TAMPA, Fla., July 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the sixth year in a row, women made up the majority of law school students pursuing Juris Doctor (JD) degrees in the United States. Based on the most recent data (2021) from the American Bar Association, in 39 states and Puerto Rico, at least half of law school students are women.
In its annual Women in Law School report, Enjuris compiled data from the ABA on law school enrollment to break down law school gender diversity by state and highlight the top-ranked schools for women.
In 1960, women comprised only 3.5 percent of enrollees in ABA-approved law schools. In 2016, the number of female law school enrollees surpassed male enrollees for the first time.
In 2021, women accounted for 55.29 percent of all students in ABA-approved law schools, while men made up only 44.39 percent of students. The number of people who identified as "other" rose to 377 (0.32%) in 2021.
The top 20 ABA-accredited law schools by female enrollment in 2021 were:
- Northeastern University School of Law
- Howard University School of Law
- North Carolina Central University School of Law
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law
- American University College of Law
- CUNY School of Law
- University of Maryland School of Law
- University of the District of Columbia School of Law
- New England Law | Boston
- Belmont University College of Law
- Pace University Law School
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico
- University of Washington School of Law
- Seattle University School of Law
- Southern University Law Center
- New York Law School
- Quinnipiac University School of Law
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Elon University School of Law
- University of California Berkeley School of Law
In particular, women have been making steady gains in top-ranked law schools. Seventeen of the top 20 law schools, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, had more female attendees than male attendees in 2021.
More infographics, charts, and gender enrollment data can be found on Enjuris.com at:
https://www.enjuris.com/students/law-school-women-enrollment-2021.html