Dear All,

I've been receiving several unsolicited "Application Fee Waivers" from CRS at LSAC. Even though I already applied to the law schools I want to attend, it came to my attention the type of universities that were sending me such waivers, since they are all T-20 and even one Ivy League, being specifically Cornell, Emory, Vanderblit, USC, and considered applying as a safety.

I did my fair research first concerning previous cycles in which universities delivered such waivers and read the opinions and rate of acceptance/rejection of such recipients (I would not be applying to some of the best law schools in the USA if I didn't) and I found two different postures ([Disclaimer] This applies to both JD and LL.M):

1. NEGATIVE POSTURES:

A. First Source: Inside the Law School Scam
http://insidethelawschoolscam.blogspot.mx/2012/05/step-right-up-ladies-and-gentlemen.html

Discussing receiving a waiver from Columbia:
"What's interesting about this is that many of the people who are getting this solicitation have quite literally zero chance of being admitted. One person who got it had a 2.7 GPA and a 161 LSAT."

"It appears CLS has an institutional policy of sending out an enormous number of application fee waivers immediately before the school's application deadline to people who have no chance of admission, but who will, if they can be induced to take the time to apply and pay the LSAC reporting fee of $16 (formerly $12), then be counted as applicants by the school for the purpose of lowering its acceptance ratio (which is part of the USNWR ranking)."

B. Guide to Fee Waivers - FAQ
http://www.top-law-schools.com/guide-to-fee-waivers.html

""I received an unsolicited fee waiver from School X encouraging me to apply does this mean I have a higher chance of admission?"

The response by law schools is generally no, ... Certain schools, such as The University of Michigan and Duke University cite higher acceptance rates for applicants who receive fee waivers. Many others annually reject a number of fee waiver recipients. ...Two major reasons underlying such rejections:

Selectivity boost: ...By issuing fee waivers to candidates unlikely to gain admission, based on their LSAT and GPA, schools can boost their number of rejected applicants, thus increasing their selectivity...

Yield Protection: occasionally overqualified candidates who receive fee waivers due to their impressive statistics can be rejected or waitlisted as well ... schools are concerned with matriculation ... some schools will waitlist or occasionally reject candidates whose statistics suggest that they will most likely be accepted at and choose to attend schools of higher rank or prestige."

C. Third Source: LLM-Guide Forum - CRS Waiver
http://www.llm-guide.com/board/115760

This used received a fee waiver, applied and got rejected.

"Decision: Waitlisted (5/14/12) "There's still hope..."
Rejected (August 2012).
Re-applied for the 2013 LLM Program"

2. POSITIVE POSTURES:

A. First Source: Law School Discussion - Result of CRS Fee Waivers decisions
http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/index.php?topic=77974.40

Accepted - 65 (50.4%)
Waitlisted - 10 (7.8%)
Deferred - 11 (8.5%)
Rejected - 7 (5.4%)
Access Results - 36 (27.9%)
Total Members Voted: 104

Some of them even note: "Fee waivers from NYU, Michigan, Virginia, Northwestern, Columbia, Vanderbilt and Duke. Accepted to all. Money from Michigan, Virginia, Vanderbilt and Duke. NYU and Columbia $ is still pending. Nothing from Northwestern."

"My fee waiver results:
Accepted: NYU, Notre Dame, Cornell, Cardozo, Duke, WUSTL
Deferred: Northwestern (withdrew)
Waitlisted: Michigan"

B. Second Source: Top-Law-Schools: Application Fee Waived: What does it mean?
http://www.top-law-schools.com/archives/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=40054

"Schools hand out fee waivers of this sort to serve their own interests. Their interests can be, but are not necessarily in concert with our interests. Schools give fee waivers to potential applicants who fit demographics they feel will enhance their applicant pool. The catch is that one way an application can enhance their applicant pool is by being rejected ... Other demographic info can also trigger fee waivers, such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, or geography."

"In other words, getting a fee waiver is great if you are interested in applying to the school, but it doesn't necessarily offer any predictive insight to your chances."

3. Third Source: College Confidential: Does it mean anything to get an application fee waiver: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/1659262-does-it-mean-anything-to-get-an-application-fee-waiver.html

THIS IS FOR AN MBA STUDENT BUT THEY HAVE A LOGICAL EXPLANATION:

"We sent out a small number (four digits) of these fee waivers to highly qualified students who we thought, based on the best information we have, might be eligible for fee waivers ... we mail things to people because we think they are comparatively good applicants for MIT, but Mikayle is correct that we do this much less than peer institutions ... We don't need or want more applications as such; we want applications from students who are good applicants to MIT."

"... this lets students of moderate means apply to a few more colleges than they otherwise might, given the cost. This increases the odds that the students will wind up going to colleges where they match well. It should also help to increase the economic diversity of the students at many colleges."

SO, after reviewing the above, I have mixed feelings; at first I was excited schools like Cornell or Vanderblit had both send me more than 5 e-mails, two including the offering of a fee waiver, Cornell even personalizing it: P.S. Were even waiving our application fee in your case. So why not give us a try?, but after giving it a second look I also interpreted: Just apply, it wont be significant on your budget, but significant in our rankings if we reject you. Also, Ive received so many e-mails from SUNY Im scared, considering I only applied to T-10 schools, and I was thinking Cornell could be my safe. Lets consider that for JDs they wait for their LSAT and in case of the LLM applicants they receive your transcripts, CV (which is significantly important) and TOEFL.

So my request for you, fellow members, is if you could let me know:

a. Have you received any waivers from CRS, and if you have, from which universities?
b. Do you believe they are above or beyond your league?
c. Have you heard about previous applicants that have received a fee waiver and in case you did, which was their outcome?
d. Further sources will be gladly appreciated.

I didn't found a specific topic or forum that profoundly discussed this subject, so I believe if we work together we could provide a good analysis for future applicants and even help each other understand what this means, and if we really got a chance of getting into this schools or even better, into higher ranked schools.

Regards

yawn. This is a well known way to improve selectivity, that's all. I'd straightaway reject a law school that sent me such a 'waiver'.

look at the solicitation language

"Our students tell us they are attracted to Cornell by:

- Our beautiful location in Ithaca, New York

- Our affiliation with an outstanding Ivy-League university"

[Academics etc. come later]

Seriously? Beautiful location and mention if 'ivy league' on top of the list!? I dunno who is a bigger fool, Cornell or the applicant who decides to pursue this "waiver".

look at the solicitation language:

"Our students tell us they are attracted to Cornell by:

- Our beautiful location in Ithaca, New York

- Our affiliation with an outstanding Ivy-League university"

[Academics etc. come later]

Seriously? Beautiful location and mention if 'ivy league' on top of the list!? I dunno who is a bigger fool, Cornell or the applicant who decides to pursue this "waiver".