Ohio State has entered a partnership with New York test preparation company Princeton Review that will give all students and faculty discounts on test preparation courses for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

In exchange for a discount, Princeton Review advertises its partnership with OSU and uses classroom space on campus, said Peter Koltak, former Undergraduate Student Government president, in an e-mail.

The contract was signed April 16 by the Office of Business and Finance, and reduces the cost of MCAT courses by $750, said Heather LaDriere, executive director for Princeton Review in Columbus. The LSAT preparation courses were reduced by $350 for the Accelerated course and $450 for the Hyperlearning course.

The contract will hold the reduced prices through 2009.

The MCAT Hyperlearning course costs $1,199 for OSU students, LaDriere said. The LSAT Hyperlearning course now costs $949 and the LSAT Accelerated course costs $849.

LaDriere said that OSU students can also receive the discount over the summer when traveling home. Anywhere the Princeton Review prep courses are offered in Ohio, students can use their discount.

The university expects the contract to be renewed for 2010, Koltak said.

“It’s a good deal for everyone involved,” he said.

Princeton Review will also provide one full-tuition scholarship every time 25 OSU students enroll in a prep course.

The idea to collaborate with Princeton Review has been in discussion for about two years. After a survey revealed that students who were planning to take the MCAT or the LSAT were likely to take a preparatory course, USG got serious about finding a way to lower prices, Koltak said.

“This is exactly the type of program that USG is all about,” Koltak said. “It saves students money, costs the university next to nothing, and ideally opens up more opportunities for students.”

Students can enroll in test prep courses at princetonreview.com or usg.osu.edu/testprep.

In order to receive the discount, students and faculty must call Princeton Review at 800-2Review or visit the local office at 1313 W. Lane Ave., Suite A.

Allyson Simcox can be reached at [email protected].