Students admitted to the J.D. program with advanced standing (transfer students) are not considered for Columbia Law School grant assistance. Because most transfer students usually are not admitted until late in the summer, it is important that they begin the financial aid application process as soon as possible [filing the FAFSA, obtaining the appropriate federal loan (Stafford, Graduate PLUS) Master Promissory Note/MPN, applying for approval on private educational loans]. We ask that you complete your application for loan assistance only after accepting Columbia's offer of admission, by submitting to our Office the Financial Aid Questionnaire, applicable MPN(s) and/or private loan applications, and all required supporting documents (e.g., SAR, Verification form, taxes, etc.). The Financial Aid Office will make every effort to expedite your loan applications so that you may have your funds early in the term and, if possible, by the start of classes.
US citizens and permanent residents who plan on borrowing from the federal loan programs (Stafford, Graduate PLUS) or hope to qualify for federal Work-Study funding, should file their FAFSA application by no later than the date they submit their admission application to the Law School. Please refer to the Loans and Credit page of this site describing the federal loan programs and application procedures. Additional loan funds may be available from private educational loan programs; please refer to the Private Educational Loan Programs section for more information.
International students (not US citizens and not holding a US permanent resident visa) are not eligible for federally guaranteed assistance programs. In addition, they need to provide a US cosigner in order to apply for most private educational loan programs. Please refer to the Columbia University Student Financial Services Web site for additional information. We strongly advise all international students seeking educational loans to secure an eligible cosigner as early as possible.
