University of Toledo Merit Scholarship - Accept or Deny? Forum

[DragonLoaf]

My son just received a full tuition scholarship to U. Toledo Law, renewable for 3 years given adequate GPA. He still has many applications out, and the deadline for accepting the scholarship is January 25. Given his 3.46 / 159 stats, I doubt he will be given a full ride anywhere with a higher ranking... or could he? The money is very much an issue as he is intent on public service and eventually politics. Any opinions on what he should do? Also, any information on U. Toledo Law would be greatly appreciated.

[utlaw_1L]

I had the same offer last year and emailed the admissions office. They're asking for a non-binding letter just saying that you are considering Toledo. After a semester, I would recommend UT and the scholarship offers are great.

He should also check out U Akron for more scholarship options. I checked 'Notify me when a reply is posted', so I'd be happy to answer any other questions you / he might have about the school.

[ari20dal7]

Make sure, whatever you do, to find out what that GPA requirement means in terms of class rank. I have a scholarship offer that requires a 2.5, but the class is pretty tightly curved at a B/B+. So, I'd have to really screw up to lose it. At some schools, the curve is a C/C+, which could make a 2.5 a real achievement.

Please, please do not take this scholarship without doing a lot of research. I don't have a lot of knowledge on Toledo, but don't commit to anything without figuring out exactly what the conditions are. Some schools are extremely underhanded in their scholarship practices.

Note: I mean no disrespect whatsoever to Toledo and have no knowledge that UT does this sort of thing. However, I just can't stress the need to be informed enough. Best of luck to you and your son!

[DragonLoaf]

Thank you both, your insights are greatly appreciated. After doing some research on LSAC guidelines, I realized I was getting ahead of myself thinking that accepting the scholarship was binding, and now I can rest easy as it is confirmed here. We are certainly in the research phase right now; we know little about Toledo and are still waiting for many other schools admissions decisions. We are grateful to Toledo for offering such a generous scholarship and my son may end up there as finances are one of his key concerns.

He has an application in to Akron, but no decision yet.

Thanks again, and I'm sure we will have more questions in the near future.

[ari20dal7]

No problem - best of luck with the apps! Lots of folks here willing to help.

[midwestls]

I'm currently a 2L at Toledo on scholarship. Typically, you need to maintain a 3.3 GPA at the end of every year to renew. Based on the historical curve, about a third of the class averages a 3.3 or higher. If you're below the mark, they don't renew the scholarship, no negotiation. If you're above it, it automatically renews without anyone saying anything.

It's not uncommon for students to accept the full ride and then re-evaluate their options after 1L. My class lost about a dozen people to transfers, including two to Michigan, one to Ohio State, one to Notre Dame, three to Cincy and at least one to Case Western.

If you want to work in Michigan or Ohio and/or are really focused on avoiding debt, Toledo is a fine option. Really involved faculty and not a hyper-competitive environment. If you want to do firm law, your options will be limited unless you're in the top 20 percent of the class.