LSSSE Annual Results: Ten Years of (Ever-rising) Law Student Debt

This is the first in a series of posts centered around data from the 2015 LSSSE Survey administration and the 2015 Annual Report, which provides a retrospective glimpse into law student debt trends over a 10-year period, using survey years 2006 and 2015 as bookends. Survey year 2011 will be used as a midpoint in much of the analyses—2011 is noteworthy because a record number of students—157,298—enrolled in U.S. law schools that year. This post discusses the increase in law student debt over the 10-year period.

The vast majority of law students— almost 90%, according to LSSSE Survey data and estimates by the American Bar Association—rely on student loans to finance their education. The typical law school graduate is part of a relatively rarefied group of debtors with student loan balances approaching, if not exceeding $100,000. In 2012, the average debt for graduates of private law schools was $127,000; $88,000 for public law school graduates. These amounts represented inflation-adjusted increases of one-quarter and one-third respectively in just seven years.

The LSSSE Survey asks respondents the following question:

“How much educational debt from attending law school do you expect to have upon your graduation?”

In order to account for the inherent imprecision of speculating about the future, the response options appearing on the survey are presented mostly as ranges in $20,000 intervals, with two outer options:

  • $0
  • $1- $20,000
  • $20,001 – $40,000
  • $40,001 – $60,000
  • $60,001 – $80,000
  • $80,001 – $100,000
  • $100,001 – $120,000
  • More than $120,000

For much of the analyses in this series of posts, the six intermediate ranges are compressed into three $40,000 ranges, with the outer options remaining the same:

  • $0
  • $1- $40,000
  • $40,001 – $80,000
  • $80,001 – $120,000
  • More than $120,000

Unsurprisingly, over the 10-year timeframe, increasing proportions of LSSSE respondents reported expecting high law school debt.  In 2006, 32% of respondents expected to incur more than $100,000 in debt during their law school matriculation.  By 2011, that proportion had increased to 44%, a level at which it remained in 2015.  The differences in expected debt were particularly acute at the highest level—more than $120,000.  Roughly 30% of respondents in both 2011 and 2015 expected debt above $120,000, compared to 16% in 2006.

An analysis of the subgroups of “high-debt” respondents really highlights the prevailing trends.  We measured the proportional split between respondents who expected to owe $100,001-$120,000 and those who expected to owe more than $120,000.  In 2006, 51% of respondents in this high-debt subgroup expected to owe more than $120,000 (leaving 49% expecting to owe $100,001-$120,000).  By 2015, 67% of this high-debt subgroup expected to owe more than $120,000.

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2014 10th Anniversary Symposium

Law School Survey of Student Engagement
10th Anniversary Symposium
"Data and Assessment in Legal Education: The Necessities, The Possibilities"
November 6-7, 2014
Saint Louis University School of Law
On November 6-7, the Law School Survey of Student Engagement commemorated its 10th anniversary by hosting a symposium titled, "Data and Assessment in Legal Education: The Necessities, The Possibilities". The Symposium was co-sponsored by Access Group, the Law School Admission Council, and Saint Louis University School of Law.

The Symposium featured presentations and interactive panels discussing the growing importance of data-informed decision making in legal education. The focus centered on curricular reforms, enrollment management/student selection strategies, and student services. The symposium provided attendees with insight into how data can be collected and analyzed in tangibly useful ways.

In addition to panel discussions, researchers presented projects that illustrated the usefulness of data collection and assessment.

A copy of the LSSSE Symposium program can be found here: LSSSE Symposium

AGENDA

    Thursday, November 6 (3:00-7:30 PM)

  • 3:00-7:30: Registration
  • 3:00-3:15: Welcome:
    • Aaron N. Taylor
      • Assistant Professor, Saint Louis University School of Law
      • Director, Law School Survey of Student Engagement
    • Chris Chapman
      • Chief Executive Officer, Access Group
  • 3:15-4:30: Using Data to Demonstrate and Improve the Value of Legal Education
  • 4:35-6:00: Using Data to Predict Enrollment
    • Michael Dean
      • Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer, Mercer School of Law
    • Abby Fitzgerald
      • Founder and Principal, Yellow Arrows, LLC
    • Michelle Mason
      • Interim Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Experiential Learning and Engagement
    • Michael States (moderator)
      • Assistant Dean of Admissions, University of North Carolina School of Law
  • 6:00-7:30: Opening Reception
    Friday, November 7 (8:00 AM-4:15 PM)

  • 8:00-12:30: Registration
  • 8:00-9:20: Breakfast welcome and opening keynote:
    • Mike Wolff
      • Dean, Saint Louis University School of Law
    • Jeffrey E. Lewis
      • Dean Emeritus and Professor, Saint Louis University School of Law
      • Chair, ABA Standards Committee
  • 9:30-11:00: Using Data to Reform the Curriculum
    • Catherine Carpenter
      • Vice Dean and Professor, Southwestern Law School
      • Member, ABA Standards Review Committee
    • Barry Currier
      • Managing Director of Accreditation and Legal Education, American Bar Association
      • Member, LSSSE Advisory Board
    • Bryant Garth
      • Professor, UC Irvine School of Law
      • Chair, LSSSE Advisory Board
    • Cassandra Hill
      • Associate Professor and Director of Legal Writing, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
    • Elizabeth Pendo (moderator)
      • Vice Dean and Professor, Saint Louis University School of Law
  • 11:10-12:30: Data as an Assessment Tool:
    • "Learning From-and About-the Numbers"
    • "A Long-Overdue Medicine for What Ails Legal Education: The Washington & Lee Reformed Third Year"
    • "Northeastern University Outcomes Assessment Project"
      • William Henderson
        • Professor of Law, Indiana University School of Law
        • LSSSE Faculty Associate
  • 12:40-2:00: Lunch Presentation of 2014 LSSSE annual report and longitudinal study
  • 2:10-3:30: Using Data to Devise and Assess Admission Criteria
  • 3:40-4:15: Closing Keynote

REGISTRATION

  • Registration Fee: $60
  • Refund: Cancellations made before October 15th will be refunded, less an administrative fee of $11.
    No refunds will be made after this date, but registrations are transferable.
  • CLE Credit:
  • Question: Contact Aaron N. Taylor, LSSSE Director, ataylo65@slu.edu.
  • Registration for the LSSSE Symposium is now open

ACCOMODATIONS
Please make hotel arrangements as soon as possible. There is a large conference taking place during the same timeframe as the Symposium, so rooms are filling fast.

The following hotels offer special rates for guests attending events at Saint Louis University:

Hotel Ignacio
3411 Olive
Saint Louis, MO 63103
314-977-4411
http://www.hotelignaciostl.com/

Renaissance St. Louis Grand
800 Washington Ave.
Saint Louis, MO 63101
314-621-9600
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/stldt-renaissance-st-louis-grand-hotel/

Omni Majestic Hotel
1019 Pine
Saint Louis, MO 63101
314-436-2355
1-800-THE-OMNI
http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/st-louis-majestic

SLU Law is located in downtown St. Louis at 100 N. Tucker, Saint Louis, MO 63101. Any hotel in the downtown area will put you within walking distance or a short cab ride.

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November 4, 2011 - Seton Hall University School of Law

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Resources

Understanding your LSSSE Report
Applying your LSSSE Data
Taking Your Data Further
What Can LSSSE Data Do For You
Digging into the data

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April 1, 2011 - University of Denver Sturm College of Law

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Resources

Audio - LSSSE Users' Workshop in Denver
Making Change Happen Using LSSSE Data
Digging into the Data
Taking Your Data Further
What Can LSSSE Data Do For You

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January 8, 2011 - Putting LSSSE to Use

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Resources

Audio – Putting LSSSE to Use: A Roundtable of LSSSE Expert Users at AALS 2011 Annual Meeting

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April 8, 2010 - Detroit Mercy School of Law Workshop

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Resources

Getting Started – Detroit Mercy
Contextualizing Data
Accreditation
SPSS Introduction
Next Steps – Detroit Mercy

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