Negotiating scholarships works!!!!! Forum

[E\/ERLAST]

Worth a shot right? They certainly are not going to get angry and increase your tuition...


Or would they...

[SenatorClayDavis]

[limegreen]

I asked UF and they said they would forward my letter to the committee, and I asked Wake Forest and they haven't responded. Oh well. I won't go to either of them without some money because I got a pretty good scholarship to W&L, but I would definitely consider them if the costs were equal/less.

[RATRATRAT]

Do you think it is reasonable to ask your top choice school for money if none has been offered?

I'm thinking of trying something like this @ Cornell b/c it's so much money, & a private school like this has got to have some money . . . one can dream, right?

[Kompressor]

It's really not reasonable to ask any school for scholarship if you don't have another scholarship in hand from a competitive school.

Lime, your situation surprises me. How long ago did you send the letter?

[aguyingeorgia]

Any thoughts on = scholarships at schools of similar rank i.e. Duke and Georgetown.

For example, if both give you the same scholarships, do you think it reasonable for Georgetown to increase theirs slightly, or is it pretty a non-issue?

[Kompressor]

Any thoughts on = scholarships at schools of similar rank i.e. Duke and Georgetown.

For example, if both give you the same scholarships, do you think it reasonable for Georgetown to increase theirs slightly, or is it pretty a non-issue?

I can't really say. My guess is that some of it would depend on the tone of your letter and how far you push things. I'd say it's something worth writing if G-Town is a serious consideration for you, but not something to expect results from.

[egrubs]

If you are pleasant in tone, friendly, nondemanding and nonthreatening, you can ask for the world regardless of any lack in leverage. You may get nothing, but you are unlikely to be the jerk.

Fortune favors the bold.

[limegreen]

Kompressor- I asked Florida last week and on Monday or Tuesday they told me they would give the info to the committee, but I don't know if anything is going to happen with that. Wake responded to me today (I emailed them yesterday) and essentially said they are done with scholarships until they find out who is attending after the April 1 deadline.

Given the $$ I got from W&L, I can't justify going to either of the other two schools without some sort of scholarship, but I would really consider Florida in particular if they came through with something because of personal reasons. I pretty much alluded to this in the letter but their response didn't sound particularly promising. W&L is going to end up costing me about $50,000 in tuition total, and UF would be about the same... but I will have to pay $30,000 the first year at UF for out of state and I can't justify paying the same thing for such a huge difference in rankings and job prospects.

[Kompressor]

Any update lime?

Unfortunately, my attempt at this has been shut down. BC has informed me that they do not take sholarships from other schools into consideration, which is a position that I can completely understand and respect. I also appreciate the fact that they got back to me so quickly about it. I'll just have to wait and see what grants they may or may not offer me with my financial aid.

[limegreen]

Nope. I am not really expecting to get great results but I figured I should at least try because I don't have anything to lose. Sorry to hear about BC. It seems like a reasonable policy, but it is frustrating too.

[cea23]

so funny that i find this thread now, because i actually tried negotiating a scholarship from Umiami admissions this afternoon..

i used the full ride temple offered me as leverage to ask for some money at miami (they didn't give me a scholarship) and i was shut down -- they told me they don't have any more money and that they don't expect to have any more -- in response to my question asking about students who decline admission but were offered scholarships. i'm totally bummed about this, if they would've offered some money, it would make my decision a lot easier.

[limegreen]

so funny that i find this thread now, because i actually tried negotiating a scholarship from Umiami admissions this afternoon..

i used the full ride temple offered me as leverage to ask for some money at miami (they didn't give me a scholarship) and i was shut down -- they told me they don't have any more money and that they don't expect to have any more -- in response to my question asking about students who decline admission but were offered scholarships. i'm totally bummed about this, if they would've offered some money, it would make my decision a lot easier.

That's funny, I asked Miami for some money today too and got shot down. I already have a scholarship there but it's not enough to pass up W&L, so I essentially asked for more, and they told me they were out.

[MAC]

Do you think it is reasonable to ask your top choice school for money if none has been offered?

A closed mouth does not get fed. Do it!

[lawduck]

I plan on doing this. Will report back with results.

[kt625]

hey, new question on the same topic... for those of you who have been successful in negotiating scholarships, have the scholarships come with any stipulations? i'm particularly worried about schools making you withdraw all other applications if they give you a scholarship.

does anyone know if schools do this and if so, which schools?

[MikeLav456]

I was thinking of finding this thread and asking my own question. How long did it take y'all to hear back from the schools? I e-mailed Fordham back on March 20th, they were closed till the 25th. It's been almost a week and not a peep from them. Should I call? Anyone deal with Fordham in this fashion?

[lawduck]

I plan on doing this. Will report back with results.

The results:

Took a while but I eventually picked up a cool 25k. Unconditional.

[LaworBust]

good for you law duck and you were a faithful reporter-backer.

[Snoozer2480]

For someone who has successfully negotiated scholarship money, did you send the letter to the Financial Aid Office, or the Office of Admissions? Thanks in advance!

[bettielocke]

bump...this is a discussion i need to get in on

[chango]

bump...this is a discussion i need to get in on

Agreed. A copy and paste of a successful email would be REALLY helpful. hint. hint.

[Nat1018]

So I sent out an email to San Diego after their initial scholarship offer of $23,000 a year asking for an increased amount. Today, I just got a letter saying I am receiving the Dean's Honor Scholarship which covers full tuition ($39,000) and a gives me a living stipend! This pretty much just made my decision.

Congratulations!!! I've been waiting to hear back about scholarship money from them for a while...maybe I'll send an email now.

[thickfreakness]

hey, new question on the same topic... for those of you who have been successful in negotiating scholarships, have the scholarships come with any stipulations? i'm particularly worried about schools making you withdraw all other applications if they give you a scholarship.

does anyone know if schools do this and if so, which schools?

IMO that's good bargaining on the law school's part. It's poor form to negotiate a scholarship offer up unless the school is in hot contention for your seat deposit. Trying to leverage a full ride out of a lower T1 safety when you're in at a T14 with some money already seems kind of ridiculous.

[nyskidude]

Would a full ride at Baylor and 75k and San Diego be enough to negotiate with schools like tOSU, Wisconsin, Iowa, and UIUC? I'm thinking they may be a little bit too low in the rankings...