As a result of the smaller legal job market, fewer students with the highest test scores are applying to law school, forcing the top law schools to either admit students with lower scores—thereby risking the school’s national ranking—or shrink the size of the incoming class. Northwestern University School of Law and Michigan Law are among the top-tier schools that have opted for the latter, shrinking their first-year class sizes by 19% and 26%, respectively, since 2011.