01/26/07
Pre Law Deadlines: Financial Aid
As you probably know, attending law school can be an expensive endeavor. Applying for financial aid is an integral step in your law school application process. Below are a few resources to get you started (if you haven’t already!).
Iowa State University has a very good overview of the financial aid process for law schools. The Law School Admission Council also has an excellent Web site with video and guide to provide you with relevant information.
Please review these resources to ensure you are completing everything necessary in a timely and thorough manner.
Remember that the law school is your primary source of information for financial aid information!
Some good starting points (head to the step-by-step guide on LSAC for a more detailed account).
1) Apply for Federal Aid and fill-out the FAFSA form. Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to get started (this is a free application).
2) Prepare your tax returns as early as you can after the beginning of the new year.
3) Learn about the financial aid process at each law school you are applying to. They may have institutional aid forms or deadlines as well. You may have additional forms to complete, such as the CSS file or Need Access. Many schools have early deadlines so please visit their Web sites or contact their financial aid office for information!
4) Research private loans. You may need to obtain your credit report (LSAC has some good information about this.)
Additional Web site links as obtained from the LSAC resource:
www.aals.org
(Association of American Law Schools)
www.ed.gov
(U.S. Department of Education)
www.fafsa.ed.gov
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
www.finaid.org
(The Smart StudentTM Guide to Financial Aid)
www.nalp.org
(The Association for Legal Career Professionals)
www.equaljusticeworks.org
(formerly National Association for Public Interest Law)
