Some law school graduates want to use a machete when it comes to law
schools’ spending practices in order to keep tuition in check, while
many pre-law students prefer a more delicate approach, according to two
separate Kaplan surveys*. Here’s how the two groups would approach the
vexing issue that has long-term implications for all involved:
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Reduce Law School to Two Years: A healthy majority (56%) of law
school graduates want to see law school condensed from three years to
two years; 34% of prospective 1L’s think this is a good idea too.
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Online Classes: 39% of law school grads think that delivering
legal education through an online format is a good way to lower
tuition, as this would likely cut back on money law schools spend on
real estate. Only 13% of pre-laws students favor this approach.
Currently, the American Bar Association only allows accredited law
schools to offer up to 15 credit hours via distance learning; this was
upped from just 12 hours last year.
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"Flat" tuition: 29% of law school graduates would
like to see all merit-based scholarships eliminated and instead use
that money to lower tuition for everyone. Only 17% of pre-laws favor
this approach.
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Enrolling More Students: 14% of recent law school graduates say
they’d favor admitting more students to pump up revenue, compared to
nearly twice as many pre-law students (27%) who favor this method.
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Lower professor salaries: Law instructors may not like this
one. Over a quarter (27%) of law school graduates want to cut
professors’ salaries; just 7% of pre-law students approve of this
tactic.
“Having been through the grinder for the past three years, it’s not too
surprising that law school graduates want to see the law school
experience reduced from three years to two years,” said Jeff Thomas,
executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “The reality
is that while some schools have accelerated programs, students still
have to take the same number of credit hours, per American Bar
Association rules. Shorter yes, but more intense too. The same applies
to online or distance learning -- what law schools can do in this area
is strictly regulated by the American Bar Association. While change is
coming in both areas, straying from the ways things have been normally
done in legal education is generally slow going.”
According to American Bar Association data, in the most recently
recorded year of 2013 average tuition at a public law school was $23,879
per year for in-state residents and $36,859 per year for non-state
residents. The average tuition at private law schools was considerably
more, at $41,984 per year.
For more information about Kaplan Test Prep’s survey, please contact
Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com
or 212.453.7538.
*293 law school graduates who took a bar review course with Kaplan
participated in this February 2015 e-survey; 819 pre-law students who
took an LSAT course with Kaplan participated in this September 2014
e-survey.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan operates
new economy skills training (NEST) bootcamps designed to provide
immersive training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job
market and prepare participants for hire.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings
Company (NYSE: GHC)
Copyright Business Wire 2015