DIVE BRIEF

George Mason University’s law school faces $38M in running losses

Enrollment at the Antonin Scalia Law School has declined significantly from recent peaks while costs have increased.

Published Sept. 30, 2024

Ben Unglesbee
Senior Reporter

{snip picture}

George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, in Arlington, Virginia, reported a $7.8 million deficit for fiscal 2024 and is projecting a $13.2 million deficit for 2025. Ron Cogswell/Creative Commons via Flickr

Dive Brief:

• Amid ongoing budget deficits and projected tuition revenue declines, George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School is facing a cumulative loss of $38.3 million by fiscal 2025, according to documents presented to the university’s governing board for a Thursday meeting.
• Preliminary figures show that fall enrollment in the law school has increased 18.4% from 2023, to 116 students. However, that headcount is down 27% from 2022 and less than half of the 259 students that enrolled in fall 2021.
• “The dean has been informed that the university wants to find creative ways to address the financial status of this important school,” a memo on the Scalia school’s financial situation noted.

{snip}