Kaplan Survey Of Law School Admissions Officers 2009
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Highlights from Kaplan’s 2009 Law School Admissions Officers Survey To ensure that prospective law school students receive accurate and up-to-date information on key trends and relevant issues in the law school admissions process, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions annually surveys admissions officers from law schools across the U.S. The survey data collected helps us to provide informed guidance to the tens of thousands of law school applicants we work with each year. Following are the results from this year’s survey of law school admissions officers.
What Law School Admissions Officers Say On: ✓ Standardized Testing Policies and Trends
✓ General Admissions and Financial Aid Trends
✓ Social Networking
About the survey methodology: For the 2009 survey, 152 admissions officers from the nation’s 200 ABA-approved law schools were surveyed by telephone between July and August 2009. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
On Standardized Testing Policies and Trends What score does your school currently use when evaluating applicants’ LSAT* scores? The highest single score the applicant earned .......................... 76% The average of all scores the applicant earned ............................ 9% Some other method ........................... 16%
From your own experiences evaluating test scores, do students who take the LSAT while still an undergraduate tend to do better or worse on the exam than those who are not in college anymore? Better................................................. 31% Worse................................................... 4% About the same.................................. 18% Not sure ............................................. 47%
(Only for schools that responded “The average of all scores the applicant earned”) In coming years, does your school plan to continue evaluating applicants’ average LSAT score?
Do you think that the LSAT test needs to be changed in any way to help you better evaluate prospective students?
No...................................................... 17% Yes..................................................... 75% Not sure ............................................... 8%
No...................................................... 60% Yes..................................................... 21% Not sure.............................................. 19%
60% of admissions officers surveyed feel that the LSAT does not need to be changed in any way. *LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council, Inc. LSA04985
On General Admissions and Financial Aid Trends This admissions cycle, would you say the number of applications you have received has: Decreased.......................................... 12% Increased........................................... 65% Stayed about the same....................... 23% (Only for schools that responded “Increased”) By about what percentage would you say it’s increased? Less than 5 percent . .......................... 22% 5 percent to less than 15 percent ......................................... 50% 15 percent to less than 25 percent ......................................... 14% By more than 25 percent .................... 14% Over the next several years, is your law school considering increasing the number of seats in its entering class? No...................................................... 82% Yes..................................................... 10% Not sure................................................ 8% Compared to a year ago, has the percentage of applications coming directly from college: Decreased............................................ 7% Increased........................................... 24% Stayed about the same....................... 69% Would you say that applicants who have had a law internship or job in the legal profession have a great advantage, some advantage, not much of an advantage, or no advantage at all in the admissions process? A great advantage ................................ 4% Some advantage ................................ 36% Not much of an advantage ................. 43% No advantage at all ............................ 18% Over the past three years, would you say the proportion of applicants with non-traditional undergraduate majors has: Decreased............................................ 1% Increased........................................... 27% Stayed about the same....................... 55% Don’t know......................................... 17%
(Only for schools that responded “Yes”) Comparing this year to last year, would you say that the admissions process for your part-time program has become: More selective.................................... 21% Less selective....................................... 3% Stayed about the same....................... 70% Don’t know........................................... 6% Comparing this year to last year, would you say that the number of accepted students who declined admission for financial reasons has: Decreased............................................ 6% Increased........................................... 39% Stayed about the same....................... 55%
On Social Networking When it comes to visiting applicants’ social networking pages and factoring these into the admissions equation, does your school have official guidelines or policies? No...................................................... 87% Yes..................................................... 11% Not sure ............................................... 1% (Only for schools that responded “No”) Is your school considering developing any kind of policy concerning social networking sites in the near future? No...................................................... 66% Yes..................................................... 21% Don’t know......................................... 13% (Only for schools that responded “Yes”) What is your school’s policy on social networking sites and the application process? Not permitted to view applicants’ sites................................. 85% Permitted to view applicants’ sites, with no guidelines/restrictions............. 8% Permitted to view applicants’ sites, with guidelines/restrictions ................. 8%
Does your school have a part-time program?
Has an applicant ever sent you or a fellow admissions officer at your school a friend request on Facebook or MySpace?
No...................................................... 50% Yes..................................................... 50%
No...................................................... 52% Yes..................................................... 48%
What Law School Admissions Officers Say On: ✓ Standardized Testing Policies and Trends
✓ General Admissions and Financial Aid Trends
✓ Social Networking
About the survey methodology: For the 2009 survey, 152 admissions officers from the nation’s 200 ABA-approved law schools were surveyed by telephone between July and August 2009. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
On Standardized Testing Policies and Trends What score does your school currently use when evaluating applicants’ LSAT* scores? The highest single score the applicant earned .......................... 76% The average of all scores the applicant earned ............................ 9% Some other method ........................... 16%
From your own experiences evaluating test scores, do students who take the LSAT while still an undergraduate tend to do better or worse on the exam than those who are not in college anymore? Better................................................. 31% Worse................................................... 4% About the same.................................. 18% Not sure ............................................. 47%
(Only for schools that responded “The average of all scores the applicant earned”) In coming years, does your school plan to continue evaluating applicants’ average LSAT score?
Do you think that the LSAT test needs to be changed in any way to help you better evaluate prospective students?
No...................................................... 17% Yes..................................................... 75% Not sure ............................................... 8%
No...................................................... 60% Yes..................................................... 21% Not sure.............................................. 19%
60% of admissions officers surveyed feel that the LSAT does not need to be changed in any way. *LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council, Inc. LSA04985
On General Admissions and Financial Aid Trends This admissions cycle, would you say the number of applications you have received has: Decreased.......................................... 12% Increased........................................... 65% Stayed about the same....................... 23% (Only for schools that responded “Increased”) By about what percentage would you say it’s increased? Less than 5 percent . .......................... 22% 5 percent to less than 15 percent ......................................... 50% 15 percent to less than 25 percent ......................................... 14% By more than 25 percent .................... 14% Over the next several years, is your law school considering increasing the number of seats in its entering class? No...................................................... 82% Yes..................................................... 10% Not sure................................................ 8% Compared to a year ago, has the percentage of applications coming directly from college: Decreased............................................ 7% Increased........................................... 24% Stayed about the same....................... 69% Would you say that applicants who have had a law internship or job in the legal profession have a great advantage, some advantage, not much of an advantage, or no advantage at all in the admissions process? A great advantage ................................ 4% Some advantage ................................ 36% Not much of an advantage ................. 43% No advantage at all ............................ 18% Over the past three years, would you say the proportion of applicants with non-traditional undergraduate majors has: Decreased............................................ 1% Increased........................................... 27% Stayed about the same....................... 55% Don’t know......................................... 17%
(Only for schools that responded “Yes”) Comparing this year to last year, would you say that the admissions process for your part-time program has become: More selective.................................... 21% Less selective....................................... 3% Stayed about the same....................... 70% Don’t know........................................... 6% Comparing this year to last year, would you say that the number of accepted students who declined admission for financial reasons has: Decreased............................................ 6% Increased........................................... 39% Stayed about the same....................... 55%
On Social Networking When it comes to visiting applicants’ social networking pages and factoring these into the admissions equation, does your school have official guidelines or policies? No...................................................... 87% Yes..................................................... 11% Not sure ............................................... 1% (Only for schools that responded “No”) Is your school considering developing any kind of policy concerning social networking sites in the near future? No...................................................... 66% Yes..................................................... 21% Don’t know......................................... 13% (Only for schools that responded “Yes”) What is your school’s policy on social networking sites and the application process? Not permitted to view applicants’ sites................................. 85% Permitted to view applicants’ sites, with no guidelines/restrictions............. 8% Permitted to view applicants’ sites, with guidelines/restrictions ................. 8%
Does your school have a part-time program?
Has an applicant ever sent you or a fellow admissions officer at your school a friend request on Facebook or MySpace?
No...................................................... 50% Yes..................................................... 50%
No...................................................... 52% Yes..................................................... 48%
