The Financial Aid Office is here to assist you with understanding and obtaining Financial Aid. Below, we have provided an explanation of each award, along with eligibility, application procedures and deadlines. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.
Three types of financial aid are available to students attending UCLA School of Law:
- Grants and Scholarships—Aid that does not have to be repaid; may be used to pay living expenses. (Includes Need Access Grant, Scholarships and Fellowships)
- Earned Aid—Job opportunities for students wishing to reduce loan indebtedness. (Includes Teaching Assistantships)
- Educational Loans—Aid that does have to be repaid. (Includes Federal, Private and BAR Loans)
FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a government form which enables the school to determine students' eligibility for federal loans (Perkins, Direct Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS), as well as work-study. The FAFSA must be completed each year by all who wish to be considered for federal financial aid at UCLA.
Completing the FAFSA online reduces errors and improves turn-around time. You can do this by going to
fafsa.ed.gov. Request that a copy of the FAFSA be released to UCLA by indicating our school code: 001315.
Deadline: The FAFSA should be submitted as early as possible after
January 1 and prior to March 2. Applications filed after March 2 will be accepted, however processed without consideration for the federal Perkins loan.
NEED ACCESS GRANTS
UCLA School of Law’s generous need-based grant program provides significant assistance to students with financial need. Under this program, students may qualify for amounts ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 -- protecting students with the greatest need from having to assume still larger burdens.
Our grant awarding process takes into account both a student's and his or her parents' financial resources. In order to help the law school’s Financial Aid Office estimate the likely contribution parents may make, students complete an online application that collects data about the family profile. Some of the variables include, among other things, family size, assets, income, and number of siblings in college. The total amount of grant aid varies from student to student, and all students reapply each year for consideration.
Students must provide parents information on the Need Access application unless they fall in one of the following categories:
- Student is 30 years of age or older at the beginning of the academic year for which he/she is applying
- Student can provide documentation that nobody has claimed him/her on their tax returns for the last seven years
- Student has a dependent other than a spouse (i.e., a child)
- Student is a veteran
- Student was considered as an independent by his/her undergraduate institution through dependency override, however not based on age or marital status. Documentation required.
Students who do not fit the above criteria and do not provide parents information will not be considered for need-based grant award.
For online application please visit needaccess.org.
Deadline: The Need Access grant application must be submitted by March 2. You can anticipate the notification of grant awards in July. Your FAFSA application must be filed if you are seeking consideration for the need-based grant.
If the figures included on your Need Access application are only estimates at the time the application is submitted, you must update your application at www.NeedAccess.org once you and/or your parents have completed your 2012 Federal Tax Return(s), however no later than May 1, 2013. Need Access applications that do not reflect the actual 2012 federal income tax figures after May 1, 2013 will not be considered for the need-based grant. Please do not submit copies of your tax returns to the Law Financial Aid Office unless you are explicitly instructed to do so. Unsolicited copies of income tax returns will be shredded for security purposes.
SCHOLARSHIPS
This donor-supported program consists of numerous endowments and scholarships funded by UCLA School of Law alumni, and friends, as well as law firms in our community. In order to be considered for any of these scholarships, please fill out the
Departmental Scholarship Application. The Financial Aid office will notify you of your eligibility for any available scholarships.
Deadline: Friday, March 1 for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year.
NON-UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
A number of students each year receive non-university scholarships from a variety of organizations, agencies, companies, and private individuals; these are not administered by UCLA School of Law. Criteria may include academic achievement, special talent, and leadership ability, or group affiliation. UCLA School of Law makes information available to students concerning outside scholarships opportunities as it becomes available.
You can also visit
useful links page to gain access to outside scholarship search engines.
FELLOWSHIPS
Each fall, the UCLA Graduate Division announces “special” fellowships that are made possible through generous endowments for professional and graduate students and are open to the whole campus.
For more information, students can visit the
Fellowship Office online or contact them via phone at (310) 825-1025.
Deadline: The application deadline is early January each year.
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS
Through UCLA’s Graduate Division, advanced graduate and professional students have an excellent opportunity to gain practical teaching and tutoring experience in departments outside of the law school while earning an income to offset the cost of their tuition and fees. In-state students who are employed 45% or more are entitled to a fee remission of 75% of the Education Fee, a fee remission of 75% of the Registration Fee, and a fee remission of 100% of the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan. These fee remissions significantly reduce the student’s out-of-pocket expenses for the academic year. This reduction may, in turn, affect a student’s total loan eligibility.
For more information and to obtain an application, please visit the
Graduate Division website.
EDUCATIONAL LOANS
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Perkins Loan
Applicants who submit the
FAFSA by the priority filing deadline of March 2 will also be considered for a federally guaranteed Perkins loan. At UCLA, this subsidized loan is offered to advanced applicants who the Department of Education and the law school have classified as exceptionally needy, with an expected family contribution (EFC) of "zero" for the 2012-2013 academic year. The Perkins Loan is a need-based subsidized loan with a fixed 5% interest rate. Repayment begins 9 months after graduation. The federal government pays the interest while the student is enrolled in school and during 9 months grace period. Eligible students are required to complete and sign a Promissory Note, which is provided by the lender, each year before the funds are released.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
The Federal Direct Loan Program enables qualified professional students to receive up to $20,500 in a federally guaranteed loan financed by the federal government. The fixed interest rate is 6.8% and repayment begins 6 months after graduation. The student is responsible for the interest, which accrues from disbursement.
The U.S. Department of Education allows all eligible recipients to receive a lifetime amount of $138,500 including undergraduate and graduate federal loans. However, no more than $65,500 can come from the federal Subsidized loan.
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
Graduate and professional students are allowed to borrow a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan. The Direct Graduate PLUS (GPLUS) loan has a fixed interest rate of 7.9%, no annual or aggregate loan limits (other than cost of attendance less other financial aid), and a credit review requirement. Just as with Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans, GPLUS borrowers are eligible for in-school deferments if they are enrolled at least half-time. The GPLUS has the same payment options, same deferments and forbearances, and same cancellation provisions as a Direct Unsubsidized loan; interest accruals begin immediately upon disbursement.
All applicants must submit a FAFSA in order to be considered. Once the FAFSA has been processed and the data has been received by the admitting school, the borrower will receive electronic Financial Aid Notification (eFAN) indicating the types and the amounts of financial aid awarded.
Entrance Counseling
Important! All first time federal loan borrowers at UCLA need to be informed about borrowers’ rights and responsibilities. Law students will satisfy the requirement by completing an online
Entrance Counseling Session. This can be completed by reviewing the counseling session materials and taking an online quiz. All quiz results are transmitted electronically to the UCLA Student Loan Services and Collections Office.
Please be sure to select indicate "UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles" when registering your account to ensure that you are directed to the entrance exam.
Failure to follow through with this requirement will delay disbursement of your eligible Federal Direct Loan proceeds.
Credit-Based Private Loans
Some students find it necessary to finance a portion of their education through private loan sources. These lenders offer loans to offset the cost of attending law school. The loan terms are printed directly on the application and also are governed by federal and state lending regulations. The choice of lender rests solely with the student, but they will need to meet the lender’s credit requirements.
BAR Loans
Law students may apply for BAR Loans for the period after graduation when they are studying for the bar. A BAR loan is an unsecured consumer loan offered to graduating law school students to assist with expenses related to the bar process. These related expenses may include the following: bar examination fees, bar review courses, and living expenses during the period after graduation and prior to being notified of the exam results. Please click
here for the most current BAR Study Loan guide.
BAR Loan interest rates are generally higher than federal and private loans. Students should review the product guidelines and repayment options. Students should review product guidelines and repayment options before applying.
SUMMER OPTIONS
Summer Funding For Public Service Work
The UCLA School of Law, through an array of sources, provides summer grants to first-and second-year students who engage in otherwise unpaid internships with nonprofit organizations or public sector agencies and offices. The student-run Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) specifically raises money to provide summer fellowships to students engaged in internships with nonprofit organizations. The school, through other funding sources, supplements the money annually raised by PILF. To be eligible for the Summer Public Service Fellowship, students must have an offer of summer employment from a nonprofit organization or government agency or office before the fellowship application deadline. Last year, the UCLA School of Law funded approximately 250 students who applied for summer grants.
Post-Graduate Support
UCLA School of Law has a loan repayment assistance program to increase the ability of its J.D. graduates to pursue public service legal careers. The program seeks to address the increasing debt burdens facing many students and the implications of such burdens on students' ability to pursue relatively low-paying public service work. Under the new loan repayment assistance program, graduates can apply to have a portion - and in some cases all - of the debt service on loans they incurred while at UCLA School of Law subject to a forgivable loan from the School. To qualify for such support, graduates must be employed in a public service capacity that makes substantial use of legal skills and meet other qualifying criteria. Graduates can seek assistance each year for a period of up to 10 years. Further information on this program is available at www.law.ucla.edu/lrap.
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