Grand Forks Herald, UND School of Law Faces $2.1 Million Deficit by 2028:

The dean of UND’s law school says he is bringing forward a proposal to increase tuition for current and future students in a bid to stave off a projected deficit.

The School of Law is also considering increasing its class size from 85 to 100 students to increase revenue and meet the demand for legal professionals in the state, Dean Brian Pappas wrote in the Gavel, the state bar association’s magazine, last week.

“We simply need to increase tuition every year, as all schools do, to be financially sound,” Pappas wrote.

Pappas' article gives the School of Law's annual tuition and fee cost at $17,663 …

Pappas proposes raising tuition by up to 15% for incoming first-year law students and up to 6% for current students, beginning next year.

He writes the university would also consider eliminating its contiguous rates for first-year out-of-state students, estimating the combined changes would reduce the projected deficit to $350,000, “something we can eliminate through targeted cuts and smart planning.” …

Despite the projected deficit, in his statement, Pappas noted that "our law school is in terrific shape," achieving its first U.S. News ranking this year since 2018 and appearing in the top 10 for affordability and in the top 90% for bar passage rate.

Additionally, law school applications are up 29% for the past two years, and applications are up by more than 20% this year compared to last year, he said. …

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