May 6, 2008

Cooley Marks Record Applications For April

492 prospective law students applied to the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in April 2008, exceeding by 12 percent the monthly record of 438 applicants set during the same period last year. For the first eight months of the current application processing year, Cooley applications increased 6.9 percent over the previous year-to-date figure, exceeding the national increase which is about 2 percent.

Assistant Dean of Admissions Stephanie Gregg noted that this month’s applicants continued well-established patterns at Cooley: "Cooley continues to attract large numbers of out-of-state students. One-quarter of the applicants represent Michigan residents, with total applications representing 40 other states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. Also, 33 applications came from foreign countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Laos, Pakistan, China, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain and Trinidad Tobago.

Gregg added that "Cooley remains very attractive to minority students." In April, 21 percent of the applicants were from African-American students, 8 percent were from Asian or Pacific Island students, 8 percent were from Spanish Heritage students, and 2 percent were from Native American students. Of those identifying their racial or ethnic background, 43 percent indicated that they were from a minority group.

"Today, diversity is a significant factor to students seeking admission," said Cooley President Don LeDuc. "Cooley not only has a high percentage of minority students in its current student body, but the real numbers of each minority group currently enrolled at Cooley are among the highest in the country. In fact, Cooley’s minority enrollment alone exceeds the total enrollment at more than two-thirds of the 198 accredited law schools."

Cooley ranks second in total minority enrollment, trailing only a school in Puerto Rico, and it ranks first among all schools in total enrollment of African-American students, fifth in Asian/Pacific Islander enrollment, sixth in Spanish Heritage enrollment, and tied for sixteenth in Native American/Alaskan Native enrollment.

Associate Dean of Enrollment and Student Services Paul Zelenski added that "Cooley is becoming well-known and well-respected for its emphasis on professionalism, ethics, and public service, so some of this year’s increase in applications may be due to the increasing significance that these attributes are embraced by a growing number of college graduates.

This focus also finds great support within the legal profession, so the positive word-of-mouth translates into favorable recommendations to prospective law students."

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in downtown Lansing, in Auburn Hills, and in downtown Grand Rapids.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.   Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu