The Office of Financial Aid establishes the annual student expense budget for students in accordance with federal regulations (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1087ll). Commonly accepted expenses such as tuition, fees books, supplies and a reasonable living allowance are included in the student expenses budget. This budget, less all resources available to the student (including scholarships and other financial aid awards), determines the maximum amount of educational loans available for the loan period.

Students may appeal, on an annual basis, to increase their student expense budget. An increase in the student expense budget will enable the student to borrow additional loan funds, subject to lender approval. Appeals to increase the student expense budget are commonly approved for additional funds to cover reasonable costs such as the purchase of a computer, printer, software, unusual medical or dental expenses and the support of other dependents.

Non-educational related costs that will not be considered grounds for increasing the student expense budget include, but are not limited to: car payments, car maintenance, credit card balances or payments, other consumer loans or living costs during periods of non-enrollment, including expenses related to life before or after law school.

Bar Exam Fees:
As passage of the bar exam is not a prerequisite for obtaining your Juris Doctorate, the costs related to preparing for or taking the bar exam may not be considered as the basis for any budget appeal. If you are interested in borrowing to cover all or a portion of the costs of their bar exam and any related preparatory courses, you should contact your private alternative loan lender to obtain a Bar Exam Loan that can be used to cover those and other related expenses.

Important Notice for Law Students:

Appeals for additional loan eligibility for the coming academic year will first be applied to any remaining Federal Stafford Loan eligibility. If you are currently receiving the maximum allowable under the Federal Stafford Loan program, we will increase your eligibility to borrow under a private alternative loan. Once your private alternative loan eligibility has already been initially certified with your lender, you will need to apply for a second private alternative loan in order to receive your additional eligibility.

If your appeal is approved, a revised Financial Aid Award notification will be generated for you. If your appeal is denied, you will be notified by mail.