New J.D. Students
Information for New J.D. Students
Financial Aid General Information 2009-2010
It is the goal of the GW Law Financial Aid Office to provide you a financial aid package that makes attending GW Law possible. Unlike many law schools that offer only a limited number of merit scholarships, GW Law offers substantial need-based grants to all who qualify for financial need, as well as a number of merit-based scholarships. GW Law will also assist you in obtaining federal student loans.
If you apply for financial aid, you will be provided with a financial aid award package outlining scholarships, grants and federal student loans for which you are eligible. You also may choose to borrow private loans. Although most law students are likely to take on significant student loan debt, it is our goal to help you minimize your debt to the greatest extent possible.
The total amount of your financial aid package (scholarships, grants and loans) cannot exceed the total cost of attendance as set by the GW Law Financial Aid Office. This total cost of attendance is determined each year and includes tuition expense, as well as average living expenses. For the 2009-2010 academic year, the total cost of attendance for a full-time student is $66,300 and for a part-time student is $53,500.
You have been assigned a financial aid counselor who will assist and help guide you through the financial aid process. Counselor assignments are as follows:
If your last name begins with: A- L
Your counselor is: Nancy LaMotta [email]; 202.994.3437
If your last name begins with: M- Z
Your counselor is: Beth Amurao [email]; 202.994.3417
We are working to make our financial aid process more automated. You will receive information regarding financial aid by e-mail. Please pay careful attention to all e-mail messages that you receive from GW Law and be sure to keep your financial aid counselor apprised of any changes in your e-mail address.
Types of Aid/Application Requirements:
Merit-Based Scholarships
All students admitted to GW Law are considered for merit-based scholarships based upon the strength of their applications for admission. No further scholarship application is required. Students may be notified at any time after their admission of their selection for merit-based scholarships.
Each year, 20-30% of the entering class will be selected for merit scholarships. Merit awards may range in amount from $5,000 per year to full tuition. A limited number of students admitted to the full-time program also may be awarded housing in a George Washington University residence hall, at no cost, for the first academic year.
Applicants admitted to GW Law through the Binding Early Admission/Presidential Merit Scholarship Program are awarded three-year or four-year full tuition merit scholarships. Students admitted through this process are guaranteed a unit in a George Washington University residence hall at their own cost.
Need-Based Grants and Student Loans
All students who qualify for “need” are awarded need-based grants that may range in amount from $3,000 to $19,000. You must apply for need-based grants each year and grant award amounts may change each year based upon your financial need. The amount of your need-based grant each year is determined based upon the information you (and your parents, if applicable) provide in the FAFSA.
Only students who are borrowing the maximum federal Stafford Loan ($20,500) each year will be awarded a need-based grant. International students who are not eligible to borrow federal Stafford Loans may be considered for need-based grants.
Need-Based Grants
If you wish to be considered for a need-based grant, you must submit:
1. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible. You may submit your FAFSA online by going to: www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you were born on or after January 1, 1980, your parents must complete the parental information section of the FAFSA. The Law School's FAFSA code is E00196.
2. Copies of your (and your spouse’s, if married) federal tax returns for tax years 2007 and 2008 (when available). If you were born on or after January 1, 1980, your parents also must provide copies of their federal tax returns for the tax years 2007 and 2008 (when available).
Federal Student Loans
If you wish to be considered for federal student loans only, you must submit the FAFSA with your information only. Your parents need not provide any information if you are seeking only federal student loans and do not wish to be considered for a need-based grant.
Types of Federal Student Loans:
Federal Stafford Loan
All students who are US citizens or permanent residents may borrow up to $20,500 each year in the federal Stafford Loan regardless of credit-worthiness. Of this $20,500, up to $8,500 per year may be subsidized, which means that interest does not begin to accrue on this amount until six months after completion of your course of study or after you discontinue at least half-time enrollment. The determination of whether you qualify for this maximum $8,500 portion of the Stafford Loan is based upon financial need as determined from the information you provide in your FAFSA. Currently, the interest rate on the federal Stafford Loan is fixed at 6.8%.
Federal GradPLUS Loan
All students who are US citizens or permanent residents and who do not have “bad credit” in the past 90 days may borrow the federal GradPLUS loan in an amount up to the total cost of attendance less all other financial aid. Currently, the interest rate on the federal GradPLUS Loan is fixed at 8.5%.
Private Loans
Students may choose to borrow private loans through any lender of their choice. Your financial aid counselor will work with you and your chosen lender to facilitate certification and disbursement of any private loans you choose to borrow.
Student Loans for Foreign Students
Students who are not US citizens or permanent residents are not eligible for the federal Stafford or GradPLUS Loans. GW Law has limited endowed loan funds for which foreign students may qualify. Foreign students also should explore private loans, which generally require students to have creditworthy U.S. citizen co-signers. Foreign students should consult with their financial aid counselor for assistance.
Selection of Lender/Funding of Federal Student Loans
If you will be borrowing federal student loans, you will be required to select the lender that will fund your loans. Students may work with any lender they choose. Each year, GW Law solicits information from a number of lenders and publishes a preferred lender list. This list will be available in early April 2009. Students may choose to work with one of the lenders on the GW Law Preferred Lender List or with any other lender. The GW Law Financial Aid Office will work with each student’s chosen lender to facilitate certification and disbursement of loans.
Once you have chosen GW Law as your school and after you have paid your seat deposits, you then will need to complete loan forms and requirements. You should take the step of applying to a lender for your student loans only once you are certain of which law school you will attend. Your student loans, once approved and in place, are not transferable from school to school.
Financial Aid Award Packages
Your application for financial aid will be complete upon submission of the required FAFSA information (if you are seeking student loans only) or submission of the required FAFSA information and federal tax returns (if you are seeking a need-based grant). It is our goal to provide you with a financial aid award letter outlining your specific award within 21 days of GW Law’s receipt of your completed financial aid application.
Please note that we will base your initial financial aid award on the information that we have at the time we make the initial award. As supplemental information is provided (e.g., more recent federal tax returns), we retain the right to modify your financial aid award.
Deadline
There is no formal deadline to apply for need-based GW aid, but you should file at least the FAFSA form as soon after January 1 as possible so the completed analyses of those forms may be received by the Law School no later than March 1. The Law Financial Aid Office begins making financial aid decisions March 1 and continues to award as long as funds permit. For those whose FAFSA data reaches us after March 1, the Law School cannot guarantee a financial aid decision by April 15, when the first admissions deposit is due.
GW Law Financial Aid Office
The GW Law Financial Aid Office is located at 700 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052. The main phone number is 202.994.6592; the fax number is 202.994.3597; the general e-mail address is finaid@law.gwu.edu.