Risking Admission to LLM at Harvard if app for financing ??

[cwinkler]

Hello, I am planning to apply for an LLM in Harvard next year and I would very likely be eligible for financial support.

Can I rely 100% on the application papers which say that the application for financial support (which needs to be send together with the application) has no influence on the admission?

Somehow It would be very much understandable if they would tend to (given the situation of 2 candidates with the same potential, only one having applied for financial support) prefer the one who could pay for the LLM over somebody who would need additional souces from them.. I mean times are tough?!

In this light I am still thinking about applying for financial aid since I do not want to take the risk of negatively influencing my chances..

What do you think? Any insights on how the finance aid process works (and maybe my concerns are unnecessary) or ideas that could help me decide? I really would need the money but would rather try to get it from somewhere else if it even slightly raises my chances of bein accepted ..

thx
cwi

sorry if this appears an odd question to you but the American system of financial aid from universities is a total novelty for me as a European.

[zoommonkey]

I believe your concerns are unnecessary and that your financial status will not make a difference in admission.

Others on this board will have a much better idea that I do, but ability to pay is not generally an issue in the admission process in the US. It is, of course, an issue when tuition comes due, but not generally before then.

Financial aid is paid for by the federal government or through private loans. The school makes the same amount regardless of your financial need.

Merit or need based awards (assuming you can get those as an LLM) are budgeted for by the school and again, should not make a difference in the admission process.

In short, yes, you can probably trust the financial aid paperwork.

As an aside, times are not tough for law schools. Or other US graduate schools for that matter. A good many people can't find work and have chosen to attend graduate school, using borrowed money, until the economy improves. Law schools are one of the few businesses that are doing well in this economy.

Good luck!

[CanadianWolf]

"Does applying for financial aid affect one's chances for admission to Harvard's LLM program? "

No.