For an average American, getting a law school degree means borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and recent years have seen a huge surge in tuition rates across the country.
But a law school in Michigan has decided to reverse the trend by reducing tuition by 21 percent. The Western Michigan University Cooley Law School has slashed tuition from the current rate of $1,750 per credit hour to $1,375 per credit hour.
Beginning in the fall semester of 2020, the tuition reduction will make securing a law degree more affordable and accessible for the students.
“We realize that a significant part of providing access to legal education is cost. To put it simply, we became too expensive,” said President and Dean James McGrath.
Recent years have seen a sharp jump in tuition rates at colleges across the country. According to a Trends in Student Aid and Trends in College Pricing report, for full-time, out-of-state students at public four-year colleges and universities, tuition and fees rose from $25,670 in 2017-18 to $26,290 in 2018-19. For in-state students, these rates rose from $9,980 in 2017-18 to $10,230 in 2018-19.
The University has also announced its plans to close down the Auburn Hills, Michigan, campus and reduce the Lansing campus footprint.
“Our current campus structure was built at a time when the demand for legal education was significantly higher. By reducing our excess capacity we will have improved resources to strengthen our position as a leader of modern legal education,” McGrath added.
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