What if law school was free for pursuing students? One Indiana law school is doing just that. At just 2 years old, Indiana Tech Law School in Fort Wayne is going to waive its normal $30,000 tuition and fees for one full year to any student that enrolls this fall.
In this deal, students have to cover their room and board, but the rest of the tuition is covered by the school. In order to stay eligible for the offer, the students must maintain good standing academically regardless of their grades.
On the other hand, the offer does have a catch. Graduates of Indiana Tech Law may not be able to take the bar exam and become a practicing lawyer post-graduation. According to the school, the American Bar Association refused to grant Indiana Tech provisional accreditation for undisclosed reasons. A majority of states do not allow students to take the bar exam unless they graduate from an accredited law school recognized by the ABA.
When the school first opened, they had 60 law students enrolled, but it is unclear how many of those students will be returning. The dean, Charles P. Cercone, says that giving the students free tuition “demonstrates the commitment of the university and the board [of trustees], and the faith they have in the law school”. The dean is also confident that the ABA will give the school its accreditation next year, and they have made no promises of this to its current and prospective students.
Many people think this is a good way to motivate students to attend the newly created law school while the school works out its accreditation with the American Bar Association. With diminishing law school applications, hopefully this school will be able to motivate those to attend law school, and go on to become successful attorneys with less school debt.
What do you think of Indiana Tech Law School’s free tuition? Do you think the school will become accredited in the near future?