Financial Aid for Law School
The single best source of information about financing a legal education is the financial aid office (or the website) of any
LSAC-member law school 
. The financial aid office at each school can provide information about how students at that particular institution typically finance their law school education. Information about private scholarships, application procedures, and alternative loan sources is available through the Internet. This site provides links to many law schools as well as to several good sources of financial aid information.
The cost of a three-year law school education could exceed $150,000. Tuition alone can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000 a year. When calculating the total cost of attending law school, you also have to include the cost of housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Law schools will determine the student expense budget for you. Today, approximately 80 percent of law school students rely on education loans as their primary, but not exclusive, source of financial aid for law school. Loans from governmental and private sources at low and moderate interest rates are available to qualified students. Both federal and private loans are based on the law school's estimate of your need and the overall cost of attendance. Credit history is a factor for private loans. Students must have excellent credit to be approved for most private loans. Typically, the lowest interest rates are associated with federal loans; private education loans are available at higher rates. Institutional loans may be available from the school. Scholarships, grants, and fellowships exist, but are limited. Some students are offered part-time employment through the federal work-study program in their second and third year of law school. First-year students are expected to concentrate fully on schoolwork. Additional information is available from the law school financial aid office.
