Analysis of Part-Time and Full-Time ABA Law School Program Trends

Analysis of Part-Time and Full-Time ABA Law School Program Trends 2006 2015 Richard Strouss-Rooney Kim Dustman Ann Gallagher October 2017

The trends presented in this report are based on an analysis of applicant and matriculant data for full-time, part-time day, and part-time evening law programs. The data are for the academic years 2006 through 2015, including applicants and matriculants to all academic terms. This is a continuation of a series of studies looking at full-time and part-time law school programs. Previous studies have analyzed academic years 2003 2007 and 2006 2010. General Trends From 2006 to 2015, the number of law schools and part-time law programs grew (Table 1). At the same time, there were dramatic decreases in the number of applicants and matriculants to full-time programs, with a 40% decrease in applicants and a 20% decrease in matriculants (Figure 1). Part-time programs followed a similar trend, with a 54% decrease in applicants and a 35% decrease in matriculants (Figure 2). TABLE 1 Number of ABA law schools, part-time evening, and part-time day programs ABA Law Schools Part-Time Day Part-Time Evening 2006 192 40 55 2007 194 43 53 2008 195 52 60 2009 198 52 63 2010 198 53 65 2011 197 51 64 2012 199 55 63 2013 201 54 67 2014 201 59 67 2015 204 61 69 1

94% 92% 90% 88% 86% 84% 82% 80% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Full-Time Applicants Full-Time Matriculants FIGURE 1. Percentage of applicants and matriculants to full-time programs 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Part-Time Day Applicants Part-Time Day Matriculants Part-Time Evening Applicants Part-Time Evening Matriculants FIGURE 2. Percentage of part-time day and part-time evening applicants and matriculants Proportionally, applicants to full-time programs and part-time evening programs were fairly stable during this study period. In contrast, the percentage of applicants and matriculants to part-time day programs declined in 2009 while matriculation rates to full-time programs increased that same year. Note that for applicant counts, unless stated otherwise, each applicant may be part of the count for multiple programs if they applied to a combination of program types. For example, an applicant who applied to both a full-time program and a part-time evening program would be included in counts for both of these program types. As such, percentages of applicants may sum to greater than 100%, and sums of counts will be higher than the number of unique applicants. This does not apply to counts of matriculants. For the total counts of applicants and matriculants by year, see Table A-1 in the Appendix. 2

Academic Credentials Figures 3 and 4 display average high LSAT scores for applicants and matriculants across program types. Applicants and matriculants to full-time programs consistently had higher average high LSAT scores than those to part-time programs. For full-time applicants, average high LSAT scores dropped slightly from 154 to 153 between 2006 and 2015 and scores for full-time matriculants dropped from 158 to 156. Score drops for applicants to the two part-time programs were similar, with average high scores of 149 and 150, respectively, for day and evening programs in 2006 dropping to 146 and 147, respectively, by 2015 despite the jump in part-time day program scores in 2010 and 2011. 160 157 154 151 148 145 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Full-time Part-time Day Part-time Evening FIGURE 3. Average high LSAT scores of applicants to full-time and part-time programs Scores for matriculants to part-time evening programs increased from 153 in 2006 to 154 in 2010, but dropped to 151 by 2015. Scores for matriculants to part-time day programs showed a similar but more pronounced pattern, going from 150 in 2006 to 154 in 2010, and then dropping to 147 by 2015. 160 157 154 151 148 145 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Full-time Part-time Day Part-time Evening FIGURE 4. Average high LSAT scores of matriculants to full-time and part-time programs 3

Figures 5 and 6 display median undergraduate GPA for applicants and matriculants. Between 2006 and 2015, median GPAs for applicants and matriculants to full-time programs were fairly stable and consistently higher than median GPAs for applicants and matriculants to part-time programs. Within that same time period, median GPAs of part-time applicants and matriculants also fell, with GPAs in part-time day programs falling more sharply. 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3 2.9 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 F PD PE FIGURE 5. Applicants median undergraduate GPA 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3 2.9 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 F PD PE FIGURE 6. Matriculants median undergraduate GPA 4

Age As Figure 7 shows, applicants to full-time programs were the youngest of all applicants, with a median age of 24 for all years. Applicants to both part-time program types were older, with the median age increasing between 2006 and 2015. 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Full-time Part-time Day Part-time Evening FIGURE 7. Median age of applicants by program Figure 8 shows that the median age of matriculants to full-time programs was slightly lower than the median age of applicants (23). For part-time programs, matriculant medians were exactly the same as applicant medians for all years. 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Full-time Part-time Day Part-time Evening FIGURE 8. Median age of matriculants by program 5

Sex Figure 9 displays the percentage of applicants by sex and program type. In 2006, there were slightly more male applicants to all three program types than female applicants. With some fluctuations, the percentage of female applicants gradually increased, reaching proportional parity with male applicants to full-time programs by 2015 and comprising a majority of applicants to part-time day and evening programs. 47 46 48 48 48 49 48 49 49 47 48 48 46 48 47 47 50 47 48 50 49 48 53 51 49 52 51 50 55 53 53 53 52 52 52 51 52 51 51 53 52 52 54 52 53 53 50 53 52 50 50 52 46 49 51 47 48 50 45 46 F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Male Female FIGURE 9. Percentage of applicants by program type and sex 6

As Figure 10 shows, matriculants followed a similar pattern. In 2006, the majority of matriculants to all programs were male. The percentage of female matriculants fluctuated but gradually increased such that in 2015, the percentage of those in full-time programs were within one point of parity, and female matriculants were the majority of those in part-time day and evening programs. 46 48 47 47 48 48 47 49 48 47 47 48 46 51 44 47 48 47 48 49 48 48 56 50 49 54 50 49 56 51 54 52 53 53 52 52 53 51 51 53 53 52 54 48 56 53 52 53 52 51 52 52 44 50 51 46 50 50 44 48 F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE F PD PE 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Male Female FIGURE 10. Percentage of matriculants by program type and sex Race/Ethnicity Although the study period ranged from 2006 to 2015, race/ethnicity analyses were limited to the period between 2011 and 2015 due to changes in how this information was collected, which would invalidate comparisons to prior years. Prior to 2011, candidates were able to select only one race/ethnicity. Starting in 2011, candidates have been allowed to identify themselves as having any number of races/ethnicities; this practice is termed maximum reporting. Consequently, percentages may sum to greater than 100%. As Figures 11 13 show, while White/Caucasian applicants make up the majority of applicants to all types of programs, they constitute a greater percentage of full-time applicants. In contrast, Black/African American applicants make up a greater percentage of applicants to part-time programs. With the exception of Asian applicants, the percentage of applicants in all race/ethnicity categories increased from 2011 to 2015. The largest increase was among Black/African American applicants to part-time programs. Among Asian applicants, there was a decrease in the percentage applying to part-time programs while the percentage applying to full-time programs remained fairly steady. It is likely that some of the increases could be attributed to the change from single-category reporting to maximum reporting, as there has been a small but steady increase in the number of applicants reporting multiple categories since the change was instituted in 2011. Maximum reporting also accounts for the fact that, in more recent years, percentages sum to greater than 100%. Race/ethnicity categories with less than 1% representation were excluded from the graphs but may be found in Tables A-9 and A-10. 7

60.5% 64.6% 64.6% 63.1% 62.9% 2.9% 3.1% 2.9% 3.0% 2.7% 9.4% 10.3% 11.0% 11.5% 12.2% 12.6% 13.6% 14.0% 14.5% 14.6% 10.0% 10.2% 10.5% 11.2% 10.7% 1.9% 2.0% 2.2% 2.2% 2.3% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 American Indian / Alaska Native Black / African American Puerto Rican Asian Hispanic / Latino White / Caucasian FIGURE 11. Percentage of applicants to full-time programs by race/ethnicity 52.6% 51.3% 51.1% 49.1% 54.6% 2.0% 10.1% 2.3% 12.4% 2.7% 2.7% 13.7% 12.4% 2.9% 12.6% 19.2% 24.1% 26.0% 27.6% 29.4% 10.8% 10.9% 10.1% 9.5% 9.7% 1.7% 2.1% 2.3% 2.2% 2.6% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 American Indian / Alaska Native Black / African American Puerto Rican Asian Hispanic / Latino White / Caucasian FIGURE 12. Percentage of applicants to part-time day programs by race/ethnicity 8

53.0% 55.6% 53.6% 52.6% 50.1% 2.8% 12.2% 2.3% 4.7% 4.3% 13.3% 14.4% 14.1% 4.8% 15.5% 19.3% 21.1% 22.2% 23.2% 24.4% 9.7% 9.5% 8.9% 9.3% 8.9% 1.6% 1.8% 1.8% 2.2% 2.5% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 American Indian / Alaska Native Black / African American Puerto Rican Asian Hispanic / Latino White / Caucasian FIGURE 13. Percentage of applicants to part-time evening programs by race/ethnicity Applicants to More than One Type of Program A small percentage of all applicants to ABA law schools apply to more than one type of program (full-time, part-time day, part-time evening). As Figure 14 shows, fewer than 20% of applicants apply to multiple program types, and the percentage of the overall applicant population has declined in more recent years to fewer than 10%. 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 FIGURE 14. Percentage of applicants applying to more than one type of program 9

Figure 15 displays the percentage of all matriculants who were accepted to multiple program types by the program type in which they ultimately matriculated. 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Matriculated PT Matriculated FT FIGURE 15. Percentage of all matriculants who were accepted to full-time and part-time (both day and evening) programs 10

Appendix TABLE A-1 Number of applicants and matriculants to full-time and part-time programs Applicants F PD PE 2006 86,418 10,615 11,297 2007 80,714 10,503 10,603 2008 79,653 11,077 11,180 2009 83,643 6,536 10,874 2010 85,296 6,838 11,184 2011 76,554 6,063 9,825 2012 66,425 4,695 7,943 2013 58,193 3,686 7,571 2014 53,731 3,401 6,927 2015 51,890 3,647 6,794 Matriculants F PD PE 2006 41,885 2,362 2,939 2007 42,347 2,580 2,963 2008 42,215 2,719 2,655 2009 46,210 1,183 2,610 2010 47,456 1,016 2,443 2011 43,642 1,175 2,207 2012 39,719 1,069 2,026 2013 36,093 931 2,373 2014 34,471 883 2,383 2015 33,302 1,128 2,327 Note. Applicants were included in counts for all program types to which they applied. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 11

TABLE A-2 Number of applicants and matriculants by program and program combination Applicants F F & PD PD F & PE PE PD & PE F, PD, & PE Total 2006 73,493 5,656 2,422 5,082 3,678 350 2,187 92,868 2007 68,857 5,282 2,827 4,468 3,741 287 2,107 87,569 2008 66,489 5,771 2,675 5,116 3,433 354 2,277 86,115 2009 74,593 2,339 1,613 4,612 3,678 485 2,099 89,419 2010 76,024 2,619 1,063 4,166 3,862 669 2,487 90,890 2011 68,676 2,195 1,054 3,494 3,517 625 2,189 81,750 2012 60,314 1,526 976 2,872 2,878 480 1,713 70,759 2013 53,184 1,053 848 2,691 3,095 520 1,265 62,656 2014 49,354 831 998 2,497 2,858 523 1,049 58,110 2015 47,670 948 1,146 2,266 2,975 547 1,006 56,558 Matriculants F PD PE Total 2006 41,885 2,362 2,939 47,186 2007 42,347 2,580 2,963 47,890 2008 42,215 2,719 2,655 47,589 2009 46,210 1,183 2,610 50,003 2010 47,456 1,016 2,443 50,915 2011 43,642 1,175 2,207 47,024 2012 39,719 1,069 2,026 42,814 2013 36,093 931 2,373 39,397 2014 34,471 883 2,383 37,737 2015 33,302 1,128 2,327 36,757 Note. This table contains counts of distinct, individual applicants by applications to all program combinations; no applicant is counted in more than one group. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 12

TABLE A-3 Percentage of applicants and matriculants to full-time and part-time programs Applicants F PD PE 2006 93% 11% 12% 2007 92% 12% 12% 2008 92% 13% 13% 2009 94% 7% 12% 2010 94% 8% 12% 2011 94% 7% 12% 2012 94% 7% 11% 2013 93% 6% 12% 2014 92% 6% 12% 2015 92% 6% 12% Matriculants F PD PE 2006 89% 5% 6% 2007 88% 5% 6% 2008 89% 6% 6% 2009 92% 2% 5% 2010 93% 2% 5% 2011 93% 2% 5% 2012 93% 2% 5% 2013 92% 2% 6% 2014 91% 2% 6% 2015 91% 3% 6% Note. Applicants were included in counts for all program types to which they applied. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 13

TABLE A-4 Average high LSAT scores of applicants and matriculants by program Applicants F PD PE All 2006 154 149 150 153 2007 154 149 149 153 2008 154 149 149 153 2009 154 149 149 154 2010 154 151 149 154 2011 154 150 149 154 2012 154 149 149 153 2013 153 148 148 153 2014 153 147 148 153 2015 153 146 147 153 Matriculants F PD PE All 2006 158 150 153 157 2007 158 151 153 157 2008 158 150 153 157 2009 158 151 153 157 2010 158 154 154 158 2011 157 153 154 157 2012 157 152 153 157 2013 156 150 152 156 2014 156 149 151 156 2015 156 147 151 155 Note. Applicant high LSAT scores were included in analyses for all program types to which they applied. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 14

TABLE A-5 Median undergraduate GPAs of applicants and matriculants by program Applicants F PD PE All 2006 3.32 3.09 3.13 3.30 2007 3.33 3.09 3.11 3.31 2008 3.33 3.07 3.10 3.31 2009 3.33 3.07 3.08 3.31 2010 3.33 3.11 3.07 3.31 2011 3.32 3.10 3.07 3.31 2012 3.32 3.03 3.06 3.30 2013 3.32 3.02 3.05 3.30 2014 3.34 3.01 3.05 3.31 2015 3.34 2.98 3.06 3.32 Matriculants F PD PE All 2006 3.44 3.17 3.26 3.42 2007 3.44 3.13 3.23 3.41 2008 3.44 3.14 3.24 3.42 2009 3.44 3.14 3.22 3.42 2010 3.43 3.20 3.19 3.42 2011 3.43 3.17 3.22 3.41 2012 3.42 3.13 3.17 3.40 2013 3.42 3.07 3.17 3.40 2014 3.42 3.09 3.16 3.40 2015 3.43 2.99 3.17 3.41 15

TABLE A-6 Median ages of applicants and matriculants Applicants F PD PE All 2006 24 25 26 24 2007 24 25 26 24 2008 24 25 26 24 2009 24 26 27 24 2010 24 26 27 24 2011 24 26 27 24 2012 23 27 28 24 2013 24 28 28 24 2014 24 29 28 24 2015 24 28 28 24 Matriculants F PD PE All 2006 23 25 26 24 2007 23 25 26 24 2008 23 25 26 24 2009 23 26 27 24 2010 23 26 27 24 2011 23 26 27 24 2012 23 27 28 24 2013 23 28 28 24 2014 23 29 28 24 2015 23 28 28 24 Note. Applicants were included in analyses for all program types to which they applied. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 16

TABLE A-7 Percentage of applicants by program and sex F PD PE 2006 Male 53% 53% 52% Female 47% 46% 47% 2007 Male 52% 52% 51% Female 48% 48% 49% 2008 Male 52% 51% 51% Female 48% 49% 49% 2009 Male 53% 52% 52% Female 47% 48% 48% 2010 Male 54% 52% 53% Female 46% 48% 47% 2011 Male 53% 50% 53% Female 47% 50% 47% 2012 Male 52% 50% 50% Female 48% 50% 49% 2013 Male 52% 46% 49% Female 48% 53% 51% 2014 Male 51% 47% 48% Female 49% 52% 51% 2015 Male 50% 45% 46% Female 50% 55% 53% Note. Applicants were included in analyses for all program types to which they applied. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening. 17

TABLE A-8 Percentage of matriculants by program and sex F PD PE 2006 Male 54% 52% 53% Female 46% 48% 47% 2007 Male 53% 53% 52% Female 47% 47% 48% 2008 Male 53% 51% 52% Female 47% 49% 48% 2009 Male 53% 53% 52% Female 47% 47% 47% 2010 Male 54% 48% 56% Female 46% 51% 44% 2011 Male 53% 52% 53% Female 47% 48% 47% 2012 Male 52% 51% 52% Female 48% 49% 48% 2013 Male 52% 44% 50% Female 48% 56% 50% 2014 Male 51% 46% 50% Female 49% 54% 50% 2015 Male 50% 44% 48% Female 49% 56% 51% 18

TABLE A-9 Percentage of applicants to each program type by race/ethnicity: 2011 2015 American Indian/ Alaska Native Asian Australian Aboriginal/ Torres Strait Islander Black/ African American Canadian Aboriginal Hispanic/ Latino Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander Puerto Rican White/ Caucasian NI 2011 F 1.9% 10.0% 0.0% 12.6% 0.0% 9.4% 0.4% 2.7% 60.5% 8.9% PD 1.7% 10.8% 0.0% 19.2% 0.0% 10.1% 0.4% 2.0% 54.6% 7.8% PE 1.6% 9.7% 0.0% 19.3% 0.0% 12.2% 0.4% 2.8% 53.0% 7.0% 2012 F 2.0% 10.2% 0.0% 13.6% 0.0% 10.3% 0.4% 2.9% 64.6% 3.2% PD 2.1% 10.9% 0.0% 24.1% 0.0% 12.4% 0.5% 2.3% 52.6% 2.8% PE 1.8% 9.5% 0.0% 21.1% 0.1% 13.3% 0.4% 2.3% 55.6% 2.8% 2013 F 2.2% 10.5% 0.0% 14.0% 0.1% 11.0% 0.5% 3.1% 64.6% 2.1% PD 2.3% 10.1% 0.0% 26.0% 0.1% 13.7% 0.5% 2.7% 51.3% 2.1% PE 1.8% 8.9% 0.0% 22.2% 0.1% 14.4% 0.5% 4.7% 53.6% 1.9% 2014 F 2.2% 11.2% 0.0% 14.5% 0.1% 11.5% 0.5% 2.9% 63.1% 3.0% PD 2.2% 9.5% 0.0% 27.6% 0.1% 12.4% 0.6% 2.7% 51.1% 2.8% PE 2.2% 9.3% 0.1% 23.2% 0.1% 14.1% 0.6% 4.3% 52.6% 3.1% 2015 F 2.3% 10.7% 0.0% 14.6% 0.1% 12.2% 0.5% 3.0% 62.9% 2.7% PD 2.6% 9.7% 0.0% 29.4% 0.0% 12.6% 0.7% 2.9% 49.1% 2.7% PE 2.5% 8.9% 0.0% 24.4% 0.1% 15.5% 0.7% 4.8% 50.1% 2.8% Note. Applicants were included in analyses for all program types to which they applied. Race/ethnicity data collected using maximum reporting, allowing candidates to indicate multiple categories. Applicants were included in analyses for all races/ethnicities that they indicated. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening; NI = not indicated. 19

TABLE A-10 Percentage of matriculants to each program type by race/ethnicity: 2011 2015 American Indian/ Alaska Native Asian Australian Aboriginal/ Torres Strait Islander Black/ African American Canadian Aboriginal Hispanic/ Latino Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander Puerto Rican White/ Caucasian NI 2011 F 1.6% 9.5% 0.0% 8.1% 0.0% 8.2% 0.4% 2.5% 65.3% 10.5% PD 2.3% 9.4% 0.0% 11.6% 0.1% 8.4% 0.2% 1.9% 64.6% 8.6% PE 1.5% 8.9% 0.0% 11.6% 0.0% 10.4% 0.5% 3.0% 61.3% 8.5% 2012 F 1.7% 9.6% 0.0% 9.1% 0.1% 9.3% 0.3% 2.4% 71.2% 3.2% PD 2.0% 9.0% 0.0% 17.1% 0.0% 12.1% 0.2% 2.2% 60.9% 2.6% PE 1.7% 9.3% 0.0% 13.0% 0.1% 10.2% 0.4% 2.0% 66.5% 3.0% 2013 F 2.0% 9.8% 0.0% 9.4% 0.1% 9.9% 0.4% 2.6% 71.4% 2.0% PD 2.2% 9.5% 0.0% 18.1% 0.0% 13.3% 0.6% 2.7% 60.6% 2.0% PE 1.9% 8.9% 0.0% 13.5% 0.0% 11.0% 0.3% 4.9% 64.3% 2.2% 2014 F 2.0% 10.5% 0.0% 10.1% 0.1% 10.3% 0.4% 2.7% 69.6% 3.1% PD 2.0% 7.4% 0.0% 20.2% 0.0% 11.8% 0.3% 2.7% 60.9% 3.1% PE 1.7% 9.4% 0.0% 14.9% 0.0% 12.3% 0.3% 4.9% 61.1% 3.1% 2015 F 1.9% 10.1% 0.0% 10.0% 0.1% 10.8% 0.4% 2.9% 69.7% 2.7% PD 2.2% 8.4% 0.0% 25.6% 0.0% 11.3% 0.9% 2.8% 54.5% 2.9% PE 2.3% 8.1% 0.0% 15.8% 0.1% 13.4% 0.6% 5.7% 60.2% 2.9% Note. Race/ethnicity data collected using maximum reporting, allowing candidates to indicate multiple categories. Matriculants were included in analyses for all races/ethnicities that they indicated. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening; NI = not indicated. 20

Table A-11 Percentage of matriculation decisions by accepted programs types Program Matriculation Program Acceptance F & PD F & PE PD & PE F, PD, & PE 2006 F 55% 42% 26% PD 31% 26% 24% PE 45% 61% 36% DNM 14% 12% 13% 14% 2007 F 59% 45% 34% PD 30% 29% 21% PE 43% 54% 34% DNM 10% 11% 17% 11% 2008 F 62% 48% 38% PD 26% 32% 18% PE 41% 55% 32% DNM 12% 11% 13% 12% 2009 F 53% 44% 31% PD 33% 23% 19% PE 43% 61% 38% DNM 14% 13% 15% 13% 2010 F 44% 40% 32% PD 43% 29% 18% PE 45% 54% 34% DNM 13% 15% 17% 16% 2011 F 39% 45% 34% PD 48% 30% 20% PE 40% 53% 32% DNM 13% 15% 17% 14% 2012 F 42% 40% 34% PD 40% 35% 17% PE 43% 46% 32% DNM 17% 17% 20% 17% 2013 F 46% 40% 31% PD 38% 36% 17% PE 44% 49% 38% DNM 16% 16% 15% 14% 2014 F 42% 39% 34% PD 39% 29% 16% PE 45% 56% 35% DNM 19% 16% 15% 15% 2015 F 36% 43% 36% PD 46% 27% 21% PE 40% 58% 32% DNM 19% 17% 15% 11% Note. F = full-time; PD = part-time day; PE = part-time evening; DNM = did not matriculate. 21