The Chronicle of Higher Education reported the job market for law school graduates has been declining in recent years. To combat those ratings, MSU’s College of Law limited its enrollment numbers by making its incoming 2013 class 6 percent smaller than in 2012, said Charles Roboski, assistant dean for admissions and financial aid at MSU’s College of Law.

According to the American Bar Association, the number of law school applicants nationwide steadily has been declining at a rate of 31 percent since 2003, reaching only 67,957 applicants in 2012, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

National employment and placement statistics also are in tough shape. Only 55 percent of law school graduates are placed the first year, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported based on statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“There are fewer opportunities for law graduates than there were a few years ago when the economy was stronger,” Roboski said, citing the cost of college versus the job prospects. “Prospective students should be looking at that very carefully and making a well thought out decision.”

Roboski said although MSU has been making accommodations related to the enrollment rates, there will be no faculty or staff cuts in 2013. No changes have been discussed yet for future years, he said.

For schools within the Great Lakes region, the data reflects those of the national level, down around 20 percent, he said.

“With many fewer jobs for new lawyers, and worse pay for many of those jobs, recent law school graduates have a harder time finding positions they want,” said Joan Howarth, dean of MSU’s College of Law, in an email. “That word is out, as it should be.”

It is taking longer for graduates to find jobs after college, she said. Rather than being placed in careers right after passing the bar exam, many graduates must wait a year to two years to find employment.

Roboski said the starting salaries are not as high as they were about five years ago, leaving applicants to question whether or not attending law school is the right decision for them financially.

Law student Tanner Guthrie said he luckily already lined up a job for after he graduates and believes the low employment rates are more apparent in larger cities, rather than in smaller areas.”

“I think the low job numbers are really skewed, and statistically, (the employment rate) is dragged down by the California market, the Chicago market, the New York market, the D.C. market — that’s where it’s really bad,” Guthrie said. “But if you’re content with going to a small market like I did, then I think the numbers aren’t maybe as bad as they seem.”