U of M Law School reports big gains in student diversity

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The University of Minnesota Law School has announced that its incoming class looks very different from previous classes. It reports that the Class of 2025 is the most diverse class in the law school’s history.

Increasing representation of diverse communities in the legal community has especially been a point of emphasis in the last few years. This goal can be advanced by efforts within the profession to hire and promote diverse candidates. But it is equally if not more important to incorporate diversity at the beginning of one’s legal career: law school admission.

“Learning is enriched in environments where perspectives, lived experiences, and backgrounds are varied,” Ra’Shya Ghee, the school’s recently appointed associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion, told Minnesota Lawyer in an email. “When environments are truly diverse, there is space for everyone to belong and contribute authentically. Those kinds of spaces are more enjoyable to learn and work in.”

This year, 229 first-year J.D. students join the Minnesota Law community. They hail from 34 states, the District of Columbia, and four different countries. The number of students of color has increased by more than 90% percent in the past three or four years.

A whopping 50% of the class identifies as students of color, LGBTQ+, and/or first-generation college graduates. Domestic students of color make up 25% of the class. This matches last year’s high, the law school says. A record 28% of class members self-identify as being in the LGBTQ+ community. Fourteen percent are first-generation college students.

The new class is already influencing the school’s diversity efforts.

“We’re already seeing the impact through the preliminary work students completed before arriving on campus,” Ghee said in the email. “In their responses, students have introduced nuanced concerns and proposed innovative solutions related to DEI and we expect those contributions to continue throughout their tenure here at the Law School.”

There is not one thing to point to that explains this change in the student body at Minnesota. However, several initiatives — such as the launching of the Racial Justice Law Clinic and hiring a diversity dean — have contributed to moving the needle.

The law school now also offers several courses that deal with race. Diversity has been a point of emphasis for Dean Garry W. Jenkins and Professor William S. Pattee, who has called the DEI transformation at Minnesota Law a “journey.”

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion is critically important to our mission. To be a great institution, you have to be a diverse institution,” Jenkins stated in an interview.

The incoming class is also academically strong. It has a median undergraduate GPA of 3.83. The median LSAT score is 168. These are both new records for the law school.

“We are proud to welcome such a talented and diverse class of future lawyer-leaders to the Minnesota Law Community,” Jenkins stated in a press release.