Tuition for 2009-2010 is $46,332. There are additional mandatory fees for health services, student activities, and University facilities, which will be $1,672 for 2009-2010. Insurance for hospital care and standard medical coverage is also required ($1,638), unless students can show proof of comparable coverage.
The total budget for the nine-month academic year, including tuition, fees, room, board, books, and personal expenses is $71,000 for a single student. Expenses are adjusted annually.
Admission decisions at Columbia Law School are made without regard to an applicant's financial need. Therefore, grant applications are reviewed only after a student has been admitted. If you are interested in grant assistance, you must be sure to complete your application as early as possible so it can be evaluated soon after you have been admitted. Students admitted under the Early Decision Plan are reminded that they should not expect to be notified of their financial aid package before the end of March, at the earliest. We strongly recommend that applicants file the required forms no later than March 1, even if they have not yet received an offer of admission.
The Law School awards grant assistance primarily on the basis of demonstrated financial need. However, there are a number of fellowships not based on financial need that are awarded by the Office of Admissions at the time an applicant in admitted to the Law School. There is no separate application for these fellowships. Each year a substantial portion of the entering class receives a Law School grant, which is in the form of a partial tuition waiver. However, by far the largest form of financial aid for all law students is educational loans, with most students borrowing to finance a part, or all, of their educational expenses. To assist J.D. graduates pursuing public interest and public service careers manage what might be a significant educational loan burden, the Law School provides continuing financial support through its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), one of the most generous in legal education.
For more detailed information regarding financial aid, please visit the Financial Aid Office (FAO) of Columbia Law School.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents may be eligible for federal Stafford loans. Currently, the annual limit is $20,500 for this program. In addition, there are several alternative educational loan programs as well as the federal Graduate PLUS loan program that provide financing for law students. Since these alternative programs require applicants to be creditworthy, you are strongly advised to obtain a copy of your credit report to determine if there are any problems that might make you ineligible for such loans. If you have an adverse credit history, and are unable to correct it, you may not have access to important sources of loan funds. If this is the case, you will need to have others borrow on your behalf. Law School funds will not be available to replace unavailable credit-based loans.
International students (not U.S. citizens and not holding a U.S. permanent resident visa) are eligible to apply for Law School grants and for loans from private educational loan programs. They are not eligible for federally guaranteed assistance programs. In addition, they need to provide a U.S. cosigner in order to apply for most credit-based educational loan programs. Since there are no fully funded fellowships for law students in Columbia's J.D. program, international students needing to finance their education may need to arrange for cosigners for each of the three years of law school.
