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The law school admissions cycle is heading into a critical period when deposits for applicants to save a seat are due and prospective students must make decisions about where to attend—or whether to attend at all.

It's too early to tell exactly how COVID-19 will affect admission numbers, and it's also uncertain how it will impact the number of international students coming to U.S. law schools, which has become an increasingly important source of students and tuition over the past decade.

But it is clear that the ongoing crisis is creating some turmoil with admissions, at least in the short-term, as schools scramble to connect remotely with prospective 1Ls and accepted applicants. 

The total number of applicants to American Bar Association-accredited law schools was down nearly 4% as of April 6, compared with the previous year. Just 16 law schools have seen an increase in applications, while 180 have seen a decrease. And the cancellation of the March and April LSATs could impede a late surge in applications for fall admission, though the introduction of a pared down, at-home version of the test in May will give procrastinators the chance to apply this cycle.

Uncertainty about what lies ahead prompted hundreds of potential law school students to attend an informational webinar in late March hosted by Law School Admission Council president Kellye Testy, featuring law deans and admissions deans discussing the current situation. (A second online session is scheduled for Wednesday.) Among their most frequent questions were what will happen with the April LSAT; how will law schools view pass/fail grades for the spring semester; and whether admissions decisions will be slower this year.

Testy and the panelists, which included University of Minnesota Law School Dean Garry Jenkins and University of Oregon School of Law Dean Marcilynn Burke, sought to reassure applicants that the council and law schools will be flexible this cycle and work with them to ensure that everyone who wished to apply for fall admission is able to do so. They also said that pass/fail grades for the current semester won't hinder applicants, especially given that most law schools have also adopted pass/fail grading schemes. Letters of recommendation may take on some added weight in the absence of normal grades, they noted. They suggested that applicants keep in close contact with admissions offices.

"We will, together, make sure you get through this," Testy told the attendees.

Concerned that the pandemic will drag on, law school administrators are already contemplating how they would bring new students on in the fall virtually, if campuses are unable to reopen by then.

But there may be a partial silver lining for law schools. Steve Schwartz, CEO of test prep provider LSAT Unplugged, said getting a juris doctor may be an attractive option for college seniors, given that the pandemic seems to have dealt a significant blow to the entry-level hiring market. The opportunity cost of law school is lower this year given the newly limited job opportunities, he said.

"Those graduating from undergrad now face a job market where few are hiring—if they have few employment options in the short-term, law school becomes relatively more appealing," he said. "This would be similar to what we saw in the 2008-2010 recession where law school applications spiked—because the job market was unappealing, applicants chose to enter law school to 'wait it out' and hope the job market would improve in the next three years."

Schwartz polled his LSAT students about whether they would still attend in the fall if law school classes were held online, and the majority responded that they would. But some students would likely defer admissions if the new academic year remained disrupted by the coronavirus.

That lack of certainty may well skew the models law schools use to determine how many applicants to accept in order to assemble the ideal class. A surge of deferrals will likely mean more admission offers off of waitlists. Applicants might want to stay closer to home this cycle given the pandemic. Some applicants may be more desperate to get in given the swift economic downturn, while law schools might be extra generous with scholarships if their applicant pools are smaller than normal, Schwartz said.

The cancellation of the March LSAT has already prompted at least one law school to begin accepting the GRE alongside the law-specific admission exam. Willamette University College of Law announced Monday that it will immediately begin accepting GRE scores from applicants—joining the 53 other ABA campuses that have started taking GRE scores since 2016. Educational Testing Service, which administers the GRE, announced last month that the exam can be taken at home amid the pandemic. The Law School Admission Council has said it is looking at the possibility of administering the LSAT remotely as well but has not announced any specifics.

"We are committed to continuing to expand access to education while attracting a diverse student body with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds," said Willamette Law Dean Curtis Bridgeman. "We also hope to create flexible options for our prospective students during this period of uncertainty."