Law School Rankings by Female Enrollment (2020)

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Where do women attend law school? Enjuris breaks down gender demographics in ABA-approved law schools in 2020 and beyond

Women outnumbered men in law school classrooms across the United States in 2020 for the 5th year in a row.

Here at Enjuris, we've spent 5 years tracking gender enrollment in law schools because studies show that female representation is important in the legal field.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the gender composition of law schools in 2020 based on the most recent data released by the American Bar Association (ABA), as well as how gender demographics have changed since we first started tracking the data and what the future might look like.

Gender representation in U.S. law schools

In 2016, the number of women enrolled in Juris Doctorate programs moved past 50% for the first time. Female enrollees then proceeded to outnumber male enrollees in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

In 2020, women once again outnumbered men in law school classrooms. Specifically, women made up 54.09% of all students in ABA-approved law schools, while men made up 45.70% of law school students.

The number of people who identified as "other" increased from 149 students (0.13%) in 2019 to 232 (0.20%) in 2020.

The term "other," according to the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, refers to "students who do not identify as male or female."

Female enrollment in top-ranked law schools (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report)

In particular, women have been making steady gains in top-ranked law schools. Thirteen of the top 20 law schools in 2020 increased the percentage of female attendees from 2019.

What's more, 13 of the top 20 law schools had more female attendees than male attendees. Every law school in the top 20 has at least 46.6% women.

Overall law school rankings by female enrollment

The percentage of women who attended ABA-approved law schools increased by 0.78% from 2019 to 2020. Nationwide, the majority of law schools (73.98%) have more female attendees than male attendees.

Nevertheless, some law schools are particularly good at attracting female students.

In 2020, North Carolina Central University School of Law regained its position as the top law school for women based on female enrollment after being overtaken by the University of the District of Columbia School of Law in 2019. UDC slipped to 9th place in the 2020 rankings but women still make up 63.33% of attendees at this university, showing how competitive the top spots have become in recent years when comparing female enrollment in law schools.

Law schools with the fewest women enrolled

There are still a number of law schools where the percentage of women enrolled continues to lag. However, it's worth noting that the percentage of female attendees remains above 42.33% in each of these schools.

Trends over the last 5 years and looking into the future

Women have historically been underrepresented in law schools.

In 1960, women comprised only 3.5% of enrollees in ABA-approved law schools. In 1970, women comprised just 8.5%. That's changed greatly over the past 50 years and the demographics of law students have changed dramatically.

These changes culminated in 2016, the year Enjuris began tracking data, when women outnumbered men in law school classrooms for the first time. The percentage of female attendees has increased ever since.

Legal observers point to a number of possible reasons for the increase in female attendees, including the inventive attempts by many law schools to broaden their base of applicants.

Nevertheless, women—particularly women of color—remain underrepresented in positions of leadership within the legal field.

One indication that the lack of women in leadership positions may soon change is the dramatic increase in female enrollment in the nation's top 20 law schools over the last 5 years.

Though challenges remain, huge strides have undoubtedly been made in the last few decades with respect to gender equity within law schools. Of course, it remains to be seen how this will impact the disparity that still exists in the legal profession.

More Enjuris research you might like

• Law school enrollment by race & ethnicity (2019)
• Where do women go to law school? (2019)
• When you want a female personal injury lawyer, will one be available?
• How your race and gender could impact your injury settlement
• Enjuris resources for students

About Enjuris^®

Enjuris.com is a collection of independent legal resources designed to help people with their biggest questions following an accident or injury. Through instructive articles written by experienced attorneys, printable forms, and a free legal directory, Enjuris provides injury victims with the information and tools they need to take the next step. In keeping with its mission, Enjuris.com also provides promising college and law school students with scholarships and other resources to help them one day become effective lawyers.

Data source: American Bar Association, ABA Required Disclosures (Standard 509 Reports). Any mistakes in data reported to the ABA are the responsibility of the reporting school. Enjuris assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies or for changes in such information that may occur after publication. The figures here are as reported on December 18, 2020. Schools may update their data at any time. Please see the ABA website for up-to-date figures.