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How to Apply

HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR 2009-2010

The first step is to decide which types of aid you are seeking:

• loans only 
• loans and Columbia Law School need-based grants 

Deciding this will determine which forms you need to submit, and when. If you are uncertain about whether you should apply for a grant, please refer to the Eligibility for a Scholarship Grant section.

Please note that students seeking consideration for Law School grants must apply at the time of application to the first-year class of the J.D. program, and that grant decisions are made only after a student has been offered admission. Award letters to recipients of institutional grants will include information about the financial aid package for each of the student's three years of study at Columbia Law School.

* The Financial Aid Questionnaire (FAQ) is mailed to entering J.D. students shortly after the offer of admission.  If you are applying for a Law School grant, please submit it by March 1 or immediately after admission. If you are applying only for loans, please submit the FAQ by May 15, along with your loan application(s).  Upperclass (2L's and 3L's) and Graduate Legal Studies students must pick up the Questionnaire in the Financial Aid Office, or request that it be sent or e-mailed to them.  

** For admitted students, if 2008 tax forms are not available by March 1, please submit complete 2007 tax forms by March 1, and complete 2008 tax forms by the end of April. Applicants to the J.D. program DO NOT need to submit tax returns unless they are admitted.  

*** International students (those who are not US citizens or permanent residents), are not eligible for federal aid and should disregard the FAFSA requirement.

**** Although the provider of the Need Access application is a lender, you have the right and ability to select the provider of your choice for your loans. You are not required to use the servicer that administers the Need Access application as your loan provider, and you will suffer no penalty for choosing an education loan provider that is different from the one that administers the Need Access application. 

Students seeking consideration for Law School grants must complete their application at the time they apply for admission to the entering 1L class.  All grant funds for the class (e.g., Class of 2012) are committed for the three years.  Therefore, the Law School does not accept grant applications from students in their second or third years. Of course, upperclass J.D. students who are experiencing financial difficulty because of significant adverse changes to their circumstances are encouraged to meet with a Financial Aid Officer to explore their financial aid options.  

In their second and third years at Columbia Law School, students who received a three-year grant offer at the time of admission will have their financial aid renewed in accordance with their award notification once they have submitted the following: Financial Aid Questionnaire, Grant Data Sheet, current resume, biographical sketch, loan documents, and loan application(s).  They will not need to complete the Need Access application again, nor to submit tax returns, unless taxes are required for verification of FAFSA data.  In some cases, when significant changes have occurred in a student's personal circumstances (e.g., student's marriage or divorce, change of spouse's status, etc.) or when a student receives grants from other sources,  the student will be asked to provide additional information since eligibility for certain types of aid may be impacted.

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Verification
• Need Access
• Income Tax Forms
• Loan Applications
• Columbia Law School Financial Aid Questionnaire (FAQ)