Since 2010, enrollment rates among men in JD programs have been declining relative to those of women. But in 2025, law schools had more new male students than they did in 2024 — the first increase in 15 years. Despite more men applying and enrolling, women still make up more than half of first‑year law students in the U.S. What brought about this change in enrollment trends, and how might gender demographics in the legal profession shift in the years ahead?
The legal nonprofit AccessLex Institute tracks trends in law school admissions, applications, and more with its Legal Education Data Deck. It noted several remarkable trends in 2025 for new law students and candidates.
The 2025 Data on Law School Enrollment
There was an 18 percent increase in law school applicants overall in 2025. According to AccessLex, this is the largest increase in a single year since 2004. As a result, the admissions rate also decreased; at 65 percent, it was the lowest in 20 years. There were 67,400 women and 50,900 men who enrolled in law school in 2025.
A total of 1,900 more men enrolled in 2025 compared to 2024, the first increase since 2010. Women’s enrollment rate was still greater than men’s, and women are about 56 percent of the newly admitted class. Since 2015, the majority of law students enrolling have been women. Even so, women have historically had a lower admission rate than men: 68 percent at last count in 2024, compared to 72 percent for men. According to the Law School Admissions Council, male applicants have a slightly higher average LSAT score. Test takers identifying as gender diverse had the highest average score.
According to Enjuris, 15 of the 20 top-ranked law schools (according to U.S. News and World Report) had fewer male students than female students in 2025. That includes Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, and other elite institutions. Charleston School of Law had the most women enrollees, at 68.46 percent, followed closely by Northeastern University School of Law at 68.07 percent.
What Does It Mean?
AccessLex does not give any reasons for the rise in men among first-year law students. According to the ABA Journal, their vice president of research, Tiffane Cochran, described the men’s rate increase as “surprising.” The last two years do offer some possible explanations, although they are speculative.
First, it should be noted that the increase in overall applicants is within historical norms. When the economy worsens, graduate schools tend to receive more applications. Law schools saw this most recently during the pandemic. While there is thankfully no ongoing pandemic, consumer confidence fell over the course of 2025, indicating broader economic uncertainty. Additionally, unique to the last few years is the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI). AI’s impact on hiring rates may have prompted workers and recent undergraduates to seek new careers or additional qualifications. Thousands of federal layoffs, firings, and resignations could also have prompted government professionals to apply to law school.
All this could explain why the number of both male and female applicants increased, despite new federal rules that have capped law school student loan amounts. But did anything in particular cause the reversal of a long trend regarding male enrollees? It’s not clear.
In January of 2025, the administration issued an executive order sharply disfavoring DEI policies, which assist historically underrepresented groups. Surveys suggest that women, particularly white women, have been major beneficiaries of DEI. And the effect of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on race-based affirmative action is still being measured. Moving forward, these new federal policies could pressure female enrollment in law school.
Could these changes have had an immediate effect on women’s admissions rates or access to financial aid relative to men’s? A lack of aid or support might discourage enrollment among female law students, particularly African-American and other women of color. But any conclusions will require more time and research. Women remain in the majority for now.
Gender Diversity in the Profession
Within our lifetimes, American women struggled to be admitted to law school or to be hired as attorneys. Now the demographics of JD enrollment have reversed. Will the profession’s demographics reverse as well?
Forty-one percent of American attorneys are now women, according to the ABA, and women have as much or more representation on law school faculties. Men still make up the majority of lawyers, but as the ABA notes, women now receive most JD degrees, and retirees are more likely to be men. However, demographic rises cannot always tell the future, and Attorney Ian Pisarcik raises two important points about the gender gap in the legal profession.
He notes that, across the board, U.S. boys and men have fallen behind girls and women in educational achievement in recent years. Furthermore, despite the increase in female attorneys, women — especially women of color — are less likely to hold leadership positions in law firms.
Male students and female students alike may need help to ensure equal opportunities in the legal industry.
Related Resources
- An Unexpected Surge in Law School Applications (FindLaw’s Practice of Law)
- Law School Applicants Play Waiting Game in Highly Competitive Class (FindLaw’s Practice of Law)
- ABA Halts DEI Standard for Law School Accreditation (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
