When determining law school affordability, don’t just look at tuition

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Many prospective law students look only at tuition when trying to determine if law school is affordable and whether or not they should apply.   But in doing so, they could be making a big mistake.

To really understand the “affordability” of a school, you need to consider a variety of factors, including the number of grants and scholarships a school offers, how many students receive them, and if the school offers a loan repayment assistance program (LRAP).  Looking at all of these factors will provide a much better view of affordability, and help guide you to a more informed decision when selecting which schools to apply to.

For example, a school with a cost of $45,000 a year may seem out of your budget. However, if the school offers $6 million in grants and scholarships each year to one-third of its students, with the median grant amount at $27,000, you may find it actually is affordable.  Remember to look not only for academic grants and scholarships, but also specialty programs, such as public interest scholarships and grants.

For students interested in pursuing public interest law, a school’s LRAP is a key factor to look at. LRAPs provide funding to law school graduates serving in the public sector to help manage student loan payments.  If you know you will need to take out student loans, first check to see if the schools you are interested in offer LRAPs – not all do.  In addition, each school’s LRAP will be different so make sure you understand what is available.  You’ll want to know whether you will qualify, how much you may receive and for how long.  Knowing you’ll have this relief when after graduation may help ease your mind about borrowing to attend a particular school.  You should, of course, still limit your borrowing to only what you actually need and to maximize government loans and avoid private loans whenever possible.  (Visit our educational debt relief section for more information.) 

Another source of funding that is often overlooked is the opportunity to receive funding during school to pursue internships and externships.  For example, a number of law schools offer summer funding to students to gain experience at public interest organizations and legal service providers.  Knowing that you’ll have some help with living costs can factor into your decision about which schools are within your range.

If a school offers what you are looking for in terms of support, academics and training, but seems to come with a high sticker price, make sure you don’t short change your search by focusing only on tuition.  By thoroughly researching all a school has to offer, you’ll have a better understanding of its affordability for you.  

The Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools is a free, online tool designed to help prospective students navigate their way to the law school that is right for them.  Containing information on affordability, public interest curricula, clinical programs and more, the Guide provides the information you need to be an informed consumer and choose the school that is right for your personal circumstances. To learn more about The Guide, visit www.ejwguide.org.