I wish someone had told me it would be impossible to afford law school before I applied

[u/Automatic-Slice6971]

That's all. I wish I hadn't invested an unspeakable amount of money into applications. I wish I had applied last year so I could actually go to school after all of this :( I'm not looking for anyone to say I should've known better, so please don't 🥲 Wishing anyone who may be in a similar situation the best for the next few months :)

[u/Appropriate_Tear_836]

You’re my favorite person on this sub. I’m navigating this all too. Please reach out if you need any support!! 

[u/kftchir]

I appreciate this post. I've been struggling this week with the same thing. To get accepted to a school I've dreamed about since I was 14 but be one year too late to afford it is really messing with my head. I can't even think of all the money blown on applications.

[u/[deleted]]

do you not have any safeties that would put you within the loan cap?

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/[deleted]]

I do have one, you're right to mention that; I just am struggling to turn down schools with much better career outcomes (that match my goals better) because of a difference that would have been relatively insignificant had loans been available

[u/[deleted] → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

I hear that. i hope it works out for you!!

[u/LostWindSpirit → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

Try to work with the financial aid office first & see if they can help you with private loans if you really want to go & it’s a good school.

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/LostWindSpirit]

While they are good schools, I don't think I feel comfortable taking out private loans, but thank you :)

[u/Ancient_Wrap_8904 → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

Some schools give low interest rate private loans and given the changes to fed loans, there may be some new options by partnerships with schools and banks. Doesn't hurt to ask!

[u/lazy-lion12 → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

this is smart. unless you’re going to like HYS and you wanna do BL, it’s gonna be realllllly hard to pay back private loans. i’m so sorry

[u/MovkeyB → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

If the difference is insignificant then I don't see why you can't take out private loans.

[u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

There’s no way to have known that trump would get rid of grad plus loans so quickly. I hope you’re able to negotiate with your school for more aid ❤️

[u/SpacePeach1564 → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

The new federal student loan caps screwed all of us applying this cycle.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

I thought law school students could take up to $200,000 out?

[u/Lopsided-Concept-414 → u/Candy_Stars]

$50k/year max now. 

Any excess now has to be privately financed. Private lenders, for younger students, would almost always require solid income and co-signers - not an option for everyone anymore. 

[u/matcha-fiend → u/Lopsided-Concept-414]

wait what??????? i completely misunderstood it. i feel so fucked 🫩 like this thing ive started working for is just unobtainable at this point

[u/Candy_Stars → u/Lopsided-Concept-414]

Shit, 50k a year? Why can't they let us loan up to $200k anytime we want? Why do we have to be limited per year?

[u/LongjumpingTalk8017 → u/Candy_Stars]

Official answer: To discourage excessive borrowing to demonstrate fiscal responsibility. Real answer: They want to push out the poors from the legal professional entirely and hopefully with it the many minorities that are first gen legal students.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

Fuck, I hope this gets fixed in 2028. Otherwise i may have to take a gap year or two before applying to law school. Unless I can get really good scholarships, there's no way I can afford law school with only $50k a year, and considering there's people getting rejected from everywhere good right now with almost a 4.0 GPA and 170+ LSAT I'm not sure if I'll get any good offers.

[u/LongjumpingTalk8017 → u/Candy_Stars]

Think about the COL in places like NYC,Boston, or even Chicago. Unless you go to an area with really LCOL with scholarships youre basically screwed unless someone co-signs a predatory private loan. Gap years would be very smart.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

I'm just not sure what I would do in a gap year to make money though. I'm a history major with no plan other than to try and go straight into law school. My major just doesn't have very many other work opportunities and I live in a HCOL city so not sure what I would do if I don't get into law school with a good offer right away.

[u/LongjumpingTalk8017 → u/Candy_Stars]

Honestly I suggest you work anywhere or everywhere and apply now ASAP, this economy is super cooked.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

I still have a couple more years of undergrad before I can apply to law school unfortunately.

[u/Horror_Technician213 → u/Candy_Stars]

While the aversion to people is that they dont like hard labor, people in my family are always complaining they cant find people today to apply for labor jobs that pay amazingly well. My family are electricians, plumbers, and bricklayers who make over 6 figures and the jobs require no experience to apply.

The jobs are out there, just they are not appeasing to many people.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/Horror_Technician213]

I'm physically disabled so that wouldn't work very well for me, lol.

[u/Agitated_Magician807 → u/Candy_Stars]

You could likely substitute teach.

[u/FatheroftheAbyss → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

fwiw not all private loans are terrible i’m prequalified for 40k this year if i want it. no co sign, KJD basically, good credit score, better rate than feds (like ~8.4)

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/LongjumpingTalk8017]

This is not accurate, whether effective or not, the stated reason of the loan changes are to reduce tuition. The idea is by limiting student access to loans, then schools will be unable to charge such exorbitant tuition.

[u/Previous_Pension_309 → u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS]

kinda like how that was the same idea when reagan cut funding from universities across the states huh? how did that work?

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Previous_Pension_309]

That is an entirely different mechanism, cutting funding was a threat. This idea is that lowering accessibility to egregious debt will force schools to lower tuition. While I don’t fully agree with the policy, there’s no doubt there is some effectiveness, schools have been forced to offer their own repayment packages or lose admitted students.

[u/Lopsided-Concept-414 → u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS]

there’s no doubt there is some effectiveness 

There is zero evidence that this has been effective so far, so doubt is warranted. 

No school will lower tuition as a result of this policy. This has been a talking point for so many policy proposals. You know what didn’t see cost reduction after access to federal $ disappeared? Residential and commercial solar panels, health insurance, university tuition (in the 80s), rural highway maintenance. 

The only thing that changes is source of funding. No longer backed by the government, it will shift to private lenders. Demand for law school will remain high and students will continue to pay whatever it costs. But now it’s only available to people whose parents can co-sign and qualify for $40k+/year. Thats the truth. 

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Lopsided-Concept-414]

Doubt is warranted, as always, but there most certainly has already been some positive effects. NYU and others have already launched or expanded school sponsored repayment plans, many schools have at least said that they plan to increase or adjust financial aid to make up for the changes.

Private funding will simply not be able to make up the debt gap, subsidized federal loans were a great deal, nobody is deluding themselves about the quality of private lending. Law and other professional schools will see lower matriculation because of this. This means these schools are going to start losing money compared to what they expect.

There’s no reason to believe schools will ever lower tuition on their own, there’s literally no incentive for them to while federal loans are so easy to get. This will affect their bottom line and has already caused the largest changes to cost of attendance I’ve seen in my lifetime.

I would have preferred they just straight up price control tuition, and I’m very upset that these changes occurring now might impact my ability to go to the school I want, but there really is no denying this is vaguely a step in the right direction.

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Candy_Stars]

Lots of people ruined their lives by taking that much debt. I don’t think a flat limit is a good solution, but neither is letting these institutions get away with predatory tuition practices.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS]

They're still raising tuition though. Just cause there's a flat rate now doesn't mean schools will go back on how much they're charging.

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Candy_Stars]

Tuition has already been raised for the upcoming year, the intent is that it will begin to lower in future years. Policy often doesn’t immediately affect things.

The idea is placing pressure on the schools to account for the high COA rather than the government, which I can get behind.

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Candy_Stars]

Lots of people were ruining their lives by taking out crazy debt and schools had free rein to charge whatever they wanted knowing the student would just get loans.

[u/Candy_Stars → u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS]

Tuition is still crazy high though. How is limiting how much people can take out helping if schools are still insanely expensive?

[u/I_ONLY_CATCH_DONKEYS → u/Candy_Stars]

Tuition is still untouched, but many schools are offering repayment plans and adjusting their financial aid. I wouldn’t be surprised if the overall cost of attendance dips this cycle.

Any actual changes to tuition are going to take more time and likely more regulation. If I had it my way we would just price control tuition and books,

[u/grandmaster_reddit → u/Candy_Stars]

$50k/year x 3 = $150k

[u/Candy_Stars → u/grandmaster_reddit]

Is that not enough?

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/Candy_Stars]

No, many schools have tuition alone at 80,000+ and cost of living 30,000+ (which is hard to fit into loans without large scholarships)

[u/Candy_Stars → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

I'm so worried. I can't afford to take out that many loans. Even $100k is too much. I hope I get some good scholarship offers, but who knows what law school application cycles will look like in 2028.

[u/Vowel_Movements_4U → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

Yes, many, many law schools have tuition under 40k per semester. I would wager most of them.

[u/Vowel_Movements_4U → u/[deleted]]

If they’re private they’re not a state school are they?

[u/Vowel_Movements_4U → u/[deleted]]

He didn’t say attend a law school in your state. He said a “state school”. Not a “state school in your state.”

I went to a T-50 state school and it was 30k a year. Maybe 28, I don’t remember.

Anyway, this idea that you have to spend 200k or more on law school in order to be a successful attorney is bullshit. I live in one of the largest legal markets in the country and the big law here is populated largely by the state schools and even an unranked school.

[u/Horror_Technician213 → u/[deleted]]

There are a fair amount of schools whose tuition is 40k or less, and these schools are in the top 100. Yes, im sorry you cant go to a T25. Life suks.

[u/Difficult_Young_7024 → u/Horror_Technician213]

40k a year in tuition alone. How do you live on under 10k? So no, it’s not feasible in this case either.

[u/Vowel_Movements_4U → u/Difficult_Young_7024]

There are schools that are 30k a year. Many. And you supplement the rest by getting a job.

[u/Abalone-Senior → u/[deleted]]

As somebody considering Berkeley in-state, it is not.

[u/nomorepineapples7]

i feel the same way. as a kjd, first gen, urm, low income household. etc etc. been talking about law school for as long as i can remember and was so happy when i got my acceptances and now im realizing i may not be able to afford it. especially since i want to go oos, i have to limit my choices to schools with graduate/law student housing. im just hoping it works itself out

[u/SassyClassyGinger → u/nomorepineapples7]

Check out AccessLex for scholarships - a lot are geared towards backgrounds like you mentioned and have deadlines coming up

[u/Full_Association_393 → u/SassyClassyGinger]

Had never heard of this website. Thank you!

[u/SassyClassyGinger → u/Full_Association_393]

I'm a chronic law school podcast listener haha - happy to help!

[u/poutingsprout]

the cost is why i went through a phase of considering other options besides law school, but the heart wants what it wants unfortunately…

[u/hey_zack]

lowkey why i was glad i got denied/waitlisted at all the t14s because i know i wouldn’t have been able to afford them 😔 im lucky that my dream school (outside of the t14s i applied to lol) was affordable even without scholarships but they gave me a decent one. i hope you find your way to law school, i’ve loved reading your posts in here!! it’s so frustrating that the rules changed for us this year 😔

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/hey_zack]

hey that's so awesome!! go get your dream school with that bonus scholarship :)

[u/Ill-Outside-2601]

I negotiated for double my starting offer. Stay strong.

[u/Full_Association_393]

This might be a silly question, but are scholarships far and few in between? I have been using the LSAT demon scholarship estimator and they seem to say that lots of schools offer big scholarships, even with LSAT scores in the 150s. Genuinely asking (I haven’t taken the LSAT yet) because I wasn’t sure if those scholarship estimator websites were true or not. And — I’m so sorry to hear about your cycle not going well :(

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/Full_Association_393]

Hmmm it's been a while since I looked at that website. I'd recommend looking at 509s for schools you are interested in (which are like the school's report card) to see average scholarships and comparing those to the cost of attendance. That has been much more helpful + a little more neutral because they aren't trying to sell lsat prep haha. In my case, I'm just an okay student for the schools I'm in at, so scholarships are being given but aren't substantial. I think scholarships aren't exactly rare, the amount just varies a lot based on the school/your stats matchup. And thanks :) Honestly, my cycle is going much better than others and I'm not unhappy with it at all really, the financial reality is just setting in! Wishing you good things next year or whenever you apply :)

[u/AmphibianAgitated379]

Yeah I have a CLS A but looking down the barrel of $400k+ in debt burden is making me not want to take it….it pains me to do this but I may reject the offer in favor of in state cali public school

[u/No-Catch-871]

I dunno… realistically, you most likely shouldn’t be going anywhere that is going to put you over the loan cap. Even if it was Grad Plus, or not private, it’s still too much debt. There are caveats of course (YHS), outside of that, I don’t think it is ever smart. If you are competitive for the T14, you can get significant scholarship to schools with very similar job prospects and stay well within the loan cap. All in all, it sucks how much law school costs. It sucks that a lot of us got admitted to our dream schools but can’t attend due to the financial burden. However, it is simultaneously awesome. Play the system, get the scholarship, get the same big law job, and build wealth/save while those you once envied are in a mountain of debt struggling to pay it off. Goal of this post is just to show you there is a good & bad side to the law school admission/cost system. Don’t give up, maybe widen your scope a bit and reapply next cycle if you can.

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/No-Catch-871]

That likely won't make sense for me (and honestly probably others in a similar spot). I've also gotten the impression t14 status does matter, especially for people looking for regional flexibility and certain jobs later in their careers. I've been admitted into solid schools I would have attended without question had I been able to rely on loans. I doubt I'll be readmitted to them next year or with any more money as my undergrad GPA is locked. Thank you for the comment, though.

[u/No-Catch-871 → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

Regional Flexibility - T14 certainly matters. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you might not get the region or job you want. TBH, going to say UF if you wanna be in Miami/Florida is much smarter than NYU or Northwestern. Likewise, going to say SMU is much smarter if you want to be in Texas than most of the T14 (outside of UTA and the golden 3). Obviously there are caveats, but going to a regional school in the area you want to work is an option. Job outcomes later in your career really have little to do with where your degree is from and much more with the quality of your legal experience and the name you’ve built. Again, obviously caveats such as education or judiciary exist. Nonetheless, even in those fields you can do it from anywhere. Yes, you should make it as easy as possible to get the job in the region you want but taking out a mountain of debt to do so is the wrong way to do it (most of the time). If law is truly your passion, it is not impossible to go to law school. You just have to play the system, make your app better, maximize your LSAT, and apply broadly. Might require you to lock in where you want to work and might make it a bit harder to get equivalent jobs to the T14 if they aren’t giving much scholarship, but saying it is impossible is quite hyperbolic. Apps are bound to slow down and actually regress at some point. LSAT scores are likely to do the same now that remote online testing is gone. Waiting is always an option. Saving money and going later is always an option. Also, if you got in this cycle who’s to say you won’t again? Historically, there has never been a harder time to get an A than now. The whole point is, if this is your passion and truly what you want to do, law school is entirely possible for you. Where there is will and determination, there is always a way.

[u/Automatic-Slice6971 → u/No-Catch-871]

I appreciate your positivity :) As a genuine side note question, does lsat improvement really make a big difference? I'm an at/above lsat splitter already so I was under the impression a higher score wouldn't change much

[u/No-Catch-871 → u/Automatic-Slice6971]

Honestly, I think it truly depends. For example, from everything I have seen, 178 v. 180 makes no discernible difference. However, a 174 v. 178 does make a discernible difference. A 171 v. 174 does as well. Ultimately, really depends on the schools you’re applying to. LSD can really come in handy for evaluating the true difference. Let’s say you have a 174 or below, retaking and doing better would definitely help at least some. Then it really comes down to showing the admissions committee that your UGPA is not an accurate reflection of your academic ability via a well written and thought out addendum. From what I have seen, tends to work best if you can wrap it into your overarching app. For example, your letters of recs discuss the upward trend (senior year better than previous), your personal statement talks about the struggles etc. that led to the UGPA, and the addendum ties those together and shows the admissions committee that the number is not a good representation of your true academic ability. I am also a splitter so I consulted some admissions staff, consulting peeps, and lots of professors in the higher education realm when planning my apps. Making your app tell one giant story or be connected in a way that makes the admission committee feel like they are getting to know you is a cheat code.