Scholarship stipulations

Leah M B

So, it's a school I'm not really planning to enroll in but I was offered a scholarship at a local school that has a stipulation. I know obviously, non-conditional scholarships are the way to go. And if I went here, I'd probably ask them to take it off. But I was curious because as far as stipulations go, it seemed pretty generous. The only condition is that I would need to remain in the top 75% of my class. Meaning simply, not be in the bottom 25%. What do you guys think? Would you be willing to agree to that?

jowens7317

With your acceptance to UCLA, congratulations by the way, you could probably get them to take that stipulation off completely but nonetheless it seems like a great offer.

westcoastbestcoast

Even the best rule of thumb is to assume you will be median, sometimes the students in your section may be fiercely competitive and incredibly smart, which could make the difference between a median and a 25 percentile grade only a couple points.

Seeking Perfection

I wouldn't do it with a stip of Top 75th percentile.

First of all, a lot of people are grouped near the middle as far as raw scores on exams go. This means it's not a huge point difference between median and bottom 25th percent or top 25th percent.

Additionally, any scholarship with a stipulation just magnifies the risk already inherent in law school. Normally, if you do bad your first semester you'll have a harder time finding 1L and 2L jobs and thus an actual job. The stipulation means that at the same time you find out your job outlook is grim you will also find out you have more debt than expected. Frankly, if you losea sizable scholarship in this way it may bebest to drop out, cut your losses, and run.

You are lilely to be an above average student at your school. I'm assuming that because you are a strong enough applicant that they are giving you the scholarship. So maybe you have a 20 or 15 percent chance of being in the bottom 25 percent. But, that would be a really bad outcome if it's coupled with losing your scholarship.

JPJ July2021

I would agree if I had to but I would definitely try to have a stimulation-free scholarship if at all possible. I do know that many law schools will purposely group those people who have the same scholarship in the same section so you'll all have classes together. Inevitably, with the curve, some people may lose their scholarship.

Leah M B

You guys make good points. As I mentioned, highly unlikely I'm attending that school and would negotiate the conditions away before committing, if I did. But was curious basically, are there any stipulations that maybe aren't as egregious as others? I think GPA requirements are particularly manipulative, since many incoming students probably don't realize how much law school grades can differ from undergraduate. It's deceptive to base it on a GPA. But I felt like just keeping out of the bottom 25% is not so bad?

Just double checked on LST though, and for conditional scholarships at this school it says that 25.4% of 2016 1Ls had their scholarship reduced or eliminated.69.7% of 1Ls had a conditional scholarship, thus 36.4% of conditional scholarships were reduced or eliminated. Yowsa. Could be worse, but that is a significant percentage.

The lesson here folks: don't take conditional scholarships!

speedwagon

I have one offer that says I must remain a student in good standing, which is a 2.3. If I can't do that, I probably shouldn't be in law school after all. That is probably the only string attached I'd feel comfortable with. The same offer says it "may" (read: will, I'm sure) convert to a loan if I transfer or do not finish my degree, which gives me pause, although I understand the reasoning behind it!

LSAT_Wrecker

@Emily2122 said:
I would agree if I had to but I would definitely try to have a stimulation-free scholarship if at all possible.

I'm not quite sure that means what you intended it to...

JPJ July2021

@LSAT_Wrecker what do you mean? haha

JPJ July2021

Omg I just realized it autocorrected

samantha.ashley92

The top 75% doesn't seem like the same thing as above the 25th percentile. Are you sure that's what they meant? It sounds like they want you to be in the 75th percentile.

Leah M B

@"samantha.ashley92" said:
The top 75% doesn't seem like the same thing as above the 25th percentile. Are you sure that's what they meant? It sounds like they want you to be in the 75th percentile.

Haha quite possible I read it wrong! My brain is totally fried. In any case, it was more of an exercise in thinking about what stipulations might be acceptable. But out of curiosity, I'll re-read it!

TheMikey

Nah, I personally wouldn't. No matter how hardworking and smart I may think I am, there's always the unpredictability of law school grades leading me to have a 25% chance of losing the scholarship. It's definitely more generous than top 40%, of course, but it's still a big gamble when you think of it as a 1/4 chance of losing all that money.

studyingandrestudying

I'd put this on hold with the plan to say no and wait on more offers. This offer sounds like too much of a risk. Also, 1L is generally said to be the most difficult of the 3 or so years.

_oshun1_

I know this isn’t the exact logic but it kinda sounds like there’s a 25% chance of losing your scholly and that’s not a safe bet.
Does anyone know how one ends up being one of the lucky few who get schollys without stips? Is it based on gpa/LSAT? Is it common for them to remove the stips? and what is that based off of, how nicely you ask?
The scholarships I was offered all had stips, even from the schools I was above their LSAT/GPA 75ths, and I thought it was standard to accept the stips until I read more about it. Curious for next year when I reapply.

Leah M B

@"surfy surf" said:
I know this isn’t the exact logic but it kinda sounds like there’s a 25% chance of losing your scholly and that’s not a safe bet.
Does anyone know how one ends up being one of the lucky few who get schollys without stips? Is it based on gpa/LSAT? Is it common for them to remove the stips? and what is that based off of, how nicely you ask?
The scholarships I was offered all had stips, even from the schools I was above their LSAT/GPA 75ths, and I thought it was standard to accept the stips until I read more about it. Curious for next year when I reapply.

I think it’s really school by school. Larger, higher-ranked schools tend to have non-conditional scholarships and more regional schools tend to have stipulations. I think it’s kind of a way for smaller schools with less money to give scholarships but still count on not having to spend all of the money they offer. Some schools more than others bank on students losing scholarships.

Law School Transparency’s reports show whether the school has stipulations on scholarships, and if so, statistics on how many people lost them or had money reduced. I have heard of removing stipulations being a negotiation though, so you could try it! Especially if you are above both 75ths. I’m guessing it’s just like negotiating for more money - ask nicely.

Seeking Perfection

@"surfy surf" said:
I know this isn’t the exact logic but it kinda sounds like there’s a 25% chance of losing your scholly and that’s not a safe bet.
Does anyone know how one ends up being one of the lucky few who get schollys without stips? Is it based on gpa/LSAT? Is it common for them to remove the stips? and what is that based off of, how nicely you ask?
The scholarships I was offered all had stips, even from the schools I was above their LSAT/GPA 75ths, and I thought it was standard to accept the stips until I read more about it. Curious for next year when I reapply.

I don't know about removing the stips in negotiation. I'm sure it's possible, but don't know how hard it might be.

Higher ranked schools don't tend to have stipulations on their scholarships.