UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall, the University of Houston Law Center and LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, along with other law schools nationwide, have recently approved tuition increases. This trend, particularly in the case of public institutions, is a result of state budget cuts that have dramatically decreased funding—in LSU’s case by $4 million as of late winter with additional cuts anticipated for next year. The steep increases are also proof that despite the soft legal job market, people are still willing to pay top dollar for a legal education.
Back in November of last year, the UC Board of Regents instituted a mid-year tuition increase in addition to posting new fees for the 2010-2011 academic year. The $529 2009-2010 fall/spring semester differential, which was the same for residents and non-residents, was met with protest and the cancellation of nearly 20 law school classes. At the same board meeting, tuition increases were proposed for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic years. If the Board of Regents accepts these changes, tuition plus the estimated cost of living for a California state resident could jump to $51,815 by fall of 2012.
Like UC Berkeley, UH plans to increase tuition, but will distribute the financial burden such that 1Ls pay more per semester than their 3L counterparts. While undergraduates will only face a 3.95% increase, roughly $138 per semester, tuition for incoming 1L law students will increase by 26.5% and for current law students by 12%. Provost John Antel defended the Regents decision by pointing out that current students accepted offers of admission with an expectation of the exact cost of attendance. Nandita Berry, a UH law graduate, was the only person on the Board of Regents to cast a “no” vote based on the belief that the university should cut its budget before asking students to pay more in the present economy.
At the beginning of June, the House Education Committee in Louisiana passed legislation to increase tuition at the LSU Law Center by up to 15% for each of the next five years. Jack Weiss, the school’s chancellor and one of the main proponents of the legislation, stated that the law school did not intend to take advantage of the maximum increase noting the competitive environment in which the law school operates and students’ financial means. Both House bills, one for LSU and the other for Southern University Law Center, were approved without protest and will be presented on the House floor for further debate.
To read more about recent law school tuition trends, check out Abovethelaw.com.
