The University of Cincinatti School of Law, a second tier public institution, is apparently quite desperate to recruit high caliber students. According to an email sent out a short while back, the admissions office is offering tips on obtaining residency status and saving money…
The cost of a legal education today has come under scrutiny in recent months due in part to the poor economy forcing many to evaluate their personal finances more closely than ever.
… the University of Cincinnati College of Law wants you to be aware of a unique tuition discount available to our incoming law students … the GMR.
In 2009-2010 the GMR has enabled out-of-state residents to move to Northern Kentucky (just south of downtown Cincinnati across the Ohio River) anytime before the first day of class and pay tuition equal to in-state tuition plus a $240 annual surcharge.
This meant our first year students who moved to Northern Kentucky and applied for the GMR were paying $20,182 in tuition/fees instead of the non-Ohio resident tuition/fees rate of $34,776 – a savings of $14,594 in the first year of law school alone.
So, how does one qualify for this GMR you may wonder? Here is an example:
Janie Law from Colorado visits Cincinnati in June and finds a nice apartment in one of the 28 GMR qualifying counties in Northern Kentucky. She signs a lease with her landlord which enables her to move in on August 1. After the long drive from the Rockies, Janie unpacks and makes a few trips to Ikea in the northern suburbs to help furnish her new place. On August 5, she makes her way to the nearest Kentucky DMV office where she obtains her Kentucky driver’s license. She then goes online and prints out the GMR Application, which she then drops off along ! with a copy of her new license to the University Registrar’s Office 10 days before class begins. Now Janie is done and can enjoy her first year of law school, having saved thousands.
It is refreshing to see that at least one law school is recognizing the exorbitant cost of a legal education and actively offering ways to reduce expenses. This is sharp contrast to places like Indiana University which doesn’t even offer a streamlined process for acquiring residency and resulting reduction in tuition rates.
