New research initiative will provide critical insights into how today’s undergraduate students are shaping their postgraduate aspirations amid a rapidly changing higher education and legal education landscape
Undergraduate students are navigating a higher education landscape marked by evolving financial pressures, emerging technologies, and growing public scrutiny of the value of college and graduate degrees. At the same time, interest in legal education remains strong, and institutions across the country are working to better understand how prospective students imagine their futures long before they apply to law school.
Against this backdrop, the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) have launched Before the JD II, a major research initiative designed to illuminate how undergraduates make decisions about law school, graduate education, and career pathways.
Before the JD II expands on the original 2018 AALS study, which offered the first national look in more than 50 years at what motivates students to pursue—or not pursue—legal education. The first Before the JD study gathered responses from more than 22,000 undergraduates and revealed several notable trends: students considering law school were most strongly motivated by public service, social impact, and passion for the work, while factors such as high earning potential or professional prestige ranked significantly lower. The study also found that more than half of law students first considered law school before college, and that students with parents who earned advanced degrees were disproportionately represented among those considering a JD.
AALS Chief Executive Officer Kellye Y. Testy underscored the broader goal of the study: ensuring that leaders across higher education “understand what undergraduate students are thinking and doing about pursuing law or other graduate study so that they can best design their programs and support students’ various pathways to them.”
LSAC President and CEO Sudha Setty emphasized the importance of understanding these early influences, noting that “the pathway to law school begins long before a student submits an application.” The study, she said, will help institutions better support students as they explore their options.
Through a comprehensive national survey of undergraduate students across all class years, Before the JD II will examine:
- what students plan to do after completing their undergraduate degrees;
- when they begin considering and deciding on next steps;
- how they prepare for their intended career paths, and;
- which resources, programs, and structures they rely on.
The findings will offer actionable insights for law school and graduate program leaders, admissions professionals, prelaw and preprofessional advisors, pathway program directors, and undergraduate institutions seeking to strengthen student preparation and support.
This project, led by LSAC and AALS, demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening law schools and the legal profession across the constellation of organizations that support legal education. LSAC’s applied research team is leading the research and analysis in collaboration with the AALS research team, which is receiving support for this important work from AccessLex Institute®, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), and NALP.
As higher education continues to evolve, Before the JD II will provide timely, data‑driven insights into how students are shaping their futures—and how institutions can meet them where they are. LSAC and AALS expect to share findings by the end of 2027.