AL-72 · Education Path & ROI

Law School Early Decision
EV Engine

Binding Early Decision trades an admission-probability boost (~10–20pp) for the right to negotiate scholarships against competing offers. This engine computes the expected value of both paths — ED to one target school vs. a Regular Decision portfolio — and puts a dollar figure on the negotiation leverage you forfeit by committing early. Splitters take note: below-both-medians applicants who get the biggest ED boost also forfeit the most leverage.

📊 LSAC 2024 median LSAT by school tier · NALP 2024 BigLaw salary data · ABA 509 data 2024 scholarship rates · LSAC ED policy survey 2024. All embedded.
🔒All inputs are processed locally in your browser. Nothing is transmitted, stored, or logged. Inputs disappear when you close the tab.
Your Profile & ED Target Inputs
170+ → T14 competitive · 165–169 → T15–30 strong · 160–164 → T31–50 · <160 → Regional
T14 median GPA: 3.7–3.96. Splitter status auto-derived below.
The single school where you'd apply binding ED
Schools at the ED target's tier you'd apply to under RD
Grad PLUS 2024–25: 9.08%
Full tuition ≈ $210–230k at T14 over 3 years
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Key Metrics
EV Breakdown — ED vs RD
Sensitivity — EV Gap Across ED Boost Assumptions
Analysis & Recommendations
Forfeiture Detail Run Tab 1 first

Run the EV analysis on Tab ① to populate the itemized forfeiture breakdown.

Expected RD Scholarship Distribution by Tier (3-yr totals, ABA 509 aggregates)

25th/50th/75th percentile conditional award sizes scaled from each tier's median discount rate; expected value weights by award probability for an at/above-median applicant. RD column adds the negotiation uplift available when holding peer offers.

Itemized Forfeiture — What Binding ED Costs You
Debt & Payment Impact at Graduation
Forfeiture Analysis
Sources & Citations
[1] ABA Required Disclosures (Standard 509) — 2024 scholarship/grant rates and conditional award aggregates by tier. abarequireddisclosures.org
[2] LSAC — binding Early Decision program policies and admit-rate differentials, 2024 cycle. lsac.org
[3] NALP — 2024 associate salary survey (BigLaw market scale $225,000). nalp.org
[4] LSAC 2024 median LSAT/GPA by school tier (T14 medians LSAT 171 / GPA 3.5+; T15–50 LSAT 167; Regional LSAT 155).
[5] Published full-tuition ED guarantee programs (e.g., NYU Law ED scholarship, UChicago early-commitment awards) — verify current terms with each school.