Top Law Schools

So, obviously I know that merit aid is mostly based on GPA/LSAT scores. However, when I was looking at LSN I noticed that often people with nearly identical numbers would have significantly different awards, or the occasional applicant would out-perform their numbers with their award. Some of this was explained by URM applicants, but even when you account for that, there are still plenty of non-URMs that this observation applies to. Does anyone know why this might be? Do adcomms just like some applicants better than others?

anyriotgirl wrote:So, obviously I know that merit aid is mostly based on GPA/LSAT scores. However, when I was looking at LSN I noticed that often people with nearly identical numbers would have significantly different awards, or the occasional applicant would out-perform their numbers with their award. Some of this was explained by URM applicants, but even when you account for that, there are still plenty of non-URMs that this observation applies to. Does anyone know why this might be? Do adcomms just like some applicants better than others?

Some of it is those that negotiate vs those that don't. I also think that, in the T10 at least, schools do include need considerations if you apply for need and merit both.

Also, when u apply makes a difference. Apply earlier, more money. Usually.

Negotiation is probably the main difference.

Another consideration that I've seen come in to play is the actual likelihood of attendance. Some schools do screener interviews and/or ask for "WHY _______ Law School?" essay submissions to gauge this factor. Similar to "yield protect" practices where schools try to avoid accepting applicants who are qualified but very unlikely to attend to protect their acceptance rate, schools sometimes choose to lowball admitted students that haven't shown extra interest in their school so that they have more money left over to promise to more likely candidates with slightly lower numbers. It's a tricky thing for the schools because they obviously admit more students and award more scholarships each cycle than will actually be redeemed, so I gotta think it's not an exact science.

Thanks guys, all great answers. I was just pleasantly surprised by an offer from one of my top choices, and didn't apply particularly early or anything. The aid-YP theory makes a lot of sense.