What To Look For In a Civil Rights Law Program

This Law School Just Cut Tuition By 17%

As tuition continues to climb at a number of universities, it seems one law school has taken the opposite path.
University of South Carolina’s School of Law announced recently that it will be cutting tuition for in-state students by nearly 17.3%, or $5,100, after the public law school received more cash from state lawmakers in an attempt to make the school more attractive to applicants, The State reports.
“We’ve been losing some very good students to out-of-state laws schools because of the cost,” USC School of Law Dean Robert Wilcox tells The State. “When you go to school out of state, the odds increase dramatically that you will stay out of state for your career. This will keep more good students in South Carolina.”
INCREASED FUNDING
USC School of Law got a big chunk of cash after the South Carolina General Assembly made the decision to increase funding towards public colleges as a whole.
For USC law students, that’s great news. Tuition at the law school, $29,608, has historically been higher than neighboring schools.
At the University of North Carolina School of Law, tuition price stands at $24,172. At the University of Georgia School of Law, the number is $17,604.
With the increased funding, in-state law students at USC School of Law can expect to pay roughly $24,472 for the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the law school’s website.
CHANGING TIMES
House budget committee chairman Murrell Smith was one of the proponents for lowering the tuition at USC’s law school.
With his direction, S.C. lawmakers were able to increase the state spending on the University of South Carolina by roughly $8 million in an effort to specifically lower tuition at the law school.
Smith, who graduated from the law school in 1993, recalls paying less than $2,000 a semester.
“I literally could (work as a law) clerk during the school year and summer and pay my law school tuition,” Smith tells The State. “I know those days are gone, but … we’re not doing our young people any favors by leaving them with enormous debt.”
Sources: The State, University of South Carolina

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.