Saying it has become “too expensive,” Western Michigan University Cooley Law School announced Thursday it was slashing tuition by 21 percent, starting in the fall semester of 2020.
At the same time, the school said it would seek approval to close its Auburn Hills campus at the end of next year.
President and Dean James McGrath recommended, and the board of directors agreed, to reduce tuition from the current rate of $1,750 per credit hour to $1,375 per credit hour.
“We realize that a significant part of providing access to legal education is cost. To put it simply, we became too expensive,” McGrath was quoted in a press release issued by the school.
“Through effective fiscal management and generous donations, the law school is in a position to make this bold move,” said Lawrence P. Nolan, board chairman.
The school said the board will take the steps necessary to seek approval from the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission to close the Auburn Hills campus. At the same time, the board authorized reducing the Lansing campus footprint.
“Our current campus structure was built at a time when the demand for legal education was significantly higher,” McGrath said. “By reducing our excess capacity we will have improved resources to strengthen our position as a leader of modern legal education.”
The law school’s administration anticipates continued operation of the Auburn Hills campus through December 2020, subject to approval of the ABA Council on Legal Education and the Higher Learning Commission.
Each Auburn Hills student will receive individual advising on a degree completion plan.
The law school’s board of directors did not make any employment reduction decisions. Any such decisions, officials said, will be made with the hope of maximizing voluntary attrition and relocating as many impacted employees as possible.
“The board believes,” said McGrath, “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.”
WMU-Cooley Law School resulted from the 2014 affiliation that combined WMU’s status as a nationally-ranked, public university with the commitment to practical legal education of an independent, non-profit, national law school.
Cooley will continue to maintain campuses in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Tampa, Florida.
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