Full Scholarship and Financial Aid Forum

[BlameCanada]

I am aware that applying ED to Northwestern, if accepted, you can get a full scholarship (seems hard to believe so if anyone can confirm that would be lovely). Does anyone know of any other schools that have a similar policy for full scholarships?

Another question on a different topic. I know when applying for undergraduate schools you report parents income for financial aid consideration. When applying to law school and asking for financial aid (as opposed to merit aid) is it your parents income or your income to determine if you get aid? My parents paid for my undergraduate (they are not planning to chip in for law school) and if I listed their income I would not qualify for financial aid; however, I plan to apply to law school right out of undergrad so I will have no job/income. When I request financial aid do i state my own financial situation or my parents?

Sorry I am clueless I am just new to the law school thing. Also my questions for the most part are aimed at top 14 schools

[Gooner91]

I am aware that applying ED to Northwestern, if accepted, you can get a full scholarship (seems hard to believe so if anyone can confirm that would be lovely). Does anyone know of any other schools that have a similar policy for full scholarships?

Another question on a different topic. I know when applying for undergraduate schools you report parents income for financial aid consideration. When applying to law school and asking for financial aid (as opposed to merit aid) is it your parents income or your income to determine if you get aid? My parents paid for my undergraduate (they are not planning to chip in for law school) and if I listed their income I would not qualify for financial aid; however, I plan to apply to law school right out of undergrad so I will have no job/income. When I request financial aid do i state my own financial situation or my parents?

Sorry I am clueless I am just new to the law school thing. Also my questions for the most part are aimed at top 14 schools

I think if you are under 27 you report parent income for FAFSA. Could be wrong though.

[DKM]

I am aware that applying ED to Northwestern, if accepted, you can get a full scholarship (seems hard to believe so if anyone can confirm that would be lovely). Does anyone know of any other schools that have a similar policy for full scholarships?

Another question on a different topic. I know when applying for undergraduate schools you report parents income for financial aid consideration. When applying to law school and asking for financial aid (as opposed to merit aid) is it your parents income or your income to determine if you get aid? My parents paid for my undergraduate (they are not planning to chip in for law school) and if I listed their income I would not qualify for financial aid; however, I plan to apply to law school right out of undergrad so I will have no job/income. When I request financial aid do i state my own financial situation or my parents?

Sorry I am clueless I am just new to the law school thing. Also my questions for the most part are aimed at top 14 schools

I think if you are under 27 you report parent income for FAFSA. Could be wrong though.

24

[NapoleonXV]

1. Northwestern does have this full scholarship policy for ED applicants, and no other schools I know of have this policy. There are several other full scholarships you can research on: Hamilton (full) and Butler (half) at Columbia (I think they have a LSAT floor and are mainly used to lure away YHS prospectives), Rubenstein at Chicago, and many named scholarships in NYU.

2. I think you need to state both your and your parents' income and asset, since you will apply once you finish undergraduate and likely below the age of 24. They will calculate an expected family contribution, but it is not EXPECTED (in the strict sense) that your parents will pay for the FC part. You can always take out loans to cover the expected (looser sense) family contribution.

[NapoleonXV]

In case you have not seen this

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 5&t=144338

[Tiago Splitter]

GW and BU also offer full rides to ED admits.

You may have to put your parents' income and assets in, but it doesn't really matter. Most aid is merit-based rather than need-based. Unless you have terrible credit you'll be able to take loans to cover whatever it is you and your family cannot.

[BlameCanada]

Thank you everyone for all the information. Anyone have a rough estimate of what it would take to get accepted to Northwestern ED? Would hypothetically 174 with a 3.8 do it? Does it need to be higher? Would lower do? Same question for BU? Also if I get in ED to school X and also to a better school Y (not ED) is there anyway to get out of my obligation to school X (such as waiting a year to attend law school or is the ED still binding?)

[Tiago Splitter]

Thank you everyone for all the information. Anyone have a rough estimate of what it would take to get accepted to Northwestern ED? Would hypothetically 174 with a 3.8 do it? Does it need to be higher? Would lower do? Same question for BU? Also if I get in ED to school X and also to a better school Y (not ED) is there anyway to get out of my obligation to school X (such as waiting a year to attend law school or is the ED still binding?)

You may be able to get out of it by waiting a year, but the school won't like that and it may be worth investigating this before committing.

As for numbers, ideally you want to be above both medians. 174/3.8 puts you well above both medians at Northwestern, meaning you would get the full ride but it's probably not worth it because you can get similar offers from peer schools and may get into Harvard, where need based aid comes into play. If you are really at 174/3.8 GW and BU shouldn't even be in the discussion.

[whereskyle]

Admitted to NU Early Decision with a 170 and No G.P.A.. I interviewed well (interviews are mandatory for ED.) As long as you pad the medians and interview well, you should qualify.

[BlameCanada]

My average Practice Test is between 172-175 and I am waiting for December scores. I won't graduate undergrad until April 2016 but currently I have over a 3.9 (which obviously there is plenty of time for it to change which is why I said 3.8 to be conservative). I am not sure I want law school which is why I took the LSAT early so I could keep my options open. I do not want to come out of school with 6 figure debt which is why I'd only attend for a full tuition or close to it scholarship. THe location for Northwestern is not preferable, I'd prefer something on the East Coast it just seemed that Northwestern's full tuition scholarship is the most attainable.

[Workingtitle]

My average Practice Test is between 172-175 and I am waiting for December scores. I won't graduate undergrad until April 2016 but currently I have over a 3.9 (which obviously there is plenty of time for it to change which is why I said 3.8 to be conservative). I am not sure I want law school which is why I took the LSAT early so I could keep my options open. I do not want to come out of school with 6 figure debt which is why I'd only attend for a full tuition or close to it scholarship. THe location for Northwestern is not preferable, I'd prefer something on the East Coast it just seemed that Northwestern's full tuition scholarship is the most attainable.

If you end up with a 172+ and 3.9, you absolutely should not ED anywhere. You can run a check on LSN, but I would be very surprised if you did not get a few full scholarship offers from places like Duke, Michigan, Texas, Northwestern, Cornell by applying REGULAR DECISION with those numbers. And in that case you would keep your options open and have the ability to negotiate for more money.

Plus, as someone mentioned above, Columbia has a full ride scholarship it uses to poach HYS kids, and I imagine a 174/3.9 would make you eligible for it and the Ruby scholarship that Chicago gives.