Negotiating Merit Aid

[MixedGirl2009]

Does anyone have any advice on how to negotiate stipulations (ie top 1/3) out of an aid offer?

+1, or advice on negotiating for a stipend?

[utb]

issue resolved.

Quick question: The article suggests that, "As a general rule, schools should beat offers you've received from superior schools..."

Should we consider the raw dollar amount or the % of attendance costs? IOW...

I received a $25k/year scholly to an inferior private school with tuition/fees at $40,000.
I received a $20k/year scholly to a superior public school with tuition/fees at $27,000.

The inferior private school "beat" the other offer in terms of total dollars, but not in terms of % of attendance costs. Should I expect the inferior school to negotiate?

Cheers!

[RadMobile]

How long did it take the schools to respond to your requests??

[roundabout]

Just wanted to say how absolutely invaluable this post was for me this cycle. I was able to negotiate from nothing to something at a T14 and a T20, and the scholarship I got from the T14 ended up deciding me on that school. With both schools, all I had were large scholarships from lower-ranked schools (and in the case of the T20, a T14 admission offer), so I wasn't sure it would work. But thanks to this post, I worked up the courage to ask (in one case more than once) and I'm so happy I did!

One tip I would add is to apply to schools you might not consider actually attending, if you think there's a good chance you'll get a big scholarship there that you can use to negotiate. (And getting a scholarship from one school isn't necessarily something your target school cares about, so do the research.) For example, a lot of people with numbers similar to mine got good-sized scholarships at Vanderbilt. (I'm not saying I definitely would have been admitted, or that I definitely would have gotten a scholarship, just that I think I would have had a shot.) Some people on TLS were evidently able to use these scholarships to get scholarships in half the amount at a T14. Even though I wouldn't have gone to Vandy (just because of location for me, great school of course), I probably could have negotiated a better scholarship from my target school if I'd had a scholly offer from Vandy.

So my advice to new applicants would be to look at scholarship patters on LSN, identify competitive schools that give large scholarships to people in your numbers range, and use TLS boards to find out if anyone has successfully negotiated at your target schools using scholarships from those schools. That, and use the OP's advice, because it's awesome.

[SaintClarence27]

How long did it take the schools to respond to your requests??

It really depends on the school. Dean Pless at Illinois has been great with *any* communication. At the very least, they should tell you they'll check into it, and let you know WHEN they'll get back to you.

[Thane Messinger]

Should we consider the raw dollar amount or the % of attendance costs? IOW...

I received a $25k/year scholly to an inferior private school with tuition/fees at $40,000.
I received a $20k/year scholly to a superior public school with tuition/fees at $27,000.

The inferior private school "beat" the other offer in terms of total dollars, but not in terms of % of attendance costs. Should I expect the inferior school to negotiate?

An excellent question. The answer, in general, is that you should look at net cost, not at "retail price." So, $20K per year for a public school is likely a better deal than $25K per year for a private school. If it's a superior public law school, that's probably a no brainer.

(One comment I once heard floored me, that a private school was "better" because it was private. Nope.)

So, yes and no. You should probably try to negotiate with both, but you should expect the "inferior" school to budge more, especially if its net costs are higher (as they likely will be).

Thane.

[chrisbru]

tagged

[northwood]

this is very informative. thanks!

[isaiahnielsen]

Should we consider the raw dollar amount or the % of attendance costs? IOW...

I received a $25k/year scholly to an inferior private school with tuition/fees at $40,000.
I received a $20k/year scholly to a superior public school with tuition/fees at $27,000.

The inferior private school "beat" the other offer in terms of total dollars, but not in terms of % of attendance costs. Should I expect the inferior school to negotiate?

An excellent question. The answer, in general, is that you should look at net cost, not at "retail price." So, $20K per year for a public school is likely a better deal than $25K per year for a private school. If it's a superior public law school, that's probably a no brainer.

(One comment I once heard floored me, that a private school was "better" because it was private. Nope.)

So, yes and no. You should probably try to negotiate with both, but you should expect the "inferior" school to budge more, especially if its net costs are higher (as they likely will be).


well, i think it would depend on you define "better"...i went to a couple of public undergrad schools before i finally ended up at a private university where i finished, and where i also did much better, because for me, the smaller, more intimate environment was much more conducive to my learning process than a huge, public university...i think people need to define this subjectively as far as what they are looking for in their education.

Thane.

[solarae]

are the images not working in the first post? I've had this bookmarked forever and now I need to read it & learn about what I can do, but it doesn't seem to be loading the images with text.

tks

[TOMaHULK]

How would I best approach simply attempting to get my top choice school to Match, or Better a scholarship offer from one of their peer schools, when they've already offered me a scholarship for a lower amount?

(example: School A offered me $10,000 and School B only offerred $5,000 - same tier/rankings)

I read the OP, but didn't see an example where a scholly offers is made initially, and I just want them to match. Would appreciate any response either as a reply or PM.

Thank you in advance.

[legallyblonde:)]

Help! Iowa is my top choice and they haven't offered any merit based scholarships even though I am above their LSAT median and above 75% for GPA. I was accepted to Minnesota and was offered a small scholarship. I know the article posted says Iowa should match or beat the offer. When I send initial communication to Iowa the response was basically no offer now check back later. How do I mention my UofM acceptance and scholarship tactfully? Please either respond or private message me! I really want to go to Iowa, but don't know if I can justify it if I don't recieve any scholarships. Thanks!

[MrMisiu]

Since waiting until March is the "right" time, and US News rankings leak in early March is it best to hedge your bets and hope that some schools you have money from go up in rank, or should you try and solidify a scholly before they come out (in case your higher ranked schools possibly drop)? Since ranking seems to play a role in negotiating, I've been thinking about this the last couple hours.

Any input?

[northwood]

for me personally, im going to make my final decision in march. i will be tlaking to all of the schools i am considering, and useing their final offer as a part of the decision making process. Although to be fair, I will be visiting all of the schools and going to Admitted student days to get a good feel for the campuses.

[northwood]

do you think a school ranked in the 60s and a school ranked in the 80s are peers? Im thinking about trying to leverage an acceptance with no scholly from a school in the 60s to get a stipulation lowered or removed from the 80s school.

think this may work??

[aquyenl]

would it be better to attempt to negotiate scholarships later in the admissions cycle? my thinking is that as some of the students with higher offers decide to withdraw and and attend higher ranked schools, more money would be available for other students.

i was going to try to negotiate with school x with an offer i got from peer school y but had second thoughts as february seems a bit early.

[ohmylord]

Hey, I need a little help here since everyone is knowledgeable on the subject of negotiating.

My top choice is Buffalo, but they have not offered any kind of scholarship (yet). So far, my situation is
Albany Law: $20,000 minority scholarship (which would bring it to just a little above Buffalo's sticker)
St. John's: $10,000 merit scholarship (brings it to about $30,000 a year)
Syracuse: $10,000 merit scholarship (same as above)

My LSAT score is 157 and GPA 3.62, so I'm right about the median. How should I go about negotiating with the school for scholarships? I do believe Albany might be something of an advantage in my hands in trying to make a deal, but seeing how the three other schools have offered scholarships in the acceptance letters while Buffalo hasn't, should I be worried?

[northwood]

try to talk to all of the other schools. right now your best bet is buffalo- as cuse, albany, and st johns arent worth the price you will have to pay.

[chrisbru]

try to talk to all of the other schools. right now your best bet is buffalo- as cuse, albany, and st johns arent worth the price you will have to pay.

Neither is Buffalo...

[northwood]

im assuming hes ny state resident. out of state, no, in state and want to stay- then possibly.

[tipler4213]

This is awesome.

[ohmylord]

To northwood:
Yes, I'm in the NY state, so I'm going to be paying in-state tuition. And Buffalo is definitely my top choice of school based on the overall tuition price and reputation. I'm just trying to figure out how to get some money out of them seeing how I just found out other accepted applicants have received scholarship money in their acceptance letters. I'm just asking for advice on how to go about it seeing how I'm not totally sure what the rankings are and if Buffalo would be persuaded by the chances of losing me to the other schools.

To chrisbu:
I honestly don't know why you would say that. Buffalo has one of the lowest sticker prices compared to most law schools, moreso compared to my list. Unless you're talking about how "Buffalo isn't a great law school either 'cause it's not T14", then why bother replying? It's the best I can do and I'm sure the same is for everyone else who's not in a T14.

Anyways, any help or advice would be helpful.

[chrisbru]

To northwood:
Yes, I'm in the NY state, so I'm going to be paying in-state tuition. And Buffalo is definitely my top choice of school based on the overall tuition price and reputation. I'm just trying to figure out how to get some money out of them seeing how I just found out other accepted applicants have received scholarship money in their acceptance letters. I'm just asking for advice on how to go about it seeing how I'm not totally sure what the rankings are and if Buffalo would be persuaded by the chances of losing me to the other schools.

To chrisbu:
I honestly don't know why you would say that. Buffalo has one of the lowest sticker prices compared to most law schools, moreso compared to my list. Unless you're talking about how "Buffalo isn't a great law school either 'cause it's not T14", then why bother replying? It's the best I can do and I'm sure the same is for everyone else who's not in a T14.

Anyways, any help or advice would be helpful.

Buffalo dropped from #85 to Tier 3 this year. That's NOT a good statistic. On top of that, think of how many schools that NY law firms can go to for hiring before having to dip into Buffalo. It may be the best you can do... But I wouldn't go to Buffalo at full price, even if that's in-state. Even in-state will put you around $100k in debt to compete for $50k/year jobs.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Sorry man.

[ohmylord]

To northwood:
Yes, I'm in the NY state, so I'm going to be paying in-state tuition. And Buffalo is definitely my top choice of school based on the overall tuition price and reputation. I'm just trying to figure out how to get some money out of them seeing how I just found out other accepted applicants have received scholarship money in their acceptance letters. I'm just asking for advice on how to go about it seeing how I'm not totally sure what the rankings are and if Buffalo would be persuaded by the chances of losing me to the other schools.

To chrisbu:
I honestly don't know why you would say that. Buffalo has one of the lowest sticker prices compared to most law schools, moreso compared to my list. Unless you're talking about how "Buffalo isn't a great law school either 'cause it's not T14", then why bother replying? It's the best I can do and I'm sure the same is for everyone else who's not in a T14.

Anyways, any help or advice would be helpful.

Buffalo dropped from #85 to Tier 3 this year. That's NOT a good statistic. On top of that, think of how many schools that NY law firms can go to for hiring before having to dip into Buffalo. It may be the best you can do... But I wouldn't go to Buffalo at full price, even if that's in-state. Even in-state will put you around $100k in debt to compete for $50k/year jobs.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Sorry man.

Well, my initial question wasn't asking "which school should I go to", it was more "how do I get money out of Buffalo." You just go on to talk about me going to that school at sticker when that is precisely what I'm trying to avoid.

And even if I do end up going there at sticker price, it's loads better than paying $25,000-$40,000 at the other schools and ending up with a MUCH higher debt. I tend to have a lot of great luck and people skills so finding a job isn't a concern of mine (this is how I went through life and will continue to do so. Great luck, hard studying, and people skills).

[northwood]

To northwood:
Yes, I'm in the NY state, so I'm going to be paying in-state tuition. And Buffalo is definitely my top choice of school based on the overall tuition price and reputation. I'm just trying to figure out how to get some money out of them seeing how I just found out other accepted applicants have received scholarship money in their acceptance letters. I'm just asking for advice on how to go about it seeing how I'm not totally sure what the rankings are and if Buffalo would be persuaded by the chances of losing me to the other schools.

To chrisbu:
I honestly don't know why you would say that. Buffalo has one of the lowest sticker prices compared to most law schools, moreso compared to my list. Unless you're talking about how "Buffalo isn't a great law school either 'cause it's not T14", then why bother replying? It's the best I can do and I'm sure the same is for everyone else who's not in a T14.

Anyways, any help or advice would be helpful.

Buffalo dropped from #85 to Tier 3 this year. That's NOT a good statistic. On top of that, think of how many schools that NY law firms can go to for hiring before having to dip into Buffalo. It may be the best you can do... But I wouldn't go to Buffalo at full price, even if that's in-state. Even in-state will put you around $100k in debt to compete for $50k/year jobs.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Sorry man.

Well, my initial question wasn't asking "which school should I go to", it was more "how do I get money out of Buffalo." You just go on to talk about me going to that school at sticker when that is precisely what I'm trying to avoid.

And even if I do end up going there at sticker price, it's loads better than paying $25,000-$40,000 at the other schools and ending up with a MUCH higher debt. I tend to have a lot of great luck and people skills so finding a job isn't a concern of mine (this is how I went through life and will continue to do so. Great luck, hard studying, and people skills).

what im telling you is, buffalo is going to be hard pressed to giveyou any. You can inform them that the other schools gave you money, but it might not work. THey will look at your figures, and do the math and realize that they are still cheaper than the rest. You need to focus on why UB is great for you, why you are a great canidate, and explain how any grant or scholly money given will make your decision to attend much easier.