U.S. law school applications jump as costs and A.I. cast doubt on returns

Applications to U.S. law schools for the 2026 cycle have surged, rising an estimated 17 percent from last year and 44 percent from two years ago, according to data from the American Bar Association compiled by the Law School Admission Council. That increase comes as rising tuition, new federal loan limits and the spread of generative artificial intelligence are altering the calculus for prospective students.

Law school is increasingly expensive: the Law School Admission Council says the average annual cost at private universities is about $60,000 and about $32,000 at public ones, with some schools’ total annual charges exceeding $110,000. New federal limits on student loans, included in legislation passed last year, impose a $50,000 yearly cap for professional degrees and a $200,000 lifetime cap and go into effect in July, which could make financing a degree more costly.

Susan Bogart, director of financial aid at Penn State Dickinson Law, told the Times that private loans can carry higher interest rates and more restrictions than federal direct loans, and law schools facing a wave of applicants may scale back the tuition discounts they offered when applicants were scarce.

Employment outcomes provide mixed signals.

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Business, Law School Applications, American Bar Association, Generative Ai, Student Loans, Thomson Reuters