FINANCIAL AID
Information for New J.D. Students
If you are a new student you have been assigned a financial aid counselor based upon the first letter of your last name. The assignments are as follows:
You should contact your counselor at any time for guidance through the financial aid process
Sources of Aid
GW Law offers its students comprehensive financial aid packages based upon merit, need, and availability of funds. Students may be awarded financial aid (grants, federal, and commercial loans) in an amount up to the total cost of attendance for an academic year.
Merit-Based Awards
GW Law selects a limited number of students each year for monetary awards based upon merit, as reflected in their applications for admission. No special forms are required to be considered for merit aid.
Need-Based Grants
GW Law has a generous fund of need-based tuition grants, which are awarded based upon information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and on the College Scholarship Service’s PROFILE form. You should not wait to be admitted before applying for need-based grants. Note: All need-based grant recipients will be expected to borrow the maximum annual Federal Stafford loan of $20,500 (see section on Federal Stafford Loans for more details).
Federal Perkins Loans
Federal Perkins loans are available to students whose need is deemed exceptional. The government pays the 5% fixed interest on the Perkins loan while you are in school and for nine months following graduation or cessation of half-time enrollment. The repayment period for these loans is ten years (see section on Federal Perkins Loans for more details). The same forms for need-based grants, FAFSA, and PROFILE are used to determine your need for the Perkins loan.
Applying for Need-Based GW Law School Aid
To be considered for GW need-based aid, you must file the following forms:
1. You, your spouse (if married) and your parents (if under age 30) must register with the College Scholarship Service (CSS) and complete the online PROFILE form.
-GW Law’s code is 5587.
-File as soon after January 1 as possible.
-DO NOT wait until you are admitted to file the PROFILE.
2. You must file a FAFSA.
-GW Law’s code is E00196.
-File as soon after January 1 as possible.
-Only you and your spouse, if applicable, need file this form.
-If you previously filed a FAFSA, you may submit a renewal application online. If you need a new PIN or have forgotten it, go to www.pin.ed.gov. Use of the PIN eliminates the need to send a signature page to the FAFSA processor.
-DO NOT wait until you are admitted to file the FAFSA.
3. After you have paid the first admissions deposit, and as soon after the IRS filing deadline as possible, submit to the Law Financial Aid Office your federal tax returns, as outlined below. Use the tax return filed in the April prior to the academic year for which you are applying for aid.
-A signed copy of all pages, schedules, and W-2 forms of your (and your spouse’s, if applicable) federal tax return.
-If you are under the age of 30, a signed copy of all pages, schedules, and W-2 forms of your parents’ federal tax return.
Deadline
There is no formal deadline to apply for need-based GW aid, but you should file at least the PROFILE and FAFSA forms 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 Profile and FAFSA data reach us after March 1, the Law School cannot guarantee a financial aid decision by April 15, when the first admissions deposit is due.
Follow the links below for detailed information and application instructions for all types of aid available to GW Law students: