possible that increased application and LSAC fees deterred applicants from applying as broadly as they had the prior cycle. It could also be a random fluctuation. Thus far this cycle the trend has reversed, and applications per applicant have increased. We'll see how things look at the end of the year.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Keith Lee, 2019 ABA Law School Disclosure Reports (Stats + Graphs)
• Jerry Organ (St. Thomas), 2019 Transfer Data Show Continued Decline In Number And Percentage Of Transfers
• Mike Spivey, ABA 509 Report Data: Applicants Up 3%, Matriculants Down 0.25%
• Mike Spivey, ABA 509 Report Data: Non-LSAT (GRE) Applicants Up 20%
• Mike Spivey, ABA 509 Report Data: The Top 50 Reduced Entering Class Size (-1%), The Non-Top 50 Increased (+3%)
• Kellye Testy (LSAC), Sizing Up The 2019 Incoming Class: What Do the Numbers Tell Us?