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May 15 2010

6

The Art of Negotiating Your Law School Scholarship

posted in 1L/2L, Law School Applicants by Christy
Categories: Finances

Congratulations! The wait is over. You’ve just received an acceptance letter from one or more of the law schools you applied to. Now you have to figure out how you are going to pay for the rising cost of law school tuition. Graduate students have a few options to choose from when deciding how to finance their education, including grants, scholarships, and loans. When you factor in the cost of tuition, fees, books, and living expenses, law school can cost well over $100,000. One direct way to cut down on the cost of your legal education is to receive a scholarship from the law school you will be attending. 

If you did not receive an initial scholarship with your acceptance don’t be afraid to ask for some money or if you received a partial scholarship, don’t be afraid to ask for an increase in aid. I don’t think many students believe they can ask for money or they might worry about coming off as “cheap” or greedy, but lets face it, it could be the difference between $5,000-$10,000 per year, which isn’t chump change. 
 
There is definitely a right and wrong way to go about asking for financial aid from law schools. 
 
First, make sure to be humble and polite. You aren’t negotiating a price for a used car. Contact the financial aid office directly; email is probably the best communication method, because they probably won’t be able to make a decision quickly over the phone. 
 
Second, it is okay to make the school aware of other offers you might have, but also mention why you want to attend their school over others, if that is the case.
 
Third, mention any awards you've received or extracurricular activities you've been involved in since applying.  
 
Lastly, don’t over do it. If you were turned down after asking for a scholarship or received only a slight increase in money and you still aren’t satisfied, turn to other options for financial aid. Don’t keep hounding the financial aid office if you don’t get a favorable result, because they probably won’t change their minds and you don’t want to form a bad relationship with your future law school.
 
REMEMBER: all they can is say no, so why not try. 
 
Check out this article at ulinks.com for more information on law school financial aid.
 

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Christy

About the Author: Christy
christy@thelawstreetjournal.com

Christy graduated from law school in May 2011 and is now working for the U.S. Navy as a JAG. She is practicing as a military prosecutor and will move to military defense in December 2012. She is currently stationed in Florida and enjoys traveling, playing soccer, and watching Dexter and Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Comments

  1. Mar said on 1/31/13 at 11:53 AM

    I have been accepted to a law school, and they did not offer me any forms of scholarships. Also, I have not yet been accepted by other schools, waiting for response.  So, how would I approach the issue of asking for some scholarship money.  I do have a 4.0 GPA and cumuolative of 3.57 and was on the Dean’s list all undergrad studies.  But did not have a good LSAT score.  Please help!!

  2. JP said on 2/6/13 at 4:26 PM

    I was accepted to two law schools, waitlisted at one.  The school I want to go to offered me nothing, the “safety” school offered me $12,000 per year.  I am going to contact my top choice soon and attempt to negotiate with them. I will update on how it goes.

  3. Christy said on 2/11/13 at 9:05 PM

    Mar- you have a couple of different options.  First, you can call the school who accepted you and ask if there are any scholarships available.  You do not necessarily have to be accepted to other schools to negotiate for a scholarship.  All they can say is “no,” so you might as well ask.

    You can also wait until you hear from the other schools where you applied and see if they offer you any money.  If they do, then at least you have some negotiating power over the first school, i.e. you can give them the details on the scholarship you received at the other schools.

    Finally, if the first school isn’t offering any money, look for local scholarships or try to apply for programs in your community that might help you fund school.  Don’t bank on this option, however, because many local scholarships will only apply to college and not law school.  It’s definitely worth a google search though.

  4. Christy said on 2/11/13 at 9:06 PM

    JP- thanks for keeping us updated!

  5. ZY said on 4/3/13 at 4:14 PM

    Christy,
    I’m currently facing what I am sure is a common dilemma - attending a top 20 school with no scholarship, or a lower-ranked, regional school with $25k per year as a merit award. Realistically, I don’t think I could parlay this into any sort of additional aid from the better school. However, if I could persuade the lower-ranked school to increase its award, it would become a major factor in my decision making. What are your recommendations for leveraging my offers and getting the optimal scholarship? Thanks so much in advance!

  6. Christy said on 4/14/13 at 3:47 PM

    ZY- Thanks for your comment.  I think the first step is talking with the admissions department to see if they can increase your award.  Let them know about the top 20 school and that you are still considering attending that school.  Then ask them if there is anyway they can increase your award.  Let them know that you are extremely interested in attending, but the amount of the scholarship might not be enough for your to attend.  They don’t need to know that you do not have a scholarship to the top 20 school.  If they can’t increase your award, you can always search for local scholarships from the state bar association.

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