Early Decision Contracts for the T35, 2012-2013 cycle Forum

[Yardbird]

Check out this post with an updated Application Requirements/Fee Waiver Spreadsheet: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=188687
Check out this post for updated decision date spreadsheets and graphs using the 2011-2012 cycle information from LSN: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=192726
Check out this post for Character & Fitness Questions for the T35 for the 2012-2013 cycle: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=192726
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I thought I would compile the text of the Early Decision contracts so people can see which schools allow for multiple EDs. I'll update as applications become available.

Binding Early Decision Contracts (updated 09/02/12 20:08 EST)
Yale:

No Early Decision Program

Stanford:

No Early Decision Program

Harvard:

No Early Decision Program

Columbia:

Deadline: 11/15/12

For Early Decision candidates, the law school application process is simplified and expedited considerably; it is less expensive in terms of time, effort, and money. Early Decision candidates must complete their applications by November 15 and are generally notified of the Admissions Committee's decision in December. Candidates applying on an Early Decision basis commit themselves to matriculate at Columbia if admitted. Successful Early Decision candidates may not initiate any new law school applications, must immediately withdraw other applications once notified of their Columbia acceptance, and must decline any acceptances they may have received prior to admission to Columbia under the Early Decision Plan. Failure to honor these commitments will result in Columbia revoking its offer of admission. Please be aware that, responding to the request of some peer law schools, Columbia will provide these schools with the names of all applicants accepted under our binding Early Decision Plan.

Chicago:

Chicago Scholars Deadline: 09/01/12
Early Decision Deadline: 12/01/12

By applying Early Decision (including the Chicago Law Scholars Program), you are committing to matriculate at the University of Chicago Law School if you are admitted through the Early Decision or Chicago Law Scholars programs. You may not apply to a binding early decision program at another law school. You may apply to other law schools while applying to the University of Chicago Law School's Early Decision or Chicago Law Scholars programs provided that, if you are admitted to the University of Chicago Law School, you agree to withdraw all applications to other law schools and agree that you will not initiate any new applications to other law schools after you are notified of your admission under Early Decision or Chicago Law Scholars. Please note that, at the request of peer law schools, the University of Chicago Law School will provide these law schools with the names of all applicants accepted under our binding Early Decision and Chicago Law Scholars programs.
[...]
If you are not admitted through the Early Decision or Chicago Law Scholars programs, you may, of course, continue being considered for admission to other law schools to which you have previously applied, and you may initiate new applications to additional law schools.

NYU:

Deadline: 11/15/12

Early decision applicants are committed to matriculate at the New York University School of Law if admitted on this special basis. An Early Decision applicant to NYU School of Law may not be an Early Decision applicant to any other law school during the same annual admissions cycle. Early Decision candidates to the New York University School of Law may apply to other law schools while applying to the New York University School of Law. However, they must do so fully realizing that: (1) they are required to immediately withdraw all other law school applications when notified of their acceptance to the New York University School of Law as an Early Decision candidate; and (2) they may not initiate any new applications after learning of their admission to the New York University School of Law under Early Decision. Failure by admitted Early Decision applicants to honor these commitments will result in the NYU School of Law revoking its offer of admission.

UC Berkeley:

No Early Decision Program

Penn:

Round I Deadline: 11/15/12
Round II Deadline: 01/07/13

Penn Law's Early Decision option is designed for applicants who have thoroughly researched their law school options and determined that Penn Law is clearly their first choice, regardless of financial considerations. Penn Law's Early Decision program is binding. Applicants who wish to be considered for Early Decision must commit to matriculate at Penn Law if admitted. If admitted, you must withdraw your applications from all other law schools and refrain from initiating new applications. Applicants who apply through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools but may not have more than one binding Early Decision application pending simultaneously. If an Early Decision application has been submitted to another school, applicants may apply through Penn Law's Early Decision program only if and when they are released from their binding terms at the other school.

UVA:

Deadline: None

Forthcoming 09/01/12

Michigan:

Deadline: 11/15/12

I wish to be considered for Early Decision, for which admission is to the summer term only. I understand that the deadline for Early Decision is November 15, and that all my application materials must be submitted to the Admissions Office in advance of that date in order to ensure that I meet the deadline. I understand that admission under the Early Decision program is binding and I have signed the certification. I understand that if I am not admitted under Early Decision, the Admissions Office will continue to consider me for regular-decision admission, for both summer and fall term starts.

Duke:

Round I Deadline: 11/12/12
Round II Deadline: 01/07/13

The Early Decision program is most appropriate for candidates who have concluded that Duke is their first choice for law school and who do not anticipate the need to compare offers of financial aid in making a decision about where to matriculate. Candidates who apply through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools, but may not have more than one binding Early Decision application pending simultaneously. If an Early Decision application has already been submitted to another law school, candidates may apply through Duke's Early Decision program only if and when they are released from their binding commitment at the other school. If admitted to Duke Law School, Early Decision candidates will be required to immediately withdraw their applications at other law schools, refrain from submitting new applications, and submit a $500 tuition deposit no later than ten days after the admission notification.

Priority Track (Expedited NON-BINDING): No deadline

Northwestern:

Deadline: 11/15/12
Early Decision Agreement Form must be sent in separately from online LSAC application.

Early Decision candidates commit themselves to matriculating at Northwestern Law if admitted pursuant to the Early Decision program. An applicant may not be an Early Decision candidate at more than one school during the same admissions cycle. Candidates applying to Northwestern through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools on a regular decision basis. However, they must understand and agree that they are required to immediately withdraw all other law school applications if they are accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate and that they may not initiate any new applications after they have been informed of their acceptance to Northwestern under the Early Decision program.

GULC:

Deadline: None

Forthcoming 10/01/12

Cornell:

Early Action (NON-BINDING) Deadline: 11/01/12

UCLA:

Deadline: 11/15/12

Forthcoming 09/07/12

Vanderbilt:

No Early Decision Program

UT Austin:

Early Action (NON-BINDING) Deadline: 11/01/12

USC:

No Early Decision Program

Minnesota:

No Early Decision Program

GW:

Deadline: 01/05/13

Forthcoming 10/04/12

University of Washington:

No Early Decision Program

Notre Dame:

Deadline: 11/01/12

Forthcoming 10/01/12

WUSTL:

No Early Decision Program

Emory:

Deadline: 02/01/13

1. Emory Law offers an Accelerated Decision Program, which is a binding decision program designed for applicants who are confident that Emory is their first choice and who are committed to enroll in Emory Law if admitted under this admission option. More information can be found at http://www.law.emory.edu/accelerateddecision. If you wish to participate in Emory Law's Accelerated Decision Program, please indicate "yes" to this question, and upload the "Accelerated Decision Agreement Form" to your application. (This form can be found at http://www.law.emory.edu/accelerateddecision .)

Washington & Lee:

No Early Decision Program

ASU:

Early ACTION (non-binding) Deadline: 11/15/12

BU:

Deadline: 11/15/12

Applicants who are confident that Boston University (BU Law) is their first choice may choose to apply through our Distinguished Scholars Binding Early Decision Program. Binding Early Decision Program candidates may apply to other law schools but may not apply to any other binding early decision programs. In order to be considered for the Distinguished Scholars Binding Early Decision Program you must agree that if you are admitted to BU Law through the program you will withdraw all pending applications to other law schools within five days and will not submit any additional applications to other law schools. In order to be considered for the Distinguished Scholars Binding Early Decision Program you must indicate you are applying in the space below and sign and submit the Early Decision Contract supplemental form. Distinguished Scholars Binding Early Decision Program applicants must submit applications by November 15, 2012. Applications must be complete by November 30, 2012. Applicants will receive a decision by December 20, 2012.

Students admitted via the Distinguished Scholars Binding Early Decision Program will receive a full tuition scholarship which will be applied to tuition charges for all three years of the JD program.

Indiana:

Deadline: 11/15/12

Early Decision candidates make a commitment to matriculate at Indiana University-Bloomington if admitted through this special program. An applicant may not be an Early Decision candidate at more than one school during the same annual admissions cycle. Early Decision candidates may apply to other law schools, however, they must do so fully realizing that they incur a moral and legal obligation (1) to withdraw all other law school applications when notified of their acceptance to Indiana University-Bloomington as an Early Decision candidate; and (2) not to initiate any new applications after learning of their acceptance through the Early Decision Program.

Indiana University-Bloomington may provide other law schools with the names of applicants accepted under the Early Decision Program. Early Decision candidates are evaluated for admission using the same selection criteria that apply to regular candidates. While designation of Indiana University-Bloomington as their law school of choice is considered by the Admissions Committee, Early Decision candidates do not enjoy a significant advantage in the keenly competitive selection process that annually yields an entering class of 200 students from an applicant pool of approximately 2500 candidates.

BC:

No Early Decision Program

Fordham:

Early ACTION (non-binding) Deadline: 10/15/12

UC Davis:

No Early Decision Program

Alabama:

No Early Decision Program

Iowa:

No Early Decision Program

William & Mary:

No Early Decision Program

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATED 09/02/12 20:08 EST
[Edits 1-2] Added UPDATE section, formatting.
[Edits 3-4] Added Chicago and Duke. Noted all schools which do not have a binding ED program. Listed deadlines for all binding ED programs and all non-binding EA programs.
[Edit 5] Added Northwestern.
[Edits 6-8] Fixed UT, ASU, Fordham.
[Edits 9-10] Added Columbia, NYU, Penn, Michigan, Emory, BU, Indiana-Bloomington

[Yardbird]

[RESERVED FOR SPACE]

[Yardbird]

[RESERVED FOR SPACE]

[lovejopd]

This is awesome thread for Splitters / Reverse-Splitters! Thank you so much!

Also, UT Austin ED is nonbinding. I don't know why they call it ED as it should be EA lol

http://www.utexas.edu/law/admissions/application/

[Yardbird]

This is awesome thread for Splitters / Reverse-Splitters! Thank you so much!

Also, UT Austin ED is nonbinding. I don't know why they call it ED as it should be EA lol

http://www.utexas.edu/law/admissions/application/

Thanks, its fixed now. I had it marked as EA in my spreadsheet but I missed it while transferring over.

[Yardbird]

UPDATE: Added Columbia, NYU, Penn, Michigan, BU, Indiana-Bloomington

[LittleBlueBird]

I apologize if this seems like a silly question:

Does doing an ED application increase or hurt your chances of scholarship?


I am afraid to do one for my top choice (which is in the top 25) because it's binding and I NEED scholarship to go there. I'd be afraid it's a bait and switch. Does anyone have any personal experience with this??

[remix]

I apologize if this seems like a silly question:

Does doing an ED application increase or hurt your chances of scholarship?


I am afraid to do one for my top choice (which is in the top 25) because it's binding and I NEED scholarship to go there. I'd be afraid it's a bait and switch. Does anyone have any personal experience with this??

ED destroys whatever leverage you'd have for a scholarship - they have no need to give you one, seeing how it's binding.

[OliverTwist]

Are there any reports of people being accepted for a binding early decision and then going to a different school?

Do other law schools know if you get accepted early decision? Does the school you apply to really know if you remove all other applications? Finally, Has anyone ever heard of a T14 law school actually going after a student who turns down a binding early decision agreement?

I'm obviously a noob here but if someone would point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated!


*Moral qualms aside. I am just hoping for information based on experience please.

[sconnielaw13]

Just wanted to point out that UW has a binding ED option.

[orbbs]

Are there any reports of people being accepted for a binding early decision and then going to a different school?

Do other law schools know if you get accepted early decision? Does the school you apply to really know if you remove all other applications? Finally, Has anyone ever heard of a T14 law school actually going after a student who turns down a binding early decision agreement?

I'm obviously a noob here but if someone would point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated!


*Moral qualms aside. I am just hoping for information based on experience please.

Most schools will say that they share their ED students list with other schools.

Also, if one tried this they most likely wouldn't pass the C&F part of the bar anyway.

[OliverTwist]

Are there any reports of people being accepted for a binding early decision and then going to a different school?

Do other law schools know if you get accepted early decision? Does the school you apply to really know if you remove all other applications? Finally, Has anyone ever heard of a T14 law school actually going after a student who turns down a binding early decision agreement?

I'm obviously a noob here but if someone would point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated!


*Moral qualms aside. I am just hoping for information based on experience please.

Most schools will say that they share their ED students list with other schools.

Also, if one tried this they most likely wouldn't pass the C&F part of the bar anyway.

Thank you for your reply!

They may say they share the list but do they really?

As for passing the bar, that is part of my question. Do schools pursue students who bail on them or just throw the records out?

[Rahviveh]

Are these pulled from the actual contracts or from the websites?

[Yardbird]

Are these pulled from the actual contracts or from the websites?

Actual contracts

[heythatslife]

Thank you for your reply!

They may say they share the list but do they really?

Yield protection is the main reason that many law schools have a binding ED program in place. The yield rate is defined as the % of accepted students who actually enroll, and it is a factor in the US News ranking, among other things. For these schools, it would defeat the point of having an ED program, through which many students below the median LSAT & GPA are admitted, if applicants realized that the binding contract is not enforced and that they can choose to disregard their end of the bargain with impunity. Therefore, it is in these schools' interest to identify, pursue, and punish those who would try to cheat the ED system.

So, when schools say that they will share with other institutions their list of ED acceptees, you'd better believe them. And it's really not that hard to circulate such lists among law school adcoms. Moreover, I would think that poaching other school's ED acceptees constitute legitimate grounds for legal action by the original ED contract school against any school that might engage in such an activity.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

[suralin]

Thank you for your reply!

They may say they share the list but do they really?

Yield protection is the main reason that many law schools have a binding ED program in place. The yield rate is defined as the % of accepted students who actually enroll, and it is a factor in the US News ranking, among other things. For these schools, it would defeat the point of having an ED program, through which many students below the median LSAT & GPA are admitted, if applicants realized that the binding contract is not enforced and that they can choose to disregard their end of the bargain with impunity. Therefore, it is in these schools' interest to identify, pursue, and punish those who would try to cheat the ED system.

So, when schools say that they will share with other institutions their list of ED acceptees, you'd better believe them. And it's really not that hard to circulate such lists among law school adcoms. Moreover, I would think that poaching other school's ED acceptees constitute legitimate grounds for legal action by the original ED contract school against any school that might engage in such an activity.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

+1

[OliverTwist]

Thank you for your reply!

They may say they share the list but do they really?

Yield protection is the main reason that many law schools have a binding ED program in place. The yield rate is defined as the % of accepted students who actually enroll, and it is a factor in the US News ranking, among other things. For these schools, it would defeat the point of having an ED program, through which many students below the median LSAT & GPA are admitted, if applicants realized that the binding contract is not enforced and that they can choose to disregard their end of the bargain with impunity. Therefore, it is in these schools' interest to identify, pursue, and punish those who would try to cheat the ED system.

So, when schools say that they will share with other institutions their list of ED acceptees, you'd better believe them. And it's really not that hard to circulate such lists among law school adcoms. Moreover, I would think that poaching other school's ED acceptees constitute legitimate grounds for legal action by the original ED contract school against any school that might engage in such an activity.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

I am aware of this argument. And I know to the best of my knowledge that schools with ED all share this information with each other. I am not sure if this is true of those which do not have ED. What I still do not know is if anyone has experience with breaking an ED contract. It is in the interest of a a law school to pursue legal action, but at what cost? With thousands of applicants, are they in actuality going to pursue a sub-par applicant in order to force their attendance?

[JamesDean1955]

Are these pulled from the actual contracts or from the websites?

Actual contracts

I just want to point out, that the ED language that you have put here for Columbia is from the website, not the actual contract (I can show a copy of my contract if needed). On the contract, it explicitly states that "You will be notified in December" under the Instructions part of the contract. Regardless, I wouldn't change your post at this point.

Which brings me to my questions for anyone who has answers:

1. Does anyone here know why Columbia has conflicting ED language? That is, why does it say on their website that applicants will be "generally notified in December", yet on the contract say "You will be notified in December"?

2. Many CLS ED applicants have yet to hear anything. Because of the conflicting language, and the fact that the piece of paper I signed said I would be notified in December, is my ED contract now null and void? Chances at ED admission at this point in the cycle aside, I would like to know if on the off chance they do accept me, if I'm still bound to the terms of the ED contract.

Any help on the 2 questions above would be much appreciated, thank you everyone!

[Yardbird]

Are these pulled from the actual contracts or from the websites?

Actual contracts

I just want to point out, that the ED language that you have put here for Columbia is from the website, not the actual contract (I can show a copy of my contract if needed). On the contract, it explicitly states that "You will be notified in December" under the Instructions part of the contract. Regardless, I wouldn't change your post at this point.

Which brings me to my questions for anyone who has answers:

1. Does anyone here know why Columbia has conflicting ED language? That is, why does it say on their website that applicants will be "generally notified in December", yet on the contract say "You will be notified in December"?

2. Many CLS ED applicants have yet to hear anything. Because of the conflicting language, and the fact that the piece of paper I signed said I would be notified in December, is my ED contract now null and void? Chances at ED admission at this point in the cycle aside, I would like to know if on the off chance they do accept me, if I'm still bound to the terms of the ED contract.

Any help on the 2 questions above would be much appreciated, thank you everyone!

A very late reply, but I believe Hurricane Sandy pushed things back and also that Columbia updated its ED contract at some point to reflect the "generally" part.