Marquette School of Law admissions increase.

• Author: Zemlicka, Jack

Byline: Jack Zemlicka

According to Sean Riley, assistant dean of admissions at Marquette, the law school accepted 222 students this year, 177 full-time and 45 part-time. The total is well above the 157 admitted in 1996 and ahead of the 1986 tally of 185.

In line with increased admissions was a swell in applications. In 1986, the school had only 702 applicants, compared to 1,032 in 1996 and 1,979 this year.

The biggest numerical change in the law school's population during the last 20 years has been its dramatic increase in part-time students. There are 45 part-time enrollees this year, compared to seven in 1996 and only four in 1986.

"The part-time program officially began in 1997, but in some previous years, the law school had allowed handfuls of students to enroll on a part-time basis if their personal circumstances demanded it," said Reilly.

The official implementation of a part-time program has allowed students to combine career, college and family obligations. Flexibility permits students to complete the 90 credits required for the law degree in as many as six years or, with summer attendance, in four.

With identical graduation requirements for both part-time and full-time students, it's possible to convert from part-time to full-time status during the pursuit of a degree. A minimum of two courses must be taken each semester, though most part-time students enroll in courses during the summer as well.

The aptitude of incoming classes has remained numerically consistent throughout the last 20 years. The median Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score for this year's students is 157, compared to 156 in 1996 and 32 in 1986. It's important to note that in 1991, the LSAT scoring system changed from a range of 10-48 points to a 120- to 180-point scale.

The median grade point average has seen an increase from 3.11 in 1986 to 3.46 this year.

Diversity has remained nearly identical. Female admissions gradually increased from 38 percent in 1986 to 44 percent in 1996 and 46 percent this year. Likewise, a small surge in minority students has gone from 9 percent, down to 7 percent and back up to 10 percent throughout the same time period.

While the majority of students have always been Wisconsin residents, 30 states are represented in this year's incoming class, up from 24 in 1996 and 27 and in 1986.

University of Wisconsin

During the past 20 years, Madison's law school has seen some dramatic changes pertaining to its student body.

According to...