4 ms·

When UC Irvine launched its law school, they made tuition free for the first graduating class (and perhaps gave discounts to the next couple years — I can't rem

When UC Irvine launched its law school, they made tuition free for the first graduating class (and perhaps gave discounts to the next couple years — I can't remember). They are now ranked #35 in the USNWR, which is pretty good for a school that's about a dozen years old. My guess is that having free tuition for all students forever will have a much bigger impact. I believe Princeton's policy school is similarly endowed, [1] and it's basically the top choice for anyone getting an MPP. Of course, it also has the prestige of Princeton associated with it; I could imagine some student choosing Harvard over this school, which doesn't currently have the same name recognition/prestige. But surely that will grow as a result of this announcement! 1: https://spia.princeton.edu/blogs/we-fully-fund-all-students-spia-free-princeton-possible https://spia.princeton.edu/blogs/we-fully-fund-all-students-...

wrs 3y ago
Irvine did that as an enticement to attract students for the first years, because the school couldn’t be accredited until the first class graduated. So the folks who enrolled for the first three years were taking a risk.
- gnicholas 3y ago
  True, though with the faculty they lined up (including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky), there wasn't much risk of it not being accredited.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    A degree from an unaccredited college/university is not as worthless as you might think; in fact, if the education is at least middling, it can be quite a steal. Hard to find them, however, that aren't just scams.
    - gnicholas 3y ago
      In CA, you don't even need to attend an accredited law school to become a lawyer! There are some additional hoops you have to jump through, but at the end you can take the bar just like anyone else. However, if you wish to ever practice outside of CA, there is zero reciprocity (except DC) so you are treated as if you never went to law school.
      - memco 3y ago
        Some states do have a way to become barred without starting from zero if you are barred in CA. For example in WA you still have to take a test, but it isn't a full three-day bar exam.
        gnicholas 3y ago
        Oh cool — do you know where to find info on which states offer this?
      - bombcar 3y ago
        And WI lets you practice law with only a degree (diploma privilege) so I think (somehow) there must be a way to go to school in WI and be a lawyer in WI and CA .... ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_privilege https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_privilege
      - yumraj 3y ago
        So you’re saying that Mike would have been just fine had Suits been based in CA?
        gnicholas 3y ago
        He definitely would have had a path to apprentice, pass the bar, and then practice law. Lying about being an HLS grad would have presented some challenges for his character-and-fitness assessment by the bar, if he had tried to go that route first.
      - tobinfricke 3y ago
        You don't have to attend an _accredited_ law school, but it looks like there is no escaping studying in a formal capacity for 3-4 years: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Requirements/Education https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Requirements/Education
  - wrs 3y ago
    Yes, it ended up being a pretty good deal for the first students! They recruited some great people from all over (including a couple of my friends, which explains my unlikely knowledge of any of this…).
acchow 3y ago
A new medical school in coastal California was bound to attract talent, in staff and students.
- gnicholas 3y ago
  There are plenty of lower-ranked schools in CA, including several unaccredited ones. UC Irvine SoL leapfrogged all of them, partly because UC tuition is lower than privates. But being located in SoCal isn't a guaranteed of top talent — just ask University of San Diego SoL (#78) or Southwestern SoL (#141).
pyuser583 3y ago
It’s common for new colleges to offer free tuition. In order to be accredited, you need to show you can produce a decent class of students. But how do you get the students if you’re not accredited? Free tuition. The accreditation can be retroactive, so they might be getting an accredited degree for free. I don’t know if this was the case at UC Irvine Law School.

wrs 3y ago

Irvine did that as an enticement to attract students for the first years, because the school couldn’t be accredited until the first class graduated. So the folks who enrolled for the first three years were taking a risk.

gnicholas 3y ago
True, though with the faculty they lined up (including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky), there wasn't much risk of it not being accredited.
- bombcar 3y ago
  A degree from an unaccredited college/university is not as worthless as you might think; in fact, if the education is at least middling, it can be quite a steal. Hard to find them, however, that aren't just scams.
  - gnicholas 3y ago
    In CA, you don't even need to attend an accredited law school to become a lawyer! There are some additional hoops you have to jump through, but at the end you can take the bar just like anyone else. However, if you wish to ever practice outside of CA, there is zero reciprocity (except DC) so you are treated as if you never went to law school.
    - memco 3y ago
      Some states do have a way to become barred without starting from zero if you are barred in CA. For example in WA you still have to take a test, but it isn't a full three-day bar exam.
      - gnicholas 3y ago
        Oh cool — do you know where to find info on which states offer this?
    - bombcar 3y ago
      And WI lets you practice law with only a degree (diploma privilege) so I think (somehow) there must be a way to go to school in WI and be a lawyer in WI and CA .... ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_privilege https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_privilege
    - yumraj 3y ago
      So you’re saying that Mike would have been just fine had Suits been based in CA?
      - gnicholas 3y ago
        He definitely would have had a path to apprentice, pass the bar, and then practice law. Lying about being an HLS grad would have presented some challenges for his character-and-fitness assessment by the bar, if he had tried to go that route first.
    - tobinfricke 3y ago
      You don't have to attend an _accredited_ law school, but it looks like there is no escaping studying in a formal capacity for 3-4 years: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Requirements/Education https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Requirements/Education
- wrs 3y ago
  Yes, it ended up being a pretty good deal for the first students! They recruited some great people from all over (including a couple of my friends, which explains my unlikely knowledge of any of this…).

acchow 3y ago

A new medical school in coastal California was bound to attract talent, in staff and students.

gnicholas 3y ago
There are plenty of lower-ranked schools in CA, including several unaccredited ones. UC Irvine SoL leapfrogged all of them, partly because UC tuition is lower than privates. But being located in SoCal isn't a guaranteed of top talent — just ask University of San Diego SoL (#78) or Southwestern SoL (#141).

pyuser583 3y ago

It’s common for new colleges to offer free tuition. In order to be accredited, you need to show you can produce a decent class of students. But how do you get the students if you’re not accredited? Free tuition. The accreditation can be retroactive, so they might be getting an accredited degree for free. I don’t know if this was the case at UC Irvine Law School.