Law Schools Willing to Negotiate Scholarships; Illinois Gives Aid to Every New Student
Tuition at public law schools has risen by about 1,000 percent since 1985, when the average in-state was $2,000. As law schools compete for fewer students this year, they aren’t dropping tuition, however.
Instead, the schools are negotiating scholarships and considering applications past the deadline, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. In the last decade, law schools have nearly tripled scholarship awards, giving out more than $1 billion for the 2011-12 school year, the story says.
The University of Illinois College of Law, recently fined by the ABA for publishing false admissions data, is particularly aggressive. Its dean Bruce Smith tells the newspaper that it gave scholarships to every member of the class of 2014, costing the school $3.6 million.
Some schools are encouraging students to negotiate scholarships. At the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, admitted students received letters saying, “We very much hope you find this offer competitive with others you have received.” If not, the school wrote, “Please let us know.”
