Applications for law school are up this year at the UA and other law colleges across the country.

The James E. Rogers College of Law saw applications jump 25 percent in their applicant pool for this year, leading administration to believe that the sluggish economy is prompting students to delay entering the job market.

"In general, national data shows when the economy goes down, enrollment goes up," said Gary Pivo, dean of the Graduate College. "People start to look for a competitive edge and they view education as that edge."

Law school applications around the country jumped 17.9 percent for 2002-03, giving law schools the largest applicant group they have seen in 20 years, according to the Law School Admission Council.

"The struggling economy and some of the controversy surrounding the business community has made business a little less appealing. A good place to be when the economy is struggling is to pursue higher education," said Terry Holpert, assistant dean for admissions at the college of law.

Some students went to law school because of instability in the job market.

"The nature of the job market is changing. A college degree doesn't get the "I was in English and political science, but the jobs were really tight and the economy was tight. I came to take shelter from the economy and do something with my education," he said.

Since 2001, the applicant group has grown larger at the law college, but enrollment has been set at a fairly steady limit, leading to more selective admission rates as more students compete for each seat.

Between 2001 and 2002 the application number increased by 340 admissions, but the enrollment number only increased by 10 students.

Arizona State University's applicant pool expanded by 40 percent this year, but like UA, ASU did not enroll a greater number of students.

"We have a target enrollment of 150ö155. If we think we are going to have higher yield, then we might move fewer offers, but we haven't determined that for this year," said Holpert. "Typically what happens when an applicant pool is larger, it gets a little more competitive," Holpert said.