ABA Fall 2015 Applicant and Application Counts
At this time last year (4/17) 88% of the data was in.
| Region | Applicants | Applications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Pct Chg | # | Pct Chg | |
| [Far West]() | 6,370 | -2.6% | 49,304 | -4.9% |
| [Great Lakes]() | 5,712 | -4.3% | 45,553 | -5.7% |
| [Midsouth]() | 5,767 | -1.0% | 60,545 | -3.7% |
| [Midwest]() | 1,643 | -2.0% | 9,739 | -5.3% |
| [Mountain West]() | 2,514 | -1.6% | 10,925 | 8.0% |
| [New England]() | 2,143 | -4.6% | 26,571 | -5.7% |
| [Northeast]() | 7,691 | -0.9% | 55,492 | -5.4% |
| [Northwest]() | 1,280 | -0.2% | 6,448 | -6.8% |
| [South Central]() | 5,184 | -0.6% | 22,142 | -4.9% |
| [Southeast]() | 6,500 | -4.8% | 29,058 | -5.7% |
| Regional Total | 44,804 | -2.4% | ||
| Other* | 2,368 | -5.9% | ||
| Total | 47,172 | -2.6% | 315,777 | -4.7% |
Currently there are 5 schools with an application volume increase of 40% or more, 5 schools show a decrease of 30% or more. Fifty-four schools show an increase in applications, while 141 show a decline and 7 show no change. A more detailed breakdown of school increases/decreases below:
Increase of 100% or more: -
Increase of 50% to 99%: 4
Increase of 40% to 49%: 1
Increase of 30% to 39%: 3
Increase of 20% to 29%: -
Increase of 10% to 19%: 15
Increase of 1% to 9%: 31
No change: 7
Decrease of 1% to 9%: 70
Decrease of 10% to 19%: 51
Decrease of 20% to 29%: 15
Decrease of 30% or greater: 5
Applications to private institutions are down 5.0%, and applications to public law schools are likewise down 3.8%.
The following is a breakdown of 2015 ABA applicants by racial/ethnic groups and the percent change from last year. The chart shows the maximum number of races/ethnicities selected by each applicant. For example, an applicant who selected Asian and Caucasian/White is counted twice, once as Asian and once as Caucasian/White.
| Race/Ethnicity | Applicants | |
|---|---|---|
| # | Pct Chg | |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian | 3 | -25.0% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1,046 | -1.4% |
| Asian | 5,019 | -7.4% |
| Black or African American | 6,652 | -0.4% |
| Canadian Aboriginal | 34 | -10.5% |
| Caucasian/White | 30,154 | -3.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 5,616 | 3.7% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 210 | -8.7% |
| Puerto Rican | 1,262 | -0.2% |
| Not Indicated | 1,340 | -8.2% |
| Missing | 2 | -81.8% |
The following is a breakdown of 2015 ABA law school applicants by gender groups:
Female applicants: 23,973, down 1.1%
Male applicants: 23,144, down 4.2%
Not indicated: 55, up 103.7%
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 | 3,488 | 2.6% |
| 140–144 | 4,738 | 2.8% |
| 145–149 | 7,148 | -0.9% |
| 150–154 | 9,307 | -2.7% |
| 155–159 | 9,000 | -3.4% |
| 160–164 | 6,608 | -5.5% |
| 165–169 | 4,083 | -12.3% |
| 170–174 | 1,953 | -10.4% |
| 175–180 | 483 | -19.6% |