Law school admissions officials are more likely than other programs to check students’ Facebook pages, according to a study by Kaplan Test Prep.

In addition to cramming for LSATs, fulfilling prerequisites and finding the perfect program, law school hopefuls now have another factor to worry about during the application process — monitoring their social networking profiles and online presence.

According to a study released Monday by Kaplan Test Prep, 41 percent of law school admissions officers have Googled applicants — a significantly higher figure than the 20 percent of undergraduate admissions officers who have done the same. Additionally, 37 percent of law school admissions officers have researched applicants on Facebook or another social networking site, while just 24 percent of undergraduate officials have reported doing so.

Although this university doesn’t offer a pre-law major, many undergraduates in other majors go on to apply for law school. According to the Law School Admission Council, 651 students from this university applied to law school during the 2009-2010 school year.

And for those students, extra caution needs to be taken to protect their online profiles, said Jeff Thomas, director of Kaplan pre-law programs. Because law schools seek to admit candidates they consider morally conscious — an especially important trait for potential lawyers — Thomas said it’s unsurprising applicants are held to stricter scrutiny.

“The practice of law holds itself to a higher ethical standard than other professions,” Thomas said. “It makes sense that law schools are going to be scrutinizing more closely.”

Thomas said the study showed that when examining candidates, law schools look specifically at “how they exemplify judgment” and “how they follow laws.” While a student’s online presence isn’t a main factor during the admission process, it can become a deciding factor if admissions officers are on the fence.

“A digital trail is becoming more of a check and balance of the application,” Thomas said. “Has the applicant done anything in the past that could come back to haunt them?”

Although Thomas said law school admissions officers don’t use special search engines to circumvent privacy settings, he noted prospective students should double-check privacy settings and be mindful of tagging themselves in questionable pictures.

Several pre-law students, such as junior communications major John Witte, said they weren’t surprised by the results of the study, noting it underscores the importance of students covering their potentially damaging online trails.

“It’s just important to be cautious about what you put out there,” Witte said. “You just have to be careful.”

Witte said while he knew of other pre-law students with more relaxed Facebook privacy settings, the results of the study could alter some students’ online habits.

“I could see other people probably changing it up a little bit if they heard about this,” Witte said.

Connie Beals, assistant dean of admissions at the University of Maryland, Baltimore law school, said admissions officers at that institution do not research applicants online “because the need has not arisen.” However, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Shannon Gundy said this university’s undergraduate admissions office will venture online if an application prompts them to.

Looking online is not a part of the standard review process, but Gundy said she warns students that all information becomes available once it hits the Web.

“I always caution students: Every piece of information you put online is public information,” she said.