The 2023 First-Year Class Profile: Who are they, where did they enroll, and how did they decide?

By Elizabeth Bodamer

No matter what your view of the ruling is, it’s fair to say that the June 2023 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard decision was a seismic event for anyone involved in higher education.  

As law schools and other institutions continue to review and adjust their policies and procedures in response to the Court’s ruling, it is critical for all of us to have a clear understanding of the admission environment. Who is applying to law school? What are their experiences along the journey from prelaw to law school and beyond? Where were they admitted? And how did they make their ultimate decisions on what school to attend.  

Given our deep engagement with prospective students and law school schools, LSAC is uniquely positioned to provide research that illuminates the experiences of applicants and the factors that influence their decisions.  

This research can be extremely valuable for everyone in the legal education community, as we work to expand access, equity, and fairness in law school admission and beyond, while adhering to the law.  

To support this work, LSAC’s applied research team is publishing a series of LSAC Knowledge Reports, examining various aspects of the prelaw through practice journey.  

Today, we are publishing a report that takes an in-depth look at the 2023 1L class. In particular, this report examines:  

1. Who are the students that make up the 2023 1L class  
2. Where are they enrolled  
3. How did they make their enrollment decisions  

This report has several important insights to help inform both law schools and prospective students. Overall, the 2023 1L class was diverse, along a wide range of racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic factors. At the same time, law school enrollment varied by identity and background, showing that while the first-year class was diverse, diversity was not experienced the same by all law schools, particularly based on law school selectivity. The research also reveals some surprising insights on how prospective students made their ultimate decisions on what school to attend, and how their views on what factors were most important changed after they entered law school. Finally, the report highlights the manner in which the incoming class of 2023 proactively sought support to transition into their first year through 0L/bridge programs, and how that varied across different schools and different groups of students.  

This report on the 2023 1L class also provides a baseline from which to examine the 2024 1L class and future 1L classes admitted after the June 2023 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard decision. In the coming weeks, the applied research team will be publishing a report examining the state of diversity in the law school first year class, examining multi-year trends, and are expected to release the 2024 1L Profile report in a few months.  

Join us to learn more about who is enrolling in law school by downloading the full report. And new insights about students with disabilities in the 2023 1L class is also available now. Together, the trends and insights will help us all as we work together to assess the admission landscape and to support the next generation of legal leaders along the prelaw to practice pathway.