NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS: McCombs MBA Scholarship negotiations

MBA CONQUERORS ADVICE ON MCCOMBS SCHOLARSHIP NEGOTIATIONS

Yeah! Yeah! I know.... Recession is expected, Employment is at a low in the last 6 years and the idea of an MBA is frightening when you look at a $250k debt and no employment in the future- so much negativity, but there is still some positive in it. Take it from someone who really knows what it like to graduate and really have the pressure building up, having seen it for years now... there is still something in your hands to help manage the financial risk- Scholarship negotiations. Especially for International students, this is the one place you want to invest all your time and energy in because really, just a month of effort can reduce your debt by $50k-$100k, no jokes here! If you have a safety net, brilliant!! But if you can get the exact same degree for much less, why would you like to get ripped off? So advice is, don't be shy and ask for more. Schools won't penalize you for asking, whether they give you an increase or not. I did a poll last year and about 22% (avg across polls) of people chose, "I don't wish to negotiate because I believe I will have a negative impression on the school". While that is your prerogative, I still want to assure you that schools don't think less of people who strive to get more value for themselves. Now, all this unnecessary commentary aside, let's give you what you came for!


PRE-REQUISITES:
Please read the following post before going to the McCombs Negotiation to understand the basics of Negotiations (it is another general article I shared on GMAT Club about negotiations). There is another link that has connection to a lot of cases from McCombs and other schools that will help you understand that the Negotiation is not just about putting up competing offers against each other AND other misconceptions that can serve as a leverage for you before negotiating scholarship. Scholarship negotiations is as much a process in itself as MBA Applications! (I know!!)



After you have gone through the links above, you can read this (Or just read it, why do I even care trying to help, right? )-

Let's start with a congratulations! You have managed to get arguably the best University in Texas. And I am sure you have burnt yourself out over it. Here is the deal with McCombs as of March 2025 based on the behaviour seen from R1 this year-

McCombs Negotiates!!

Yes, unlike schools like NYU, Wharton, Ross (to some extent), and Kelley (this year), McCombs is not only open to negotiation but also has a dedicated portal where you will have to submit your appeal. But it is not so simple, if you have already read the links above, I am sure you would have already sent the email to consent for reconsideration already (If not, do it immediately- please follow the structure and instructions provided in the post above and don't disclose anything yet). Now, when it comes to appeal, your biggest asset is building leverage. As discussed in the cases and the post, leverage will be anything that can help you show merit and is something that can show a potential (merit based & logical) financial deficit between McCombs and other schools you have an offer from (we'll discuss this one in depth because this is unique to McCombs) Please don't beg for scholarship money, it doesn't work like that (or just do..... they will respectfully reject your appeal and you'd be sad again... despite the admit ).


WHAT ARE MERIT BASED FACTORS?
In simple words, this characteristic is unique to each candidate's profile and what they bring to the table but an easy way to understand this would be anything that can help schools in either of these things- 1. Ranking, 2. Prestige (Celebrity profiles) and 3. Higher brand Value (Very similar to prestige but minor difference- big brand names in companies, rare VC/PE Funds etc also account for brand value). You might think it is a crazy thought but majority of the students influence the schools rankings in many ways- through the parameters that go into it. It is up to you to find your X-Factor and sell accordingly- varies from school to school. Feel free to DM if you need help in this department.


MCCOMBS SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
McCombs negotiation is unique because unlike other negotiations where schools only consider the scholarship amount of the other schools, McCombs takes a holistic consideration (I know you are tired of hearing that word). But this is better because you get to demonstrate value. For example, Kelley and Foster Carlson have a overall tuition amount significantly lower than their peer schools. A $100k from these vs a $100k from other schools might still have a value difference of at least $40-$50k. McCombs leverages this factor in the negotiation as it commands a better value difference such as, MCOL City (Austin- Texas is a great place to live in with decent standard of living compared to many other HCOL areas in the US for a much lower cost (some people are a real piece of work but that is in many other states too): I can personally confirm this), lower tuition than some of the peer schools ($120k for non-residents over two years, compare that to $150k of USC Marshall- a peer school), and other such factors that help them make a logical case that they can easily have a overall Cost of attendance difference of $50k compared to peer schools. Other value difference lies in the balance- Tech + Consulting + Finance (and even niche like Real estate and healthcare). People who have broader goals such as, Plan A consulting, plan B tech; plan A- IB, Plan B FLDP/Corp finance; Plan A Big tech, Plan B startup etc, have to produce a compelling argument about how the other schools are providing higher value as McCombs location advantage in Texas helps it in many ways- even has a W-MBA that runs in Houston that many healthcare professionals use, a good dominant hand in Dallas' popular Y'all street (next best spot for IB), a decent startup ecosystem (3rd best imo (Can be wrong because there is Atlanta - could be 4th imo) after Silicon valley and NYC) and Texas consulting offices in Houston (O&G heavy), Dallas (Finserv heavy) and Austin (Tech heavy). Not to forget UT Austin is not even a lower ranked T20 anymore, almost touches T15 so that is another factor they'll use. All of these factors collectively serve as a major value differentiator McCombs uses in its negotiation. And yes, they will use this to explain the value difference to you of they are feeling generous or just reject your appeal.


NEXT STEPS
Considering all the things discussed above, the way to win through a value based leveraged negotiation will require you to show them that the value you bring to the table is higher than what they are providing. The next thing you might want to consider is- EGO. The schools will be greatly offended when you start demonstrating that others have better value than them. So, strike a balance between appreciating the other schools while making sure McCombs is your first choice school. (HINT: That cannot be done in those 300 word essay you are about to write for it) And last, get in touch with your peers from McCombs (unless you have been bound by some contract to not do so) who had the admit from R1 and R2 (Not to ask them for negotiation tactics, they are as clueless as you are rn) to get to know what the market value for different profiles is coming out to be- information is power. If they don't want to disclose it, that is alright but people do openly share such details on forums such as our community on GMAT Club. Polls, personal outreach, or just a general year over year idea can help you. There is enough money on the table for everyone so competing is a waste of time. Don't just maximize your share of the pie, create a bigger pie in the negotiation. The market is very volatile and anything can happen so manage your financial risk accordingly. And manage your expectations and confidence. The links shared above will help you understand the different cases so you can try harder to negotiate. The ways to build leverage for McCombs will be very different from what you will do for other schools (Yes, leverage can be built, if you had read the article I had attached above you'd have seen that).


In case of any queries or personal stuff my DMs are open but I hope this article helps you get an idea of how things work with McCombs. I have been helping people with this over the years but the negotiation style of McCombs is fairly unique while maintaining the similar standards for negotiation that can confuse a lot of people who think it looks the same- it isn't as you can see!

GOOD LUCK! CONGRATULATIONS!! DON'T LEAVE THE MONEY ON THE TABLE!!