DeKALB | The College of Law’s enrollment increased 4.3 percent this semester with an incoming class of 105 students, its largest since 2010.

The National Law Journal named NIU’s College of Law eighth out of the top 20 schools for graduates entering public interest careers this semester.

The ranking was based on the percentage of graduates who entered careers in public service and employment data collected by the American Bar Association from the class of 2015.

The American Bar Association is an organization of lawyers and law students serving the public, located in Chicago, according to the American Bar Association website.

“That is an important testament to our focus on serving the public and on an understanding that law is about a public trust,” said Eric Dannenmaier, dean of the College of Law.

NIU’s College of Law is one of three public law schools in Illinois with 265 students enrolled this fall. The College of Law also has one of the lowest tuition rates compared to other Illinois law schools, according to the NIU College of Law website.

“The average tuition in Illinois is $45,075,” Dannenmaier said. “I think reasonable pricing is important and [so is] the value students get for the cost and assuring that students have access to excellent faculty.”

NIU College of Law’s full-time in-state tuition is $22,130 per year.

“There has been about a ten-year decline across higher education in enrollment in law schools, and we followed that trend downward until this year,” President Doug Baker said during a Sept. 22 Town Hall meeting. “This year, there was a dramatic increase in the first-year students in the law program.”

Dannenmaier said the College of Law has an excellent reputation of faculty and prepares students with core classes for the Bar Exam.

The Bar Exam is a test given by each state to ensure a candidate is ready to practice law in that state.

“One of our goals this semester is to focus on strengthening the curriculum in ways that will add new experiential opportunities through clinical placements and externships,” Dannenmaier said.