TL;DR – The Law School Application Surge of 2026
As former Chief Admissions Officer at UVA Law and head of our What’s Next? law school admissions advising program, Cordel Faulk has seen firsthand how shifts in applicant volume transform the admissions landscape. In this post, he breaks down why the 2026 cycle is unlike anything we’ve seen in decades and what today’s applicants need to do to stay strategic, timely, and competitive in a dramatically tightening admissions environment.
How This Year’s Applicants Are Rewriting the Curve
Law school applications for the 2026 entering class are up 21%, and applicants are up nearly 25% compared with last year, one of the biggest jumps in two decades.
Scale: Application volume is now among the highest since the early 2000s, when the all-time record topped 100,000 applicants.
Breadth: Growth spans nearly every region, led by the Mountain West (+46%) and New England (+27%).
Strength: High-LSAT applicants are also up sharply (175–180 band +25%), signaling a more competitive pool.
Timing: Schools are already deep in review, meaning early and complete submissions matter more than ever.
The bottom line? This is one of the strongest and broadest law school cycles in a generation.
If you thought the post-pandemic spike in law school interest had cooled, think again. According to LSAC’s Current Volume Summary (through November 1, 2025), law school applications are up 21 percent compared with this time last year, and applicants are up nearly 25 percent. This is one of the sharpest early-cycle increases LSAC has recorded in decades.
For context, LSAC estimates that we are already at 22 percent of the final applicant count for the year, compared with 18 percent at the same point last cycle. Nearly every corner of the country is contributing to the growth: 179 schools are reporting application increases, and only 16 are seeing declines.
How Big Is “Big”?
Law school applications rise and fall with the economy and politics, but this jump is exceptional. Compared with two years ago, applications are up 77 percent, and applicants are up 66 percent.
It is hard to find another year with this kind of sustained momentum.
While the all-time high came two decades ago, with more than 100,000 applicants in 2004, current totals place this cycle among the strongest in modern history, rivaling both the early-2000s boom fueled by a mix of economic shifts, post-9/11 interest in public service, and even a bit of Legally Blonde-era visibility for the profession, and the post-2020 surge driven by social-justice movements.
Observers are calling this “the highest level in more than a decade.” The 2026 cycle may not eclipse the 2004 record, but it is closing in on it and is clearly the most competitive cycle of the 2020s.
Where Is the Growth Coming From?
Every region is expanding, but the biggest jumps are outside the traditional coastal centers.
Region
Mountain West
New England
Midwest
Northeast
Far West
Change in Applications
+45.7 %
+26.7 %
+24.5 %
+22.8 %
+21.2 %
This is not just another D.C. or New York cycle. Interest in the Mountain West and Midwest is surging, suggesting that the law school pipeline is broadening geographically. That could reshape where new lawyers begin their careers.
Who’s Applying?
By gender, the split remains roughly two-thirds women, one-third men, and a small but steady gender-diverse group. Both women and men are applying at nearly identical growth rates (24–26 percent).
Racially and ethnically, growth is broad across categories, with particularly strong increases among Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, and White applicants, each rising roughly 24–26 percent year over year.
This mix shows that the current surge is not isolated to any one demographic or region. It is a genuine expansion of interest across the board.
The LSAT Picture
The growth is not limited to first-time testers or lower-score ranges. Applicants scoring 165–169 are up 21 percent, and those in the 175–180 range are up 25 percent. Even the 160–164 band rose 18 percent.
The applicant pool is not only bigger, it is stronger. Law school medians, which have already risen in recent years, could climb again if this trend continues through the winter.
What It Means for Applicants
For those applying now, this environment favors the early and the organized. When volume rises this quickly, admissions committees get selective sooner. Scholarships tighten. Review windows shrink.
The good news is that higher competition often pushes schools to expand outreach, revisit yield strategies, and occasionally add late-season scholarships to secure top candidates. But this cycle will reward timing. The schools are already busy, and it’s only mid-December.
The Takeaway
We are witnessing one of the most energized applicant cycles in two decades. It may not be the absolute record, but it sits near the top of the historical curve.
Whether the surge comes from renewed civic engagement, uncertainty in other sectors, or the enduring appeal of legal training as a tool for social and economic mobility, the class of 2026 is proving that the path to law school is as alive and competitive as ever.
At What’s Next, we help applicants navigate cycles like this with strategy, clarity, and confidence. This cycle is moving fast, but you don’t have to go it alone. From first draft to final submission, our team works with you to stay ahead of the curve and turn your story into your strongest advantage.
We’re here to help.
What’s Next?
The law school application process is intimidating, confusing, and at times scary. We at What’s Next? law school advising can use our expertise to demystify this process. We want it to be more exciting than it is scary. We can help you find the right fit. It’s out there.
Led by Cordel Faulk, former Chief Admissions Officer at UVA Law, What’s Next? is grounded in deep experience and honest guidance. We’ve helped applicants navigate this journey before — and we’re ready to help you do the same.