American University law professor Padideh Ala’i’s spring international law class included practicing lawyers from Vietnam, Colombia and Azerbaijan — a global mix that she said enriched classroom discussions on tariffs, foreign trade and other topics.
Ala’i, however, expects fewer non-U.S. students in the upcoming semester thanks to a more than 20% decline in applications to the Washington, D.C., law school’s in-person ?Master of Laws (LL.M.) program — a one-year advanced degree for foreign-trained lawyers to study U.S. law or international law.
A drop in international students has shrunk the LL.M. applicant ?pool by 14% from last year, according to the Law School Admission Council, which maintains data on most LL.M. programs at U.S. law schools. China and India, which traditionally produce the biggest cohorts of LL.M. students in the U.S., posted applicant declines of 21% and 23%, respectively.
Enrollment numbers for the next academic year aren’t yet available but the smaller applicant pool will likely translate to fewer international students on campus, said Gisele Joachim, the Law ?School Admission Council’s vice president for law school engagement. Student visa denials or delays could further depress international enrollment, she added.
Admission officers, professors and LL.M. admissions consultants attributed the ?declining numbers to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and anti-immigrant rhetoric, uncertainty over the availability of student and work visas, and stiffer competition from ?cheaper LL.M. programs outside the U.S.
“There is a feeling that the United States, generally speaking, is maybe not as welcoming to international students as it used to be,” Joachim said.
LL.M. applications ?to the University of California, Berkeley School of Law are down 20%, according to assistant admissions dean Joseph Lindsay, who said he’s doubtful the school will meet its fall target of 240 LL.M. ?students. Applications to the University of Michigan Law School’s LL.M. program declined 30% this year after an 8% drop the previous year, said senior assistant dean Sarah Zearfoss.
