The Penn State Dickinson School of Law has seen a 35 percent increase in applications, while the numbers of law school applications nationwide has steadily declined since last year, according to the Law School Admissions Council.

The new law school facilities being built on the University Park campus are a strong incentive for students to choose Dickinson, Barbara Rayman, prelaw adviser, said.

"Many students like this town, and the thought of staying here is appealing," Rayman said. "Starting this second campus has made law school more interesting."

As of last Friday, Dickinson received 2,378 applications, while last year it had received only 1,772 applications -- an increase of about 600 applications.

"The deeper integration with the university, along with the aggressive recruitment strategy on the heels of our $100 million facilities, is the major reason for the increase in applications," said Dickinson spokeswoman Kelly Jones.

Recent application numbers for law schools nationally have fallen 9.4 percent, and the number of applicants has fallen 5.4 percent since this time last year, said Wendy Margolis, director of communications from the Law School Admission Council.

Law school students often send in about five applications, each to different schools, which explains the difference in the decrease of application numbers and applicants, Margolis said.

Margolis said the numbers are not final because applications are still being taken.

"It is very difficult to say why the number of applications is dropping," Margolis said. "One reason goes along with the economy. While there is a good job market, many people want to get a job while they can and not go to graduate school."

Margolis said another reason is the high expense of law school.

"Many people are already in debt after college and do not want to pile on anymore," she said.

Some say the trends of law school applications tend to be cyclical.

"The number of law schools is increasing, and some people are influenced to not attend law school by how difficult it is to get in," Margolis said.