Financial Aid
Information for Returning Students
Applying for Need-Based Aid – Federal and Private Loans; Grants
You must submit additional forms and supporting materials, depending upon your individual circumstances. You (and your parents/spouse, if applicable) must also submit a complete copy of your most recent federal tax return. Please review the chart below to be sure that you submit all required information. Please submit all material at the same time in order to expedite the awarding process.
A. If you are applying for federal and/or private/ commercial loans you must complete and submit these forms:
B. Applying for loans and for GW Law need- based grants and were born on or after January 1, 1980, you must complete and submit these forms:
C. Applying for loans and for GW Law need- based grants and were born before January 1, 1980 you must complete and submit these forms:
- All forms required for 'A' above
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2009-2010 Estimated Nine-Month
Academic Year Costs
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Full-Time JD
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Part-Time JD (20 credit hours)
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Books and Supplies
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$1,295
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$1,020
|
|
Health Insurance
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$1,800
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$1,800
|
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Loan Origination and Guarantee Fees
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$1,400
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$1,400
|
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Personal Expenses
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$3,200
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$3,200
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Room and Board
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$14,200
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$14,200
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Transportation Allowance
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$2,200
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$2,200
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Tuition
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$42,205
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$29,680
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Total
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$66,300
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$53,500
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For planning purpose, you should expect an annual increase in tuition of at least $1,500.
Required Course Load
J.D. students must be enrolled for at least 6 credit hours (half-time) in each semester for which they are requesting aid. Enrollment changes may result in financial aid changes. Please refer to enrollment chart below:
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J.D.
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Full-time
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Half-time
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Fall/Spring semesters
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12 or more credits
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6-11 credits
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Summer semester
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5 or more credits
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3-4 credits
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Explanation of Financial Aid Forms
Depending upon the type of aid you are seeking and your dependent/independent/marital status, you will be required to submit some or all of the following forms. Please review information about each form carefully.
1) FAFSA. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for Federal Stafford, and Federal GradPlus loans. As soon as possible after January 1, complete the 2009-2010 FAFSA online . If you are applying for GW need-based aid and were born on or after January 1, 1980, your parents must file the FAFSA with you.
The Law School's FAFSA code is E00196.
2) Federal Tax Returns. You (and your parents and/or spouse, if applicable), must provide a copy of your 2008 federal tax returns, with all pages, schedules and W-2’s included.
3) Loan Applications/Promissory Notes. For each loan requested you must submit an application and promissory note to the lender you have chosen. You may chose any lender you wish. GW Law’s preferred lenders, listed below, allow you to file applications online. Please note that loan applications are not transferable. Therefore, if you are a transfer applicant and have already filed for loans with your former law school, you must reapply with the lender with GW as your designated school.
Selecting a Lender
All students borrowing Stafford, GradPlus and/or commercial/private loans must select a lender. Students should carefully review information about each lender by visiting the lender’s website. Choose a lender and apply for the loan. You may apply using one of the Law School’s preferred lenders, or select a loan provider of your own choosing. You have the right and ability to select the education loan provider of your choice, are not required to use a lender on this list, and will suffer no penalty for choosing a lender that is not identified on this site. The lenders listed here were chosen because of their competitive interest rates, repayment benefits for students, and quality of customer service.
Entrance Counseling
All students and borrowers of federal loans are required to complete Federal Loan Entrance Counseling before funds are disbursed. You may complete this counseling session online.
Note to Continuing/Upper-Class Students – Financial Aid Application Deadline is April 15
Your GW Law financial aid decision is made in conjunction with the processing of your Stafford Loan application; those who submit all required documents and whose FAFSA analyses are received by GW Law from the processors by April 15 will be considered first. Late applications will be considered based upon the availability of funds.
Note to Students Graduating in 2010
Costs associated with taking the bar exam, including application fees and summer living expenses, cannot be included in GW Law’s estimate of costs for the nine-month academic year. Creditworthy applicants may apply for a separate bar loan. Please check with your financial aid counselor for more details.
Note to Joint Degree Candidates
You must be taking law school courses in order to be eligible for GW Law School institutional need-based financial aid.
Note to Students Taking Summer Courses
Costs associated with taking a half-time or more course load in summer may be met with private loans or GradPlus Loans. Please work with your financial aid counselor to apply for summer funds.