The 2024 1L Class: Persistence in First Year of Law School

Law school attrition, or the rate at which students leave law school before completing their degree, can be a signal for broader issues — such as academic pressures, low feelings of belonging or acceptance, physical and/or mental health issues, and financial pressures — students are facing. According to American Bar Association (ABA) 509 Disclosure data , attrition rates are highest during the first year of law school. In addition to the impact on individual students, the disparities in attrition rates across different groups can have a significant impact on the composition of each graduating law school class and ultimately the composition of the legal profession.  

Consequently, it is critical for the future composition of the profession to understand how often students think about leaving law school, what triggers students’ thoughts of leaving, what ultimately drives them to leave, and, conversely, what factors encourage students to persist through the first year. LSAC’s mission is to advance law and justice by promoting access, equity, and fairness in law school admission and supporting students’ journey from prelaw through practice. To this end, this research report aims to inform schools on how they can support students through their first year of law school.

Based on LSAC’s 2024-2025 Spring Matriculant survey, conducted in March 2025 among 1Ls who matriculated in fall 2024, this report examines:

1. How 1Ls experience their first year of law school, particularly their feelings of belonging or acceptance
2. How often 1Ls think about leaving law school in their first year
3. Why 1Ls persist in law school
4. What support and guidance can help 1Ls overcome thoughts of leaving school and complete their legal education.

This report provides important insights that law schools and stakeholders can use to support student retention and development in law school and beyond. Overall, the 2024 Spring Matriculant Survey data reveals that:

• Many 1Ls feel like they belong, they feel accepted, and they feel comfortable at their law school. However, students from marginalized[1] groups report lower rates of belonging and higher rates of being underestimated and not feeling valued compared to their peers.
  • About 80% of 1Ls report they feel like they belong, they feel accepted, and they feel comfortable at their law school.
  • However, compared to their peers, racially and ethnically minoritized students, gender diverse students,[2] Pell grant recipients, first-generation college graduates,[3] and racially and ethnically minoritized women (women of color) report significantly lower rates of belonging and higher rates of belonging uncertainty[4], not feeling valued, and feeling that others underestimate them.
• Belonging matters in law school retention. Sense of belonging for first-year students who thought about leaving law school is nearly 15% lower than sense of belonging for students who never thought about leaving law school.
  • First-year law students who thought about leaving law school report belonging uncertainty, wavering between feeling like they belong and do not belong, at a rate 24% higher than their peers who report never thinking about leaving law school.
• More than two out of five 1Ls thought about leaving law school at least a few times during their first year.
  • 1Ls from marginalized backgrounds were significantly more likely to consider leaving law school during their first year than more privileged peers.
  • First-generation college graduates and Pell Grant recipients thought about leaving law school at a rate 21% higher than their peers who are continuing generation graduates and Pell Grant non-recipients.
  • Women of color thought about leaving law school at a rate 49% (or 17 percentage points) higher than racially and ethnically minoritized men (men of color), 27% (or 11 percentage points) higher than white men, and 11% (or 6 percentage points) higher than white women.
• The top reasons triggering student’s thoughts of leaving law school are (1) academic pressures, (2) physical and/or mental health, and (3) financial pressures. It is critical to note that these top reasons can and are often cumulative and overlapping, meaning that students can experience them simultaneously, and pressures can accentuate other stressors.
• The top time periods that trigger students’ thoughts of leaving during their first year are (1) during their first finals, (2) within the first six weeks of starting law school, and (3) after receiving their first semester grades.
• The top three motivators for persisting in law school include (1) support networks outside of law school, (2) commitments made to oneself, and (3) thinking about the privilege of legal education.
• 1Ls identified “achieving a healthy work-life balance”, “managing my time in law school”, and “receiving more financial aid” as their top guidance and support they need as they continue law school.

Building on established legal education research[5], this report finds that students from marginalized and under-resourced communities more often experience belonging uncertainty in their first year of law school and report thinking about leaving law school at higher rates than their peers. Thoughts of leaving are triggered by academic pressures, physical or mental health, and financial pressures during moments of high stress in the first year. Despite higher rates of departure in the first year, many first-year law students persist by anchoring in their support systems and their “why.”[6]

The environment, curriculum, culture, and stress in law school impact students’ experiences beyond learning. Law school impacts the way students grow in their abilities, form lasting relationships, and are socialized into the legal profession. Retention in law school requires investment in students in and outside of the classroom.[7] Such an investment must center on optimizing the student experience and addressing barriers. The insights from this report can help schools and the legal community create resources and experiences that effectively support learning centered on the student, cultivating their persistence through law school.

To learn more, download the report here. If you have any questions related to this project or future work informed by the results, please contact LSAC Applied Research at StrategicResearch@LSAC.org.

[1] The term “marginalized” refers to populations that historically have been excluded, disempowered, disenfranchised, or otherwise treated as being insignificant, unimportant, or peripheral. Marginalized can be used to describe various populations and is not synonymous with or limited to racially/ethnically underrepresented populations. This term is used interchangeably with minoritized in this report.

[2] Gender diverse students include anyone who identifies as nonbinary, transgender, and/or another gender identity other than cisgender man or woman. In this report, students categorized as women or men self-reported being cisgender.

[3] First-generation college graduates include 1Ls with parents or guardians with an associate’s degree, some college, high school completion, or less than high school completion.

[4] Wavering between feeling like they belong and do not belong.

[5] Quintanilla, V. (2019, January 25). A LSSSE collaboration on the role of belonging in law school experience and performance. Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. https://lssse.indiana.edu/blog/role-of-belonging-in-law-school-experience-and-performance/

[6] Check out LSAC’s Knowledge Report: The 2024 1L Profile to learn more about law students’ “why” and their motivations for attending law school.

[7] Deo, M. E. (2024). Building Belonging. Denv. L. Rev., 102, 771.