ABA Fall 2015 Applicant and Application Counts
based on data received through 7/03/15
| Region | Applicants | Applications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Pct Chg | # | Pct Chg | |
| [Far West]() | 6,842 | -2.3% | 51,579 | -4.3% |
| [Great Lakes]() | 6,262 | -4.4% | 46,620 | -5.6% |
| [Midsouth]() | 6,282 | -1.4% | 62,842 | -3.5% |
| [Midwest]() | 1,756 | -1.2% | 10,208 | -6.2% |
| [Mountain West]() | 2,694 | -1.8% | 11,536 | +7.0% |
| [New England]() | 2,310 | -5.3% | 27,621 | -5.0% |
| [Northeast]() | 8,390 | -0.8% | 58,233 | -5.2% |
| [Northwest]() | 1,326 | -0.7% | 8,282 | -0.7% |
| [South Central]() | 5,618 | +0.6% | 23,308 | -4.5% |
| [Southeast]() | 7,902 | -2.7% | 33,619 | -4.7% |
| Regional Total | 49,382 | -2.0% | ||
| Other* | 2,674 | -2.3% | ||
| Total | 52,056 | -2.0% | 333,848 | -4.2% |
Currently there are 4 schools with an application volume increase of 40% or more, while 2 schools show a volume decrease of 30% or more. Fifty-five schools show an increase in applications, while 139 show a decline and 9 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%: -
Increase of 30% to 39%: 2
Increase of 20% to 29%: 3
Increase of 10% to 19%: 15
Increase of 1% to 9%: 31
No change: 9
Decrease of 1% to 9%: 74
Decrease of 10% to 19%: 51
Decrease of 20% to 29%: 12
Decrease of 30% or greater: 2
Applications to private institutions are down 4.7%, and applications to public law schools are down 3.3%.
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 | -50.0% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1,178 | -0.7% |
| Asian | 5,443 | -6.6% |
| Black or African American | 7,860 | 1.0% |
| Canadian Aboriginal | 41 | 5.1% |
| Caucasian/White | 32,512 | -3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6,365 | 5.3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 247 | -2.0% |
| Puerto Rican | 1,509 | -5.2% |
| Not Indicated | 1,557 | 3.7% |
| Missing | 4 | -63.6% |
Female applicants: 26,481, down 0.4%
Male applicants: 25,514, down 3.7%
Not indicated: 61, up 74.3%
Highest LSAT Number of Applicants Pct Chg YTD
< 140 4,523 6.4%
140–144 5,860 7.2%
145–149 8,349 3.3%
150–154 10,218 -1.1%
155–159 9,501 -2.3%
160–164 6,799 -5.1%
165–169 4,141 -12.3%
170–174 1,981 -8.9%
175–180 490 -16.8%
Last year at this time, this represented 97% of the preliminary final applicant count.