January 2026 / Episode 7 / Under 25 minutes
Welcome to Keeping Up to DataSM, a space in which we discuss, analyze, and contextualize trends and perspectives in the current law school admission cycle.
SUSAN KRINSKY: Welcome back to Keeping Up to Data. I’m Susan Krinsky, executive vice president for operations at LSAC®, with an update on the 2026 application cycle and a discussion with Aminta Moses Sharps, LSAC’s pathway and education programs manager, and Kim Paredes, a recent participant in LSAC’s wonderful Plus, Guided Journey program.
It’s two weeks into January as I look at our volume data. We are more than halfway through the cycle on the basis of applicant volume and application volume. By this time last year, we had seen 56% of the applicants who eventually applied, and we had received 58% of the applications that were eventually submitted. As of today, the number of individuals applying to law school is about 20% higher than last year at this time and 46% higher than two years ago. Looking at applications submitted so far, it’s also about 20% higher than last year at this time, and a whopping 56% higher than two years ago. The increase over last year has been pretty stable over the past month but has certainly moderated since the beginning of the cycle last September.
As of this week, 46.6% of individuals who have submitted at least one application for 2026 admission identify as persons of color; 57% identify as female, 40% as male, 1.9% did not indicate a gender, and just under 1% identify as gender-diverse. Those percentages of the entire pool have not changed since a month ago and, as a percentage of the pool, are similar to last years. But I would note that the absolute number of individuals choosing not to indicate a gender has increased by 19% over last year at this time. Applicants who describe themselves as being first-generation college attendees or graduates represent 24.9% of the 50,000-plus applicants this year. This is up very slightly from 24.8% of the pool last year at this time.
But it is also worth noting that when we looked at 2025 matriculants — that is, individuals who enrolled this past fall — the percentage of first-generation matriculants was slightly lower than in 2024. This could be because fewer individuals in this group were offered admission, and it could be because admitted students in this group chose not to enroll. We’re looking closely at this group during the coming year, given the recent changes in the financial aid landscape. As was the case last month, applicants from all regions of the U.S. are up, some more than others, and applications to schools in all regions of the U.S. are up, too. Canadian applicants and applications are both up about 15%.
We’re now just about through the fifth of the eight LSAT® administrations this cycle, and test takers continue to be up. As I noted last month, test takers for the first four LSAT administrations were up 19% over the first four test administrations in 2024. January registrants and test takers were up over last January, but we don’t yet have final test taker numbers for this administration. February registrants are up 14% over last February. It’s too early to see any trends in the April and June registrations, but we will be looking very closely at April, which has been demonstrated to be a harbinger of the following year’s applicant numbers.
That’s our report on the January data. As you know, you can stay on top of these numbers by going to our website, LSAC.org, where you’ll find a link on the homepage to the latest volume data, which is updated every night.
Today, I’m excited to explore our Plus, Guided Journey program with Aminta Moses Sharps, the pathway and education programs manager at LSAC, and with Kimberly Paredes, a member of the inaugural Plus, Guided Journey cohort. Plus, Guided Journey is an evolution of our original PLUS program. PLUS was the acronym for Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars, which actually began almost 25 years ago, in 2001. The original program took place 100% in person on about five or six law school campuses, typically in the summer for four to six weeks, and for about 30 students on each campus. The new Plus, Guided Journey program is focused on individuals who are actually going to apply to law school during the coming year. It takes place both virtually and in person throughout the country, and it works with hundreds, this year a thousand, prelaw students.
Aminta, welcome.
AMINTA MOSES SHARPS: Thank you so much, Susan. I’m excited to be here.
SUSAN: So, Aminta, what can you tell me about the current iteration of the Plus, Guided Journey program?
AMINTA: Of course, I’m very excited to do so. So, the Plus, Guided Journey program is a yearlong program designed to provide guidance and support to individuals to and through the law school application process. Our scholars join us in April of each year, and the program continues all the way through May of the following year. So, we kick off with LSAT preparation; all of our scholars take the August LSAT. We then transition to focusing on other aspects of the law school application, culminating in the submission of at least three law school applications by early December, so we hit that early application window.
Then, in the second part of the program, which begins in January, we transition to focusing on things like making decisions about where to attend law school. As decisions start to come in, we focus a lot on financial aid and financial planning, deciding what is important to you in law schools, so thinking about factors aside from just the academic component, but also just the life that you want while you are in law school. And then, of course, we end the program sending our scholars off to wherever they’re deciding to go next in their journey in May, before welcoming the next incoming cohort.
SUSAN: Thank you. That sounds very comprehensive. About how many students participate in the program?
AMINTA: So, last year was our very first year of the Plus, Guided Journey program in its current form, and we had a little over 450 scholars who participated. This year, we’ve more than doubled that number, which is very exciting. But we like to say that the impact of Plus is even greater. The Plus community is very strong, it continues to grow, and that community is one that gives hope to other applicants who are looking at law school and trying to figure out what to do or how to take this journey, knowing that this program exists as a resource for them.
SUSAN: How do the participants find out about the program, and really, what’s the application process like for them?
AMINTA: The application is typically open in December of each year. The application is open for just a few months, so we typically close applications around February. The application process is relatively straightforward. We ask a number of essay questions, which is where the majority of the application review happens. So one of those questions is: Why law? We want to know that this is something that is personal to the applicants — it’s something that you are excited about and committed to. It’s a yearlong program; you get a lot from the program, but we’re also asking a lot, so we want to know that law is something that you have thought about and are really excited to commit yourself to.
We also ask applicants to think about three goals that they want to accomplish through their participation in the Plus program. We expect scholars to spend about two hours each week, in addition to outside work, so whether they are seeking letters of recommendation or working on their personal statements. We let them know that information in the application so that they can plan accordingly and start to think about how they can fit Plus into their busy lives during LSAT prep, because participation is a program requirement. It’s what makes the Plus community a community, knowing that we’re all doing this together.
And the final question that we ask on the application is about academic acumen. So many of the scholars in our program have been out of undergrad for two, 10, some more than 20 years. And so, we ask them to think about all of the skills that they have developed over the past years, whether that was at work, whether it was in school — to think about skills that have prepared them to take on legal education. We know it is a very challenging enterprise, but it’s one that is very doable. And so, having applicants start to think about how they might frame their experiences and highlight their strengths is something that we ask you to begin thinking about in the application process.
SUSAN: How would somebody find out about this program, anyway?
AMINTA: As we get closer toward the application opening each year, we do start to send out targeted emails, so, individuals who we know are looking at applying to law school in the upcoming cycle. There is a page on LSAC.org, a Plus page, where you can actually sign up to be notified when the application opens. We’ll let you know as soon as it is available for you. We do a webinar that’s hosted on LawHub® each year, so just general information about the Plus program, how you can get involved, and things that you might just want to know about the program before submitting that application. But we try to be really intentional about making sure that this information is widely available so that anyone who is interested can submit their application.
SUSAN: Is the program 100% online, or partly in person, or what?
AMINTA: I’m so glad you asked, Susan. It is in fact a hybrid program. So, the vast majority of the program happens virtually, so that means no matter where you live, you can participate in the program. We do, however, have an in-person component, which we are very excited about. We call them our Plus hubs. In the very first year of the program, we had a Plus hub in Washington, D.C. In the second year, we added Boston and Southern California. And those hubs are really exciting opportunities for in-person participation.
So, they’re hosted by one of the area law schools. All of the area law schools participate in the programming. They come and meet the scholars, they sit on panels, they have lunch with us, they do networking. So, it’s a really incredible opportunity for scholars who are within commuting distance of that area to come together, get to meet each other in person, network, not only with the law schools, but with LSAC staff and all of the staff across the organization who contribute to the program, in addition to their fellow scholars.
SUSAN: I was fortunate enough last year to be at the Washington, D.C. forum, and I saw a lot of Plus scholars there. What can you tell me about that?
AMINTA: So, at each of the LSAC forums, we have a special space that is reserved for our Plus scholars. And the really important component of our Plus program is making sure that our scholars have the information that they need to feel prepared and feel confident going into these spaces, knowing that these are spaces where they are welcomed, where people are excited to have them join, and places that they ultimately belong. So, the scholars attend the forum; they have special Plus lanyards that they wear to identify them as members of the program, and also so they can build community with each other. Sometimes, at forums, we’ve all been there, they get busy, right? You just need somebody to give you a wave or a thumbs-up across the room to say, “We’re good. We’re good. We’ve got this.” And so, the Plus scholars do that for each other, which, again, is just a testament to the incredible community that our scholars build.
SUSAN: Well, I know that this is a program that was designed and built and is largely run by LSAC, but what involvement do law schools have?
AMINTA: The involvement of law schools in the Plus program is absolutely invaluable. The way that they volunteer their time has been so incredibly impressive. And in large part, this is one thing that really excites the scholars — the knowledge that, first of all, we don’t force any law schools to participate. They heard about the program and they came to be involved because they care so much about the mission of the organization, which is the same mission of the Plus program, which is to increase access to legal education.
So, law schools participate in a number of ways. They participate both asynchronously and synchronously. So, in the asynchronous content, law schools will sign up to sit on pre-recorded panels or host sessions. So, some of those panels might be titled “What to Consider When Selecting a Law School” or “Law School Essays: What Are We Talking About?” Other topics might be what to include in an addendum, how to write a law school résumé — so, really concrete, substantive information that scholars are looking for as they go through the law school application process.
In the Plus program, we pride ourselves on giving the scholars information that they need, when they need it. The process can be very overwhelming. But we have, in conjunction with our research team, created a really impactful timeline to make sure the scholars are doing what needs to be done in a timely manner that gives them the best opportunity for admission and for financial aid, but also making sure that they’re not very overwhelmed in the process.
But I mentioned they also participate synchronously. So, law school professionals across the country actually teach live classes, in a virtual context, of course, to our scholars on a biweekly basis throughout the program, so that our scholars have the opportunity to do a deeper dive into the topics, ask questions, have them answered, connect with law school professionals. And law schools also participate by hosting office hours. So, they will give us a topic or a few topics. Some schools will say, “Ask me anything.”
And they will come and hold Plus office hours. But they’re really incredible opportunities for the Plus scholars to see, in real time, who these law schools are, what they care about, and also just experience the incredible welcome that these law school professionals offer to our scholars.
SUSAN: We know there are a lot of pathway programs out there — probably not enough, but there are quite a few. Could you talk to me about how Plus, Guided Journey is different from other pathway programs?
AMINTA: So, Plus, Guided Journey, it is a large program. That is something that distinguishes us from other pathway programs, is just the size of each cohort, and we do focus exclusively on individuals who are applying in the current cycle. So this is not a, “I’m a freshman, I’m considering law school.” This program is very specifically for individuals who are saying, “I am going to law school and I will begin next year.” So, we have them the entire year before they begin law school. So, that is the focus of the program, is preparing scholars who are doing this in real time, taking the LSATs, submitting law school applications, and things like that. But we are really, really excited to continue to work with other pathways, creating the bridges from middle school to high school to college and afterward, just making sure that anyone who wants to go to law school knows that there are opportunities for support. And we are excited to provide that support to you, and these resources, all throughout the journey.
SUSAN: Aminta, thank you so much for all of that information. I really appreciate your spending time with us today.
AMINTA: Well, thank you for having me, Susan. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you, and I’m always thrilled to talk about Plus.
SUSAN: Kim, thanks so much for joining us. I’m wondering if you might tell me first, when did you first start thinking about law school?
KIMBERLY PAREDES: The first time that I actually thought about law school was when I was 8. It was late at night, and I stumbled on a TV channel that was playing Legally Blonde. And so, it was me and my dad, and we were just looking at this TV like, “What is this movie about? I’ve never seen something like it.” And watching just Elle Woods be herself, I really resonated with her character, and I realized, hey, this is a profession where you can be yourself and you can fight for what you believe in.
That really kept me going until college, where I realized I really wanted to become an attorney, but I just wasn’t sure what type of attorney. I got this far, but I’m not sure — do I want to take this next step into law school? Because I learned that it was such a big investment. And by the time that I graduated, I felt like life is going so fast and I don’t really know who I am. To do meaningful work, I feel that you really need to know who you are — you need to know what you believe in, what to fight for. And I went on what I expected was to be one gap year, but three years later, it extended.
SUSAN: Can you tell me, what did you do during your gap time?
KIMBERLY: In my gap year, I learned about my identity, about being queer, being non-binary, and learning how these identities really clashed with my Ecuadorian culture, and trying to navigate that, and also just the American landscape. During my last year of college, I was working full time on top of being a full-time student, and although I really loved the work, I was being completely burned out. And at that time, where I just graduated, I didn’t do well on my LSATs and I had this really big pressure from my parents. They’re immigrant parents, so they don’t believe in breaks; they told me, “You need to continue. You can’t take a break. If you take a break, it is over for you. You cannot move on.” And it really started to internalize in me of, “Well, if I don’t do well on this test, maybe this is just not for me.”
So I decided to pivot from something that was a little less demanding, but really helped me grow as an individual. Knowing and learning about myself throughout the gap year, and really having that time to explore and finding that community that I really definitely needed, helped me learn that my experiences are more than enough to pursue this profession, and it is more important now than ever to really continue telling my story and to find confidence in myself.
SUSAN: Thank you so much for sharing all of that. How did you first hear about LSAC’s Plus, Guided Journey program?
KIMBERLY: I applied for a fellowship called Future Leaders in Action, which was another youth-oriented nonprofit organization. And during January of 2024, I signed up for LAWBound by LatinoJustice, and they gave me the space that I needed to really try again, and they were just so kind in creating that family and giving me that support that I just really needed at that time. And I stumbled across Plus through an Instagram post, and I thought, “Maybe this is my sign,” and so, I applied. And you guys have been so helpful in creating just what I was missing, of having mentorship and just the space that I just really needed, that I couldn’t find at home. Through Plus, I realized you really can’t do it alone, because that’s a disservice to yourself, as well as your future.
SUSAN: What parts of the Plus, Guided Journey program did you find most useful as you got ready to apply to law school?
KIMBERLY: I really loved the office hours — having the time to talk to a mentor about just the emotional aspect of applying. “How do you think my list is?” Or “How do you feel about my personal statement? I just applied and I’m waiting and I’m very scared. What happens if they’ll deny me?” Just the what-ifs of every part of the application.
Other aspects that I really loved about the Plus program, we had classes that discussed about the personal statements that were taught by the admissions teams of different law schools across the country. That was really amazing, because not only do we get to see the faces of the school, but they’re very kind in giving us the advice that you can’t find online, and really taught me that it’s so important to be very strategic the moment you decide that you want to pursue law school.
SUSAN: So, Kim, tell me, were you able to attend any of the LSAC forums, and how did you find that experience?
KIMBERLY: Yeah. I was able to attend the D.C. forum in July 2024. Thanks to Plus for just giving us the protocol of how to make the most out of those LSAC forums, because those 30 seconds you have talking to a representative can really make it or break it in terms of them remembering you. Getting to actually see the people in my cohort, because we were just scattered across America, it’s a very different experience seeing people on a Zoom screen than actually seeing them in real life.
It really helped the relationship between me and my parents, because I’m a first-generation attorney, and my parents, they couldn’t finish college. For them, they didn’t understand why I was struggling so much with the LSAT. And when I told my parents, “Hey, I would actually like to go to Washington, D.C. for my program. Can you please take me there?” they were like, “What is this program you’re talking about? Is that real?” And I told them, “No, it is, look at this email.” And they were like, “OK, fine. We’ll take you there.” And just them supporting me in that way.
And through the D.C. hub, I learned, no, it’s really important to actually bring your parents into this journey, because them being upset is not them being particularly upset at you; they’re just upset that they don’t know how to support you yet. But the more you bring them into this, the more they’ll understand and realize, “Oh, OK, I see why my child is struggling here,” or “What can I do to make them feel supported?” I felt so honored to be in a room with so many folks from all walks of life, and it really made me feel less alone.
SUSAN: Do you feel that the lessons you learned and the community that was created will accompany you on your law school journey?
KIMBERLY: What Plus has taught me throughout my law school application is to continue building community, building a family that is very genuine, that cares about what I’m interested in and just cares about my well-being. Always ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with being vulnerable. Just every single day, I get to appreciate that I’ll be at the front lines for public interest to serve communities like me, for future attorneys who identify just like me, who are scared of what will the future look like, and we’ll be OK. As long as we continue going into this field, we’ll be amazing.
SUSAN: Kim, thanks so much for joining us. Congratulations to you, we are so proud of you, and I know you are going to be a terrific attorney.
KIMBERLY: Thank you so much for having me here today, and thank you for just helping me get to this position to start law school this fall. It just means so much.
SUSAN: Thank you for joining us at Keeping Up to Data. We look forward to your joining our next episode. Until next time, stay well.
Keeping Up to DataSM is a production of LSAC. If you want to learn more about the current law school admission cycle and the latest trends and news, visit us at LSAC.org.