31-03-2025
Why law school applications are spiking in Minnesota
Minnesota's law schools are seeing a surge in applications this year.
The big picture: While the high interest may be good news for local programs, it means more competition among those who want to pursue — or pivot to — a career in law.
What's happening: A presidential transition, changes to the LSAT exam, and more attention being paid to the law and courts are leading more people to apply to law school across the nation.
Applications to nearly 200 programs jumped 20.5% compared with last year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
By the numbers: University of Minnesota Law School Dean William McGeveran told Axios that applications are up 40% so far this year at the nationally ranked program.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law's year-over-year spike is in line with the national trend, spokesperson Ally Roecker told Axios. She declined to share exact stats, saying the schools keep that data "internal in order to remain competitive among peer institutions."
University of St. Thomas School of Law spokesperson Carrie Hilger said the school's increase is "higher than the national average."
Context: Law school applications routinely rise amid recessions and tough job markets, according to the WSJ.
A second "Trump bump," inspired by high-profile legal battles over the administration's policies, may also be driving the trend this year, the paper reports.
Zoom in: Both of those considerations were factors for Caleb Kelson, a 25-year-old St. Paul resident.
Kelson, who majored in Spanish as an undergraduate, knew he wanted to go to grad school to help land a stable career after several years of working odd jobs.
But the legal fights over the administration's immigration crackdown and separation of powers in general propelled him through the grueling application process.
"It made me realize it's relevant, and how the Constitution is interpreted is really important to me," Kelson, who plans to attend St. Thomas in the fall and hopes to go into immigration law, told Axios.
Between the lines: Some law school hopefuls told the WSJ that the removal of the logic games section from the LSAT this cycle helped raise scores, which could result in more applicants, especially to top-tier programs.
Kelson said he saw a slight bump in his LSAT score after that change.
What we're hearing: Mitchell Hamline vice president of enrollment Annie Gemmell told Axios that while it's "too early to say what factors are driving the increase," the influences cited by the WSJ's report "make sense."
A survey of LSAT takers conducted on behalf of hundreds of law schools after the admissions cycle is done will give schools a better sense of motivations, she added.
The bottom line: The total number of applicants nationwide remains below record highs seen in the 1990s, per the WSJ, but the year-over-year jump still means fierce competition for aspiring lawyers.
