Across the United States, the number of people applying to law school has risen in the past few years. Data from the Law School Admissions Council shows more than 76,000 people have applied to law schools nationwide, a more than 18% increase from the prior year and a nearly 25% increase from two years ago.
At the University of Cincinnati, law school applications are up nearly 40% this year. Cassandra Jeter-Bailey, senior assistant dean of admission for UC's College of Law, says there could be several factors driving the rising interest in studying law.
Jeter-Bailey says it's not unusual for law schools nationwide to receive more applicants when the economy is slow and fewer high-paying jobs are available. It's also common to see more interest in civics and law before and after major U.S. elections. In 2025, the political climate surrounding higher education has turned up the volume on these issues, drawing even more people to the law field, especially in pathways related to public interest and social justice, she says.
"It has not caused a chilling effect. I think it's actually just the opposite," Jeter-Bailey told WVXU. "Applicants are keenly aware that the law is an avenue for change, and I think that's why you see more folks applying to law school."
Changes made by UC
The politics of the time have been at the forefront of the minds of many current and former Bearcats. In the past year, the University of Cincinnati made sweeping changes to comply with state laws banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), making way for Republican-led initiatives promoting "intellectual diversity" in the classroom. The university also has been the subject of two U.S. Department of Education investigations related to DEI programs and pro-Palestinian student-led protests. Additionally, federal cuts have resulted in UC losing $2.6 million in National Institute of Health (NIH) research grants.
The state legislation and political pressure from the Trump administration led UC's leadership to adopt new policies that will now outlaw faculty union strikes, prevent the university from taking a position on any "controversial belief or policy," and close down the school's identity centers serving Black students, LGBTQ+ students, minority students, and women.
The changes didn't come without resistance from the UC community. The end of DEI programs sparked several large campus protests, and last month, UC Board of Trustees member J. Phillip Holloman called the state legislation "an abomination" that was leveraging the university's $287.9 million in state funding to force a conservative political ideology onto UC and its students.
Still, the resistance on campus didn't prompt university leaders to challenge the legislation or executive orders, to the disappointment of several student and faculty groups, and others within UC's College of Law.
'Our leaders are not being leaders'
Tyler Benson, a spring 2025 graduate of UC Law, says that from his perspective, it appeared UC's President Neville Pinto and other members of the university's leadership didn't put up much of a fight to defend what he views as the school's core values.
"[UC] is saying 'Next lives here,' right? We're building leaders, then our own leaders are not being leaders. You know, that's pretty contradictory," he said.
Benson spoke to WVXU while preparing for the Ohio Bar Exam. He says his time as an undergraduate student at UC and then with the school's law program helped prepare him to enter the legal field with confidence, but this past year changed his perspective on the university. While he was learning about the importance of the Constitution, due process, and the three branches of government, he felt UC's leadership was bullied by the Trump administration and state lawmakers to change the way it educates instead of standing up.
"It's surreal to think of the changes they're implementing," Benson said. "You question what's going on. Is it constitutional? Is it based in fact?"
Benson's concerns were shared by other UC Law alumni. Lisa Lee, a law graduate from 2000, penned an open letter signed by dozens of other alumni to Pinto and other school leaders in April, asking them to band together with other institutions to combat legal and political pressure. Similar ideas have been proposed by faculty senates at colleges in Ohio and beyond, but so far, no major state university administrations have publicly entertained the idea of a unified legal compact.
"I understand why folks in academia are extremely scared to fight back," Lee said. "However, where does it end?"
Lee isn't convinced that UC's compliance with executive orders will protect the university from future political attacks. Instead, she says President Trump and Ohio's conservative lawmakers will only push harder and force more changes on UC.
"They don't seem to be appeased. Next time, next week, next month, next year, it's going to be something else," she said. "It's going to be a further demand, a further attempt to coerce institutions into excluding certain folks from the table."
While recent events have changed how Benson and Lee view UC's leadership, both spoke highly of UC's College of Law and said the school's current and incoming students will have an important role to play in defending constitutional rights.
Jeter-Bailey says that while the past year has been tumultuous, it's brought plenty of attention to the power of law and how it can fundamentally change many aspects of society.
"The environment now has opened up a world of possibilities and a world of avenues in terms of what the law impacts and touches," she said.
Cincinnati students may soon feel the impact of the legal and legislative world when they return to campus in a few weeks. The fall semester starts Aug. 25.
Read more:
