A classroom in Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Lansing, Michigan campus.

Michigan Law School Cuts Tuition

In an effort to reduce its footprint, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School will be cutting tuition and closing a campus.
The law school announced plans to cut tuition by 21% in fall 2020 and close its Auburn Hills campus.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO LEGAL EDUCATION
Tuition in the fall of 2020 will drop from $1,750 per credit hour to $1,375. That results in a tuition drop from $54,250 to $42,625, according to Mlive.com.
President and Dean James McGrath says the drop is an effort to make legal education more accessible.
“We realize that a significant part of providing access to legal education is cost,” James McGrath says. “To put it simply, we became too expensive.”
AUBURN HILLS CLOSING
The Auburn Hills campus will officially close in December 2020. To do that, the law school had to request approval from the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission.
“Our current campus structure was built at a time when the demand for legal education was significantly higher,” McGrath says. “By reducing our excess capacity we will have improved resources to strengthen our position as a leader of modern legal education.”
Auburn Hills students will each receive individual advising on how they can complete their degree.
“The Board believes,” McGrath says, “that lowering tuition, maintaining the higher admissions standards adopted in January 2019, and reducing its footprint will allow the law school to maintain its access mission, continue to serve a diverse population, improve student outcomes, and strengthen its affiliation with Western Michigan University.”
Sources: Western Michigan University, Mlive.com