As many people already know, applying to law schools can be an expensive process. Applicants generally need to pay a hefty sum in application fees and test score fees for each school to which they apply, and this can add up depending on how many schools an applicant considers. Also, applicants need to pay seat deposit fees to at least one school in order to secure a place in an incoming class. However, saving money while applying to law schools is possible in a number of situations.
Application fees can make saving money while applying to law school difficult in certain circumstances. The average applicant may apply to as many as ten or more law schools. Each applicant should apply to several reach schools where they are likely not going to be accepted, and students may wish to apply early decision to one of these schools. Also, each applicant should apply to several schools where they can reasonably expect to gain admission. In addition, applicants should apply to several “safety schools” where they will almost assuredly be admitted.
Each school may charge $75 or more to submit an application to that program. However, some schools allow students to submit their applications for free. These schools usually wish to boost their admissions data, and they attempt to persuade individuals to apply to those schools by not charging them an application fee. All applicants should look for such opportunities so that they can at least apply to their “safety schools” without having to pay for application costs.
In addition, saving money while applying to law schools is achievable if you apply for an application fee waiver. Some schools are willing to waive application fees if you are able to show bona fide financial need. This usually requires applicants to write an essay on their circumstances and how they cannot afford to pay the cost to submit an application.
However, this is usually an onerous process. Indeed, I did not submit waiver applications even though I had limited funds while applying to law schools, since I did not have much time to put together the waiver materials. However, fee waivers are available to candidates who apply to law schools with limited financial resources.
Saving money while applying to law schools can also be difficult because of seat deposits. In order to commit to attending a law school, students must usually pay a seat deposit. This amount varies from school to school, but is usually around $500 to $1,000. If the student ends up attending a school, the seat deposit is applied to tuition costs and related expenses. However, if you do not end up attending the law school the seat deposit money is typically forfeited.
As a result, seat deposits can limit your options when applying to law schools. For instance, seat deposits may make it less likely that you can take a late offer to attend a school off of the waitlist. In addition, if you have limited resources, it might be difficult to pay for a seat deposit in the first place. Indeed, seat deposits were a problem for me, since I did not have the $500 needed to secure my spot in law school. I had to ask my grandparents to give me the money for a seat deposit, and I was only able to pay for a seat deposit at one school.
In any case, there are some strategies you can take when dealing with seat deposits when saving money while applying for law school. For instance, some schools have hardship waivers for seat deposits that can be applied for by students who qualify. In addition, some law schools may dispense with seat deposit altogether if you sign a contract agreeing to attend that institution. As a result, applicants should not fear seat deposits when they make decisions about where to attend law school.
Another important consideration when saving money while applying to law school is to save money when purchasing LSAT or GRE prep materials. Some applicants spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on standardized test preparation materials and classes so that they can achieve the highest scores possible on these tests. Of course, these tests might not only be important to gaining admission to law school, but also to being offered scholarships and other awards.
Nevertheless, applicants sometimes do not need to pay for classes or tutors in order to succeed on standardized tests. Indeed, many candidates can purchase a few preparation books online and this can be your only investment on standardized test. In addition, you can sometimes score preparation materials secondhand from people who have already taken the tests and no longer need the materials. Also, it is important to note that many law schools now accept the GRE as well as the LSAT for admission. As a result, applicants can study for and take the standardized test that is easiest for them and would cost them the least amount of money for which to prepare. Of course, applicants should not limit themselves if this will impact their score, but smart decisions can be made about test prep materials.
All told, saving money while applying to law school is possible in a number of situations. So long as applicants take certain strategies when dealing with application fees, seat deposits and prep materials, they should be able to spend the least amount of money possible on applying to law schools.