Attrition rates...

[barond]

Why do all the 'bad' schools have double digit attrition rates if the degree is less prestigious than the Tier 1 schools. You'd think if the Tier 1 standards were that much better they would kick out much more students than a bad school. Or is a more prestigious school 'prestigious' because of the entrance requirements, but the degree is not more difficult to obtain than a lower ranked school?

[nerfco]

You'd think if the Tier 1 standards were that much better they would kick out much more students than a bad school.

Why would students that could choose to go to any school choose a hypothetical "top" school with 10% forced attrition over another "top" school with no forced attrition?

Also, suppose that forced attrition means the school is essentially telling a student they are not capable of becoming a good lawyer, at least their their current effort level. Now, why would it make sense for the same number of "top" students (so defined by high GPA and LSAT) to be told they couldn't make good lawyers as would be the case at schools with less "elite" students?

It makes sense to me that everyone at YLS, with a high undergrad GPA and a 99th percentile LSAT will make a good lawyer. And thus, it wouldn't make sense for such a school to have any forced attrition.

[linquest]

The high attrition rate at lower-ranked schools with strict curves is to protect their bar passage rates, a factor in law school rankings and ABA accreditation.  They're weeding out students unlikely to pass the bar before they graduate.

[Matthies]

The high attrition rate at lower-ranked schools with strict curves is to protect their bar passage rates, a factor in law school rankings and ABA accreditation.  They're weeding out students unlikely to pass the bar before they graduate.

This is part of it but lower ranked schools also deflate their grades to make the people ranked higher in the class more attractive to employers, believing that a 3.4 GPA on a 2.3 curve says more about a student abilities than a 3.4 GPA on a 3.3 curve. Top ranked schools do it somewhat differently inflating grades to make the whole class look smarter hoping that firms will go deeper into the class at a school with a 3.3 curve or even no grades at all in an effort to help the students lower in ranking find jobs as well. At most schools with a fair curve it pretty hard to fail out of law school once your in, you gotta work at it.

[Ninja1]

The high attrition rate at lower-ranked schools with strict curves is to protect their bar passage rates, a factor in law school rankings and ABA accreditation.  They're weeding out students unlikely to pass the bar before they graduate.

TITCR. Lower end schools admit a bunch of people that probably have no business going to law school, and a curve that punts them keeps them far away from the bar where many of them would otherwise harm the school's bar passage rate. Good schools, meanwhile, don't need to boot half their class to maintain high bar passage rates, they instead focus on admitting people that should do well in school and on the bar.