School of Law Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! You must re-apply for financial aid each year. You may file your FAFSA no sooner than October 1, and our recommended deadline to submit the FAFSA is by March 15 each year.

Learn more about applying for financial aid

Most federal financial aid programs require at least half-time attendance (6 credits). You may be required to attend full-time for some scholarship programs.

The foundation of your financial aid application — the FAFSA — will not change from year to year. However, based on verification selection, changing requirements and regulations, differences in your financial situation or any inconsistency in your application, the law school’s Office of Financial Aid will request the appropriate documentation. This may change from year to year; thus it is essential to read all correspondence and requests from the Office of Financial Aid carefully and respond in a timely manner.

Find a financial aid form

You must notify your lender of your return to school in order to initiate a loan deferment. The deferment process will halt your loan-repayment obligation while you are enrolled at least half time (6 credits). You may be required to complete deferment paperwork and submit that paperwork to the registrar’s office at the School of Law for processing.

You may borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any other aid received. If your COA equals the amount of aid on your financial aid award letter, then you cannot borrow an additional loan. If your COA is larger than the amount of aid on your financial aid award letter, then you can borrow the amount of the difference.

Yes. You may apply for financial aid once a semester has started. Keep in mind that all paperwork must be complete, your FAFSA results received by the university, and your federal Stafford loan certified prior to the last date of enrollment for the academic period.

No. You may accept all, none, or part of the loan offered. Just indicate the amount you wish to borrow on your financial award letter by accepting or declining the current amount or reducing the loan and accepting a lesser amount. Be sure to submit your response.

As a law student, you are considered independent and do not need to report parental information on the FAFSA.

Once you have completed the requirements, your funds will be disbursed by the lender to the university in two equal installments (minus the applicable origination fee) via electronic funds transfer no sooner than ten days prior to the start of each semester. Loan proceeds are applied to your account balance no sooner than the first day of classes. If funds are remaining after the account is paid, the Office of the Bursar will issue a refund within 14 calendar days and notify you when your funds are available. You can request to have the funds directly deposited into your personal bank account or the check will be mailed to your address on file. It is imperative that you make financial arrangements with your landlord and/or creditors in advance of the start of classes. Refunds in excess of your institutional charges will be issued at the time your account is in a credit balance position, which is often well into the semester. We will make every effort to expedite your financial aid; however, please remember this is the busiest time of year for us and your lenders, so please try to be as timely as possible when submitting your paperwork.

You will need to budget for these expenses utilizing your own resources. The maximum amount you can borrow is the cost of attendance minus other aid. The nine-month cost of attendance budget does not include your living expenses for the summer and does not take into consideration expenses related to owning a car, relocating to Connecticut, or other debt.

You may elect to defer your payments for six months; however, interest will continue to accrue. Beyond that, you should contact your lender to discuss options, such as forbearance.

Our academic year budget reflects the expectation that you will have at least one roommate and is not increased if you choose to live alone. You will need to budget for the additional expenses using your own resources.

If you enroll in more than 15 credits in a semester, you will pay the flat full-time tuition rate plus a per credit charge for anything over the 15 credits. If you advise our office of these extra charges, we can increase your cost of attendance to reflect the actual semester tuition. You can request loan funds to assist with paying for these additional charges as our financial aid policy does not allow for scholarships to be increased.

Entering law students who have been accepted into the law program and completed their financial aid application will begin receiving award notifications in late March. Current law students who have completed their financial aid application will begin receiving award notifications in late June, after the spring semester grades have been posted and class ranks have been calculated.

Merit-based scholarships are only offered to entering 1L law students and are not awarded in subsequent years to those who did not receive one as an entering 1L law student. There are a few named and endowed scholarships/grants available for returning law students. Those funds are limited. You may also research and apply for outside scholarship opportunities.