The COVID-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented disruption to the law school admissions cycle, but most law schools are expecting the same number of new students to start this fall, and some even anticipate an increase.

Among the 94 law school admissions offices recently surveyed by Kaplan Test Prep, 52% said they believe their entering class size will be on par with 2019. Another 26% said it will be larger, while 22% said they expect their class size to be down. Those predictions jibe with national applicant data from the Law School Admission Council, which show a 1% increase in applicants.

"While this has arguably been the most unusual law school admissions cycle in decades, the stability, in terms of just the numbers, is remarkable," said Jeff Thomas, executive director of legal programs at Kaplan Test Prep. "If you look at an application increase of just under 1%, the casual observer might think that things were business as usual, but behind the scenes there has been a lot going on to ensure a seamless process during unpredictable times, from the rollout of the first at-home version of the LSAT to extended application deadlines."

The cancellation of the LSAT in both March and April resulted in fewer people applying to law school by early summer. But the May introduction of a shorter, online version of the test dubbed LSAT-Flex helped usher in a late flux of applicants. Law school admissions offices also modified some policies to accommodate this year's latecomers, the Kaplan survey found.

Among the responding admissions offices, 67% said they made application policies more flexible this year to entice undecided applicants. Those measures include extending application deadlines and relaxing deposit requirements. Though some schools allowed people to apply with unofficial LSAT scores, all but one still required applicants to take the LSAT or the GRE, the survey found.

But it's still unclear whether more admitted students will make a last-minute decision to defer for a year given than many law schools will hold classes entirely or largely online during the coming semester. But many survey respondents said they are advising admitted students against deferring. For one thing, the employment market is not great right now.

"I would counsel prospective students to consider what they would be doing instead of enrolling in law school," wrote one survey respondent. "If they do not have alternative plans that would allow them to fill their time productively, they might want to proceed with their law school enrollment. I also believe competition will be stiffer next year and budgets will decrease, so applicants can expect admissions rates and scholarship offers to decrease."

Many admissions offices said that fewer scholarships are available for this fall's new students—a trend that is likely to ramp up next year as universities face budget shortfalls. And this year's deferrals mean that fewer seats will be available for next year's applicants, they noted, which may result in a more competitive admissions cycle for 2021.

"If you are an accepted applicant still deliberating about what to do, our advice is to consider the long term," Thomas said. "While the COVID-19 crisis is likely to continue for at least the rest of the year, your future legal career is something that will last for many decades. Also listen to what admissions officers are telling us. Next cycle might be more competitive and budget shortfalls may make financial aid less available. Overall, this may be a more advantageous year to enroll."