ABA Fall 2015 Applicant and Application Counts
The following is a breakdown of ABA 2015 applicants and applications by region (based on data received through 6/05/15) and the percent change from last year:
| Region | Applicants | Applications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Pct Chg | # | Pct Chg | |
| [Far West]() | 6,566 | -3.1% | 50,613 | -4.9% |
| [Great Lakes]() | 6,036 | -4.8% | 47,020 | -5.4% |
| [Midsouth]() | 6,104 | -1.7% | 62,164 | -3.7% |
| [Midwest]() | 1,713 | -1.5% | 10,062 | -6.4% |
| [Mountain West]() | 2,595 | -0.9% | 11,262 | +7.9% |
| [New England]() | 2,248 | -4.3% | 27,345 | -5.1% |
| [Northeast]() | 8,108 | -1.5% | 57,292 | -5.5% |
| [Northwest]() | 1,303 | -0.8% | 6,589 | -7.5% |
| [South Central]() | 5,470 | -0.4% | 22,952 | -4.8% |
| [Southeast]() | 7,551 | -3.5% | 32,494 | -5.4% |
| Regional Total | 47,694 | -2.5% | ||
| Other* | 2,575 | -3.8% | ||
| Total | 50,269 | -2.5% | 327,793 | -4.6% |
- Other includes those applicants whose permanent residence is not available or is outside the United States.
Currently there are 6 schools with an application volume increase of 40% or more, while 2 schools show a volume decrease of 30% or more. Fifty-two schools show an increase in applications, while 140 show a decline and 10 show no change. A more detailed breakdown of school increases/decreases is shown below:
Increase of 100% or more: -
Increase of 50% to 99%: 4
Increase of 40% to 49%: 2
Increase of 30% to 39%: -
Increase of 20% to 29%: 2
Increase of 10% to 19%: 16
Increase of 1% to 9%: 28
No change: 10
Decrease of 1% to 9%: 74
Decrease of 10% to 19%: 49
Decrease of 20% to 29%: 15
Decrease of 30% or greater: 2
Applications to private institutions are down 5.0%, and applications to public law schools are down 3.7%.
The following is a breakdown of 2015 ABA applicants by racial/ethnic groups and the percent change from last year.
| Race/Ethnicity | Applicants | |
|---|---|---|
| # | Pct Chg | |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian | 3 | -50.0% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1,130 | -0.5% |
| Asian | 5,255 | -7.0% |
| Black or African American | 7,446 | -0.4% |
| Canadian Aboriginal | 38 | -2.6% |
| Caucasian/White | 31,653 | -3.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6,051 | 3.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 230 | -5.0% |
| Puerto Rican | 1,487 | 1.4% |
| Not Indicated | 1,448 | -6.2% |
| Missing | 3 | -72.7% |
Female applicants: 25,579, down 1%
Male applicants: 24,628, down 4.2%
Not indicated: 62, up 100%
The chart below shows the high LSAT score of 2015 ABA applicants with the percent change from last year:
| Highest LSAT | Number of Applicants | Pct Chg YTD |
|---|---|---|
| < 140 | 4,060 | -0.9% |
| 140–144 | 5,259 | 0.5% |
| 145–149 | 7,693 | -2.2% |
| 150–154 | 9,735 | -3.9% |
| 155–159 | 9,262 | -4.1% |
| 160–164 | 6,723 | -5.6% |
| 165–169 | 4,124 | -12.3% |
| 170–174 | 1,965 | -10.4% |
| 175–180 | 484 | -19.7% |