In-state Advantage Forum

koval · Post by **koval** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:52 am

I know that for some public law schools there's an advantage of being in-state with regards to admissions. I was watching a YouTube lecture with Alex Johnson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7_xHsce57c, and he said that UVA also admits a lower bar for in-state as opposed to out of state, so even in the T14 it happens. Does this sort of thing happen for private T14 or T1 law schools too, or just T14 schools like UVA, Michigan et al?

A. Nony Mouse · Post by **A. Nony Mouse** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:06 am

dcruss wrote:I know that for some public law schools there's an advantage of being in-state with regards to admissions. I was watching a YouTube lecture with Alex Johnson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7_xHsce57c, and he said that UVA also admits a lower bar for in-state as opposed to out of state, so even in the T14 it happens. Does this sort of thing happen for private T14 or T1 law schools too, or just T14 schools like UVA, Michigan et al?

In-state is only relevant for public schools, which are funded by the state. It's not a thing for private schools. This is regardless of ranking. (Not saying all state schools care, just that private schools by their nature can't care - it has nothing to do with rank. The point about UVA and UMich isn't about their rank, it's that they're state/public schools.)

TennesseeLaw · Post by **TennesseeLaw** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:30 am

Does this advantage carry over into scholarships and financial aid? I've noticed many public schools seem to give the full tuition scholarships to out of state students. I assume because the cost is more, but what are TLS thoughts?

A. Nony Mouse · Post by **A. Nony Mouse** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:41 am

TennesseeLaw wrote:Does this advantage carry over into scholarships and financial aid? I've noticed many public schools seem to give the full tuition scholarships to out of state students. I assume because the cost is more, but what are TLS thoughts?

Schools that advantage in-state candidates often have some kind of internal quota/expectation that they will enroll x % of in-state students (much more common in undergrad than LS, but still a thing for some law schools). So that doesn't necessarily translate to scholarships/financial aid, in part because at state schools in-state students get lower tuition already so presumably have a little more incentive to attend. I think it's fairly common to give out of state students scholarships that grant them in-state tuition, for instance. It's kind of a way to level the playing field. I don't know of any other distinction in terms of aid, though.

dsn32 · Post by **dsn32** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:16 am

From my experience/the experience of countless others I've talked to (Michigan resident, so referring to M here), it is an advantage for being admitted, but a disadvantage for financial aid and post-admission interactions with the school. M definitely carried the attitude that it was a foregone conclusion that I would end up matriculating, and that rubbed me the wrong way.

That being said, I have also heard that it is a huge advantage at UVA and a pre-requisite for borderline candidates at Boalt.

I Used to Be a Spy · Post by **I Used to Be a Spy** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:43 pm

Most public schools publish their in-state quota (because it is state mandated) and from this you can get a good grasp of the advantage. For example, I believe UVA has to take 40% of their students from in state which obviously yields a significant advantage to VA residents. However, UVA's in-state vs. out of state tuition is quite similar (about a 5k difference). Other schools such as UNC are heavily weighted in favor of in state students. To carry the example of UNC, they must enroll 75% of their students from in state & in state students recieve significantly lower tuition.

From this we can see that all other things equal to get in out of state you must have higher numbers than an in-stater and therefore will have a better shot at scholarship money. So just because out of state students receive the majority of scholarship money doesn't necessarily mean they are in any way prejudiced against giving money to in-staters.

NoodleyOne · Post by **NoodleyOne** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:12 pm

From my personal experience, and with people I know that are going to UVA, I think it's an advantage to be in-state both for admissions and scholarship. With 40% needing to be in-state, if they can find an in-state student that can help their medians, they throw money at him/her.

Ling520 · Post by **Ling520** » Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:57 pm

Re: In-state Advantage