So the Best and the Brightest Keep Coming:
Endowment $65 Million
The best come to Penn Law. The numbers show that. Penn Law receives
almost 5,700 applications annually for roughly 240 seats in our first year J.D. class.
They come to Penn Law for the faculty, the academic program, the resources of the rest of the
University, for the collegial way we go about legal education. They come because they know
they will leave Penn Law with the skills and knowledge to move freely into positions where
they can have impact. They are recruited to the very best courts, firms, and government
positions. They clerk more than ever before. Penn Law ranks second in the country in the
percentage of graduates hired by the top 50 law firms.But the reality is students often leave with soaring debt.
To finance the cost of their legal education, students may graduate owing some $120,000 to $140,000.To pay it off, they often find their options narrowed, because of the need to "do well" before they can "do good." This heavy burden also means that many of the most prized applicants will increasingly be forced to choose another law school - one where financial aid is better. Only 4-5 percent of Penn Law graduates leave the institution for careers in government and public service. They simply can't afford, in many cases, to choose the career they might prefer.
