Grant Program Overview
Between 2015 and 2021, AIR operated the AccessLex Institute/AIR Research and Dissertation Fellows Program. It was a partnership between AccessLex Institute and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), designed to promote scholarship on issues related to access, affordability, and the value of graduate and professional education. Preference is given to proposals focusing on diversity in legal education or the profession; the bar exam; or graduate and professional school finance, student aid, or financial education.
In addition, proposals utilizing regional, national, or multi-institutional datasets were encouraged. Single institution research proposals that were designed to yield findings that are scalable and replicable were also accepted. Researchers could analyze pre-existing data or include the construction of a new dataset in their proposal. Membership to AccessLex Institute or AIR was not required for grant eligibility.
Two levels of grants were available to support year-long research projects for recipients affiliated with a non-profit U.S. postsecondary institution or relevant higher education organization.
- $50,000 Research Grants: Research grants of up $50,000 were available to faculty, practitioners, and scholars.
- $25,000 Dissertation Grants: Dissertation grants of up to $25,000 were available to doctoral students to support dissertation research and writing under the guidance of a faculty dissertation advisor.
The links below contain information about the funded Research Grants and Dissertation Grants for the years 2015–2021.
2020-2021 Grant Recipients
Funded Research Grants
Principal Investigator: Nicholas Bowman
Institution: University of Iowa
Award Amount: $49,712
Proposal: Promoting the Representation and Success of Students from Minoritized Racial Groups at U.S. Law Schools
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): Enrollment of Racially Minoritized Law School Students
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2):
Promoting Graduation Outcomes for Racially Minoritized Law School Students: Examining the Role of Finances, Racial Representation, and Prestige
Principal Investigator: Willis Jones
Institution: University of South Florida
Award Amount: $50,000
Proposal: Examining the determination, consistency, and variation of law school cost of living estimations
Final Report (Scholarly Paper):
Examining the Determination, Consistency, and Variation of Law School Cost of Living Estimates
Principal Investigator: Kelly Rosinger
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Award Amount: $50,000
Proposal: Exploring the Impact of LSAT-Optional Admissions on Law School Diversity and Selectivity
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Exploring the Impact of Test-Flexible Admissions on Law School Diversity and Selectivity
Principal Investigator: Krista Soria
Institution: University of Minnesota
Award Amount: $49,794
Proposal: The Role Financial Factors in Graduate, Professional, and Law Students’ Mental Health, Time to Degree, and Career Interests
Final
Report (Scholarly Paper): Factors Associated with Graduate and Professional Students’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Funded Dissertation Grant
Principal Investigator: Chad Losee
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Award Amount: $25,000
Proposal: Barriers to Access at Highly Selective MBA Programs
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Access to Graduate School: A Quantitative Study of Interest in Selective MBA Programs
AccessLex Institute Awards Nearly $225,000 in Grants
Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2020) - AccessLex Institute and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) have announced the winners of nearly $225,000 in grants awarded through their annual Research and Dissertation F...
Read Moreabout: AccessLex Institute Awards Nearly $225,000 in Grants
2018-2019 Grant Recipients
Funded Research Grants
Principal Investigator: Andrés Castro Samayoa
Institution: Boston College
Award Amount: $49,978
Proposal: What's it all for? Exploring how Latinx Students and University Officials at Differently-ranked Law Schools Articulate Legal Education's Value through Normative Case Studies
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Value of Legal Education as a Continuum of Personal & Collective Gains: Insights from Administrators & Latinx Students across Differently-Ranked Law Schools
Principal Investigator: Jaekyung Lee
Institution: University at Buffalo
Award Amount: $49,925
Proposal: Academic and Sociocultural Readiness for Postgraduate Education among Immigrant and International Students: Promoting Equal Access and Success in Graduate/Professional Schools
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Immigrant and International College Students’ Learning Gaps: Academic and Sociocultural Readiness for Career and Graduate/Professional Education
Principal Investigator: Louis Rocconi
Institution: University of Tennessee
Award Amount: $50,000
Proposal: Examining the Relationship between Law School Rank and Student Engagement
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Examining the Relationship between Law School Rank and Student Engagement
Funded Dissertation Grant
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Bodamer
Institution: Indiana University
Award Amount: $24,600
Proposal: The Balancing Act: The Law School Experience of Minority Students
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Do I Belong at This Law School? How Perceived Experiences of Bias, Stereotype Concerns, and Social Capital Influence Law Students’ Sense of Belonging ;
Nearly $175K in Grants Awarded
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners for 2018-2019
Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2019) - AccessLex Institute and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) have announced the winne...
Read Moreabout: Nearly $175K in Grants Awarded
2017-2018 Grant Recipients
Funded Research Grants
Principal Investigator: Andrea Curcio
Institution: Georgia State University
Award Amount: $50,000.00
Proposal: Reducing Over-Reliance on the LSAT in Admissions Decisions: Examining Correlations Between the LSAT, Lawyering Skills and Pro Bono Work
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): Measuring Law Student Success from Admissions Through Bar Passage: More Data the Bench, Bar and Academy Need to Know
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2): A Preliminary Study Looking Beyond LSAT and LGPA: Factors During the Bar Study Period That May Affect Bar Exam Passage
Principal Investigator: Kevin Escudero
Institution: Brown University
Award Amount: $50,000.00
Proposal: "Education, Not Deportation": Undocumented Law and Medical Students' Pursuit of Graduate Education
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Education, Not Deportation”: A Pilot Study of Undocumented Student Experiences in Law and Medical Degree Programs
Principal Investigator: Frank Fernandez
Institution: University of Houston
Award Amount: $46,722.00
Proposal: Examining Gender and Race Intersectionality in Public Law School Admissions and Enrollment – A Multi Institutional Analysis
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Examining Gender and Race Intersectionality in Public Law School Admissions and Enrollment: A Multi-Institutional Analysis
Principal Investigator: Ryan Wells
Institution: University of Massachusetts
Amherst
Award Amount: $49,816.00
Proposal: Graduate and Professional Education for Students with Disabilities: Examining Access to STEM, Medical, and Legal Fields
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Graduate and Professional Education for Students with Disabilities: Examining Access to STEM, Legal, and Health Fields in the United States
Principal Investigator: Liang Zhang
Institution: New York University
Award Amount: $49,973.00
Proposal: Veterans Going to Graduate School: Evaluating the Impact of the Post-9/11 GI Bill on Graduate School Enrollment
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): Evaluating the Impact of the Post-9/11 GI Bill on Veterans’ Graduate School Enrollment
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2): Aspirations and Decisions to Enroll in Graduate Programs: A Literature Review of Contributing Factors
Funded Dissertation Grant
Principal Investigator: Ya-Chi Hung
Institution: The Pennsylvania State University
Award Amount: $25,000.00
Proposal: Diversifying Graduate Education: The Need to First Understand What Contributes to Graduate Degree Aspiration Changes During College
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Diversifying Graduate Education: The Need to First Understand What Contributes to Graduate Degree Aspiration Changes During College
More than $270K in New Grants Awarded
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AccessLex Institute Announces Grant Winners
Washington, D.C. (March 20, 2018) - AccessLex Institute and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) have announced the winners of more than $2...
Read Moreabout: More than $270K in New Grants Awarded
2016-2017 Grant Recipients
Press Release: More than $330,000 in New Grants Awarded to Promote Research on Graduate and Professional Education
Funded Research Grants
Principal Investigator: Amy FarleyInstitution: University of Cincinnati
Award Amount: $50,000.00
Proposal: Law Student Success and Supports: Examining Bar Passage and Factors that Contribute to Student Performance
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Law Student Success and Supports: Examining Bar Passage and Factors that Contribute to Student Performance
Principal Investigator: Robert Kelchen
Institution: Seton Hall University
Award Amount: $32,322.00
Proposal : Response to Federal Loan Policy Changes: Examination of the Bennett Hypothesis in Professional School Prices
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): An Empirical Examination of the Bennett Hypothesis in Law School Prices
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2): Does the Bennett Hypothesis Hold in Professional Education? An Empirical Analysis
Principal Investigator: Amy Li
Institution: University of Northern Colorado
Award Amount: $49,423.00
Proposal: Dollars and Sense: Student Price Sensitivity to Law School Tuition Costs
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): Dollars and Sense: Student Price Sensitivity to Law School Tuition
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2): Law School Prices and the Enrollment of Students from Different Racial Backgrounds
Principal Investigator: Hironao Okahana
Organization: Council of Graduate Schools
Award Amount: $49,851.30
Proposal: A place in between: An event history analysis of graduate & professional education without a degree attainment and its implications
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Implications of Attrition from Graduate Education to Labor Market Outcomes
Principal Investigator: Erdal Tekin
Institution: American University
Award Amount: $50,000.00
Proposal: The Relative Efficacy of Adjunct Faculty in Law School Classrooms
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Impact of Instructor Rank on Required First-year Law Course Outcomes
Principal Investigator: Xueli Wang
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Award Amount: $49,999.95
Proposal: The Role of Community College Attendance in Shaping Baccalaureate Recipients' Access to Graduate and Professional Education
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Role of Community College Attendance in Shaping Baccalaureate Recipients’ Access to Graduate and Professional Education
Principal Investigator: Gregory Wolniak
Institution: New York University
Award Amount: $49,862.00
Proposal: Strengthening the Graduate Education Pipeline through Diversity: Examining Factors that Influence Aspirations, Enrollment, and Completion
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Examining Sex and Ethnoracial Differences in Graduate School Enrollment
2015-2016 Grant Recipients
Press Release: More than $300,000 in New Grants Awarded to Promote Research on Graduate and Professional Education
Funded Research Grants
Principal Investigator: Manuel Gonzalez Canche
Institution: University of Georgia
Award Amount: $49,996.88
Proposal: Estimating the Effect of Losing the Federal Loan Subsidy on Debt Accumulation for Law and Professional Students in the United States: Evidence From a Natural Experiment
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 1): Borrowing Smarter or Borrowing More? Investigating the Effects of a Natural Experiment in
Federal Loan Policy
Final Report (Scholarly Paper 2): Estimating the Effect of Losing the Federal Loan Subsidy on Debt Accumulation for Law and Professional Students in the United States: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
Principal Investigator:
Stephen DesJardins
Institution: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Award Amount: $49,949.00
Proposal: Predicting Law School Admissions and Enrollment
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Predicting Law School Enrollment: The Strategic Use of Financial Aid to Craft a Class
Principal Investigator: Seth Gershenson
Institution: American University
Award Amount: $49,126.80
Proposal: A Law School Instructor Like Me: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Dynamics in Law School Classrooms
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Effects of Demographic Mismatch in an Elite Professional School Setting
Principal Investigator:
Dennis Kramer
Institution: University of Florida
Award Amount: $46,693.00
Proposal: Examining the Impact of Need-Based Aid Programs on the Graduate and Professional School Enrollment of Low-Income Students: A National and Institutional Analysis
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): More Money, More Opportunities: The Impact of a No-Loan Program on the Post-Baccalaureate Enrollment Decisions of Low-Income and First-Generation Students
Principal Investigator: Karen Webber
Institution: University of Georgia
Award Amount: $49,508.08
Proposal:
The Rising Tide of Graduate Student Debt: Examining Change from 2008 to 2012
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Rising Tide of Graduate Student Debt: Evidence of Change 2008 to 2012
Principal Investigator: Yonghong Xu
Institution: University of Memphis
Award Amount: $50,000.00
Proposal:
Diversity in Law Schools and Legal Profession: A Theoretically Guided Inquiry about Gender and Racial Differences in Persistence and Valuation
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): Equality at the Starting Line? Gender- and Race-Based Differences at the Transition from Law School to the Legal Profession
Funded Dissertation Grant
Principal Investigator: Nayoung RimInstitution: University of Chicago
Award Amount: $12,398.00
Proposal: The Effect of Title IX on Gender Disparity in Graduate Education
Final Report (Scholarly Paper): The Effect of Title IX on Gender Disparity in Graduate Education
About the Partnership
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is a global association that empowers higher education professionals at all levels to utilize data, analytics, information, and evidence to make decisions and take actions that benefit students and institutions and improve higher education.
Since 1983, AccessLex Institute has continually evolved to meet the ever-changing challenges and needs of the law students and institutions that we serve. We are steadfast in our commitment to inform students of the economic realities of law school without limiting their aspirations. We conduct and commission research to illuminate the latest data and evidence on the most critical issues facing legal education today. And we are resolute in our appeal to policymakers and influencers to take actions that make legal education work better for both students and society at large. As a nonprofit organization underpinned by nearly 200 American Bar Association-approved nonprofit and state-affiliated law schools, we are intently dedicated to the betterment of legal education. AccessLex Institute has offices in West Chester, PA, and Washington, D.C., with a team of accredited financial education counselors based throughout the United States. We currently have more than $650 million in total net assets.