Study Finds Growing Debt-Related Stress Among Law Students

A rising level of debt among law students has led to increased stress and anxiety among them, says a report released on Monday.

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement, conducted by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, examined debt levels among law students from 2006 to 2015. Increasing numbers of students expected to have high debt from law school, it found. Students reported higher stress as well.

In 2006, 32 percent of law students expected to have more than $100,000 in debt by graduation. By 2015, 44 percent expected that level of debt. And more than half of the respondents who expected to have that level of debt reported experiencing “high levels of stress and anxiety during the school year.”

On top of that, more than 50 percent of the students reported concerns about job prospects, the study found.