Financing Law School

Law school tuition vary depending on university ranking, public, private, or out of state programs. 

Financial Aid Overview 

Most law students are unable to pay for law school out of pocket. There are three main ways of funding your legal education: Scholarships/Grants, Federal Loans, and Private loans. There are several different forms of financial aid given by a law school: Need-based, merit based, criteria based. Check out the LSAC financial aid pages for more information

 Law School Scholarship/Financial Aid Negotiations 

Follow the links below for tips and tricks on how to negotiate your financial aid offer:

• US News & World Report: How to Negotiate Law School Financial Aid
• Pre-Law Guru Blog: How to Negotiate Scholarship Offers

Private Scholarships - Many independent companies and organizations offer private scholarships you can apply for. Admissions Dean has a large scholarship database specifically for students considering Law School. 

Undocumented Student (DACA)Scholarships - Educators for Fair Consideration offer scholarship lists including any related to Law School.

 Loans

• Federal Loans; there are several options of federal student loans that you have probably experienced within your undergraduate career. 
  • Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan: loans fixed at 6.8%, unlike subsidized loans (which are not offered to law students) interest begins accuring once it has been dispersed. Repayment doesn't begin until 6 months after graduation.
  • Graduate Plus Loans: Loans eligible to graduate students with good credit, if you have bad credit you can apply with an endorser who has good credit. These loans are fixed at 7.9% and interest begin accuring once it has been dispersed. Repayment can be deffered to begin 6 months after graduation. 
• Private; If you are ineligible for federal loans, or they do not cover all of your expenses, private loans are available through various institutions. Many banking instutions offer student loan options for borrowers. Research loan options and compare interest rates and repayment methods to find the perfect loan for you. 

Federal Financial Aid

• Work-Study: Work study is a program that provides funding for full-time students to work part time during the school year and full time during the summer months. Students sometimes work on campus in a variety of settings or in off-campus nonprofit agencies. ABA standards limit a law student’s paid employment to no more than 20 hours per week. Additional information is available from participating law school financial aid offices. Not all schools participate in the Federal Work-Study Program. (From LSAC.org)
• Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): PSLF forgives your remaining balance of your Direct Loans (federal loans under the Wiliam D. Ford Direct Loan Program) after making 120 qualifying loan payments while working full-time under for a qualifying employer. Qualifying employers include: government organizations at any level, qualifying tax excempt non-profit organization, and other non-profit organizations that provide certain types of qualifying public services. To learn more about the PSLF program please follow this link.    

Visit the Law School Admission Council to learn more about financing law school here.