Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law reports a fall 2010 entering class that was selected from the largest pool of applicants in the law school’s 163-year history.

The 166-member first year class was chosen from 1,678 applicants, which translates into 10 applicants for every seat, and an application volume increase of 71 percent over 2008-09.

Nationally, at American Bar Association accredited law schools, applications in 2009-10 increased only 7.1 percent over the previous year, according to data from the Law School Admissions Council.

The impressive application data is not the only record-breaker for the Cumberland Class of 2013, whose members hail from 14 states and hold undergraduate degrees in 43 different majors from 61 colleges and universities across the country.

The class also includes the highest percentage of minority students, 18 percent, in the law school’s history.  The previous high of minority students in a Cumberland first year class was 14.2 percent in fall 2005. The law school also reports an increase in undergraduate grade point average and law school admission test scores in this year’s group of “1L” students over that of previous years.

“While their interests and backgrounds are diverse, the members of the class of 2013 are motivated by a strong desire to change the lives of others for the better,” said Jennifer Y. Sims, Cumberland assistant dean for admissions. “I am pleased that they will soon become the exceptional lawyers for which this law school is so well known.”

Applications for this fall’s entering class came from 45 states, two Canadian provinces and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cumberland alumni are in 48 states and abroad, working in all aspects of the legal field, including several presidential and gubernatorial appointments.

Applications for the Fall 2011 entering class are being accepted now.