The following is a breakdown of ABA 2015 applicants and applications based on data received through 2/06/15 and the percent change from last year. RegionApplicantsApplications#Pct Chg#Pct Chg[Far West]()4,804-5.1%37,277-8.2% [Great Lakes]()3,815-5.8%30,289-9.7%[Midsouth]()3,616-5.8%39,786-9.0%[Midwest]() 1,005-4.7%6,207-5.4%[Mountain West]()1,689-0.6%6,396-1.7%[New England]()1,351 -9.1%18,221-7.4%[Northeast]()4,905-4.2%37,115-8.4%[Northwest]()852-6.1%3,964 -13.3%[South Central]()2,939-4.0%12,32
How have law schools' LSAT medians shifted between 2010 and 2014?
Link to a spreadsheet.
The following is a breakdown of ABA 2015 applicants and applications by region (based on data received through 1/02/15) and the percent change from last year: RegionApplicantsApplications#Pct Chg#Pct Chg[Far West]()2,310-12.1%17,815-11.8% [Great Lakes]()2,393-8.2%18,016-11.9%[Midsouth]()2,221-6.6%23,704-11.4% [Midwest]()602-4.7%3,552-5.9%[Mountain West]()863-3.1%3,018-5.8%[New England]() 806-12.4%10,380-11.8%[Northeast]()2,963-10.4%21,972-10.6%[Northwest]()485-14.0% 2,109-20.2%[South Central]()
A breakdown of ABA 2015 applicants and applications by region and the percent change from last year.
Based on the 12/5 data release, which at this time last year accounted for 23% of the full pool, some industrious law school applicants have projected year-end totals and shared them with us.
This is, I believe, the first multivariate analysis of applicant data with law school outcomes. In other words, things law school admissions committees look at versus how well someone does in law school. I don’t believe the full paper is published yet, and disclaimer they are still running regressions (probably based on editor questions and feedback from whatever journal it will be published in). But we get the abstract with permission and I love this.
This is with 100% reporting, ABA Fall 2014 Applicant and Application Counts The following is a breakdown of ABA 2014 applicants and applications by region and the percent change from last year: RegionApplicantsApplications#Pct Chg#Pct Chg[Far West ]()7,177-7.0%54,433-5.5% [Great Lakes ]()6,792-10.5%50,102-13.3%[Midsouth ]()6,493-8.0%65,648-9.7% [Midwest ]()1,831-8.5%11,1231.6%[Mountain West ]()2,736-10.0%10,832-8.0%[New England ]()2,504-8.2%28,722-8.1%[Northeast ]()8,687-3.2%62,076-4.1%[Northwe
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike interviews Jordana Confino, Assistant Dean of Professionalism at Fordham Law School, about ways that law school applicants and students (and in fact, any applicant or student) can healthily cope with and reduce stress and increase overall happiness and well-being. Jordana is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School, and in her current role at Fordham, she develops and delivers programs designed to promote student wellness, mentorship, and professional identity formation. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Fordham, teaching courses on “Positive Lawyering” and “Peer Mentoring & Leadership.” She was voted Fordham Law Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2021.
In this interview, Jordana discusses her academic and professional history, how law school and legal practice impacted her well-being, and specific tactics applicants and students can employ to improve their own mental and emotional wellness in stressful, high-pressure environments.
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
Mike and Jordana discuss a number of psychology researchers and experts throughout their conversation, including the groundbreaking work of Dr. Kristin Neff in the field of self-compassion—you can listen to our interview with Dr. Neff here. Mike also mentions a graph near the end of the episode that we have included for your reference below:

In this short episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike offers some optimistic news for law school applicants who may not have yet received any admits.
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
In this episode, Mike gives his thoughts on whether law schools will be able to maintain their historically high LSAT/GPA medians after the 2022-2023 admissions cycle.
Spivey Consulting Availability Notes:
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
Note: You may notice that the numbers we cite sometimes vary slightly from the volume data that LSAC publishes. This is because LSAC reports only an applicant's ultimate high LSAT score, even if they didn't achieve that score until months or even years after the date in question. For example, if someone applied in 2021-2022 with a 160, then retook the LSAT the following fall and scored a 170 to reapply for 2022-2023, LSAC's data would include them as an applicant with a 170 even in the 2021-2022 data. To avoid this effect, we record applicant volume daily in real-time so that we can later compare to the data as it actually was on that date, rather than factoring in any new LSAT scores that were achieved after that date.
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike gives an update on 2022-2023 cycle data and discusses admissions strategies for the second half of the application cycle: waitlists and letters of continued interest, tips for asking for scholarship reconsideration, and handling the waiting/anxiety. (It may surprise you how impactful that last item can be to your outcomes!)
Mike recorded this episode before final January 2023 LSAT data was out—you can find the latest update on our Twitter, here. A few other Status Check episodes are mentioned in this podcast as well:
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike talks about the different factors that precipitate waves of law school admissions decisions being released, especially late in the cycle/during waitlist season.
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
In this short episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike talks about the widespread notion that, even beyond whatever specific and concrete challenges we each may be facing, there is an added factor of "everything" (in today's society, in life) that can sometimes feel crushing. Then he gives some advice.
You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, and Google Podcasts.