What the 2025 1L Class Tells Us About the Future of Legal Education

By Elizabeth Bodamer

The 2025 first-year law school class represents an important milestone for legal education. As the final entering class before significant federal student loan cap and repayment plan changes, it provides a valuable baseline for understanding how future law students, including the new 2026 1L class currently settling into their first year, may navigate decisions about enrollment and financing.

Drawing on October 2025 responses from more than 3,000 1L students in LSAC's 2025 Matriculant Survey, our latest report — The 2025 1L Profile — examines who enrolled in law school, how they chose where to attend, and how they plan to pay for their legal education. The findings reveal both encouraging trends and persistent challenges that may continue to shape the future of legal education and the profession.

Key Findings

Students remain committed to pursuing legal education. 

• 53% of respondents first considered law school before college.
• The top motivations for attending law school were: 
  • Financial security (52%)
  • Helping others (49%)
  • Advocating for social justice (38%)
• 80% of respondents reported confidence that they are attending the right law school for them.

Access to guidance continues to influence student experiences.

• 64% of continuing-generation college graduates reported having access to effective guidance during the admission process.
• 56% of first-generation college graduates reported the same.
• These differences matter because guidance plays a critical role in helping students evaluate schools, understand financing options, and make informed enrollment decisions.

Financing law school remains a significant concern.

• Most students view legal education as a worthwhile investment, despite concerns about cost.
• 64% of first-generation college graduates reported concern about their future ability to repay law school expenses, compared with 52% of continuing-generation graduates.
• 77% of respondents who did not receive a Pell Grant reported knowing how they would pay for law school, compared with 68% of Pell Grant recipients. 

Debt expectations vary substantially across student groups.

• 57% of respondents expect to borrow to cover their total cost of attendance.¹
• 22% anticipate graduating debt free.
• Only 12% of Pell Grant recipients expect to graduate debt free.
• More than one in five Pell Grant recipients anticipate graduating with $150,000 or more in debt.

Why This Matters for the 2026 1L Class

As the 2026 entering class begins law school amid a changing federal loan landscape, these findings offer important insights into where challenges may emerge. In time, we will better understand these challenges:

• Financial concerns may play a larger role in enrollment and borrowing decisions.
• Students with fewer financial resources may face greater uncertainty about paying for law school.
•  Enrollment rates of first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients may be affected for the 2026 1L class.
• Law schools and legal stakeholders have an opportunity to continue strengthening access to opportunities and resources as legal education finds its “new normal” amid the new federal loan changes.

Looking Ahead

First-year law students in the 2025 1L class come from diverse communities, backgrounds, and experiences. Consistent with this diversity, students’ priorities and decision-making factors vary widely. Disparities in access to resources and effective guidance persist, especially for first-generation college graduates and Pell Grant recipients. Despite these disparities, most 1L respondents view the cost of legal education as a justified investment, even given their financial concerns. As the 2026 incoming class settles into its first year, this report provides insights to help the legal education community identify, monitor, and address barriers; implement effective strategies; and support student success along the journey. Download the report today to learn more.

[1] At this stage, patterns related to law school borrowing and anticipated debt reflect only the experiences of survey respondents. Although the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) currently provides law school borrowing data only through 2020, the results from this survey offer an important pulse check on the financial perceptions and self-reported realities shaping today's law student experience. A more complete picture of current borrowing patterns will emerge in the coming years as updated data become available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).