Scholarships & Other Aid

There are many financial aid options to help you afford your USF legal education, and our Office of Financial Aid will support you in exploring all the options available to you.

There are many financial aid options to help you afford your USF legal education, and our Office of Financial Aid will support you in exploring all avenues.

Financial aid in the form of private loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, or the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan is available to continuing USF law students who decide to enroll in USF's Summer programs.  

Summer Tuition and Fees are available on the University Tuition and Fees page.  

These programs include the Intensive Advocacy Program (IAP), International Summer Externships, and regular Summer Session and domestic Summer Externships for unit credit at the USF School of Law. 

In order to be eligible for Summer financial aid, USF law students are required to complete the following: 

1. Register for a Summer class. A registration email notification will be sent by the Law Registrar’s Office in mid to late March.
2. Submit a FAFSA application for the current academic year (for example, students needing financial assistance for Summer 2024 are required to complete the  2023-24 FAFSA application and should do so no later than April 10,  2024).
3. Submit the Summer 2024 Financial Aid Intent to Enroll Online Form (ITE)* to the law school financial aid administrator by April 10 for all USF School of Law Summer programs. Failure to submit the online ITE form by the above deadline may result in a delay in receiving Summer aid. Summer 2024 ITE online forms will be available by March 12, 2024.
4. Be offered and accept either a Summer Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and/or a Summer Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans for all registered Summer programs at your myUSF student portal. Before accepting any Summer Federal Loans, law students must have already completed a FAFSA and received a Financial Aid Award Notice for the 2023-24 academic year; OR apply for a Summer private loan directly with a private loan lender beginning March 15. All Summer program participants should apply no later than April 10 in order to meet the May 1 Summer tuition deadline. A list of lenders USF Law School has worked with in the past is available in the Loan Programs section.

Law students must be enrolled in a minimum of three (3) units for their Summer program in order to receive federal financial aid. If a law student drops below three units during the course of their respective Summer program, the federal financial aid will be canceled and funds returned to the lender. Any Summer billing charges become the sole responsibility of the student, including housing if the student is participating in a Summer abroad program. The USF Student Accounts Office will send the student an updated Summer bill. If a student decides to enroll in less than three units for the Summer, the only alternative to federal financial aid is a private loan. Contact the Law School Financial Aid Office for more information at lawfinaid@usfca.edu. The tuition payment deadline for all USF Summer programs is May 1 (including Regular Summer Session and externships as well as International Summer Externships).

Information for Private Loans Only: Once a Summer private loan is approved by the lender, the student must submit a promissory note to the lender. USF will be notified electronically once the promissory note has been received by the lender. The university main office of financial aid administrator will then certify the Summer loan and verify that the loan amount approved is the appropriate amount for that particular Summer program budget.

Master Promissory Note: If you have already submitted a Federal Direct Unsubsidized or Graduate PLUS loan promissory note for the previous or current academic year, there is no need to submit another promissory note as the original notes serve as a master promissory notes for all future Federal Direct Loans at USF.

New Federal Direct loan borrowers must complete a master promissory note online at Federal Student Aid before any Summer Federal Direct loan funds are disbursed to the student. New loan borrowers must also complete an online debt management counseling session at Federal Student Aid.

Upon registration for Summer classes, USF law students must submit an online ITE form in order for the law financial aid office to monitor the status of the student’s Summer financial aid application. If a student applies for a Summer private loan, student must notify the law financial aid office so we may be able to monitor the status of your private loan. The private loan will need to be certified in order for that type of aid to apply towards any summer tuition bill. Private loan certification typically begins in early April after registration is confirmed. Once the Summer PLUS loan is awarded and accepted, or a private Summer loan is certified, the funds will appear as 'Authorized Financial Aid' on your USF student account if you are registered for summer units and the aid will be applied towards your summer tuition bill.

Disbursement and Refund: Funds are disbursed (sent electronically) to the USF by lenders. Loan funds are used to pay tuition first. Any excess loan funds are refunded to the law student and can be used for living and other expenses. Summer Loan disbursement dates are noted on the ITE form You may also contact the Law Financial Aid Office for the most up to date disbursement dates for Summer.

Law students who are enrolled in the direct deposit refund process should expect a loan refund two to five business days AFTER the loan disbursement date. Law students who are not utilizing direct deposit should expect a paper check refund ten to fifteen business days after the loan disbursement date. The earliest scheduled Summer loan disbursement dates are typically one week before your Summer program begins.

Students planning on participating in an International Summer Externship program and who plan on applying for summer Federal Direct loan funds will not have access to these loan funds early enough to assist with anticipated travel expenses such as a plane ticket.

Please note the following important information regarding summer financial aid eligibility:

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP): Law students who are on academic probation during the spring semester (based on fall semester grades) are not eligible to receive financial aid for the following summer. You may apply for summer financial aid AFTER all spring grades are posted and you have returned to good academic standing. Law students registered for summer programs who become academically disqualified from law school after the spring semester are no longer eligible to receive financial aid for the summer. Any summer aid is canceled and is returned to the lender. Any summer billing charges become the sole responsibility of the student, including housing if you are participating in a summer abroad program and if the law student chooses to remain in the summer program. The USF Student Accounts Office will send the student an updated summer bill. Law students who graduate in the spring semester prior to summer session are not eligible for summer financial aid. USF Law scholarships and/or grants are NOT applicable towards any summer session programs.

The university participates in the Federal Work Study Program funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education. The university also offers regular non-work study employment funded directly from the department for which students are employed. There is no differential of pay rate, hours, or benefits between work study and non-work study.

All full-time law students must complete a work statement declaration indicating their understanding that they cannot work more than 20 hours per week as directed by the American Bar Association. Declaration forms are available through the law school's registrar office and are sent to all law students beginning their second year.

Federal Work Study is a federally funded need-based program. Federal Work Study funds are not available to first-year law students. Due to limited Federal Work Study funds, continuing law students who wish to be considered for Federal Work Study funds must submit a FAFSA application by March 1 and indicate interest in such funds on the FAFSA application. Law students who submit a FAFSA application after this date will not be considered for any Federal Work Study funds. The maximum amount of work study awarded each academic year is $5,000.

Federal Work Study funds can be used in either on-campus employment or off-campus employment. Off-campus employers must be a public agency or private nonprofit agency approved by the university and must have a work study contract with the university. A list of university approved agencies is available through the law school's Office of Financial Aid or the USF Student Employment Office at Lone Mountain campus, room 202.

Law students can also submit a request to have an off-campus public agency or private nonprofit agency approved for the Federal Work Study program if they are not currently on the university approved list. Please contact the law school's financial aid office or the USF Student Employment Office for more information.

The Federal Work Study funds for on-campus and off-campus employment pay 70 percent of the student salary and the employer pays the remaining 30 percent. However, a FWS award represents a student’s gross earnings limit over the course of the award year in an approved FWS position. The first day of the fall or spring academic term is the first day students in an authorized work-study employment position can expect to be paid using Federal Work Study award.

Federal Work Study is available only for the fall and spring semesters.

IMPORTANT: Continuing law students who are offered this aid and do not "accept" this aid by the first day of fall semester classes will have this aid automatically cancelled by the USF Financial Aid Office.

Summer Federal Work Study funding is determined annually by the university in early April prior to the summer session and is not guaranteed. If Summer Federal Work Study funding is available, employment is available only through university approved off-campus agencies and is typically available beginning July 1. Law students should be aware that Federal Work Study funds will not pay for any summer hours worked prior to July 1 even if it is at an approved agency.

Information on Federal Work Study and employment requirements can be found at the USF Student Employment website.

For most law students, federal government and private educational loans are the bulk of their financial aid.

USF Students Who Are Visiting Another Law School

USF law students who plan on visiting for a semester, a full year, or a summer program at another ABA-accredited law school are eligible to receive financial aid through USF as long as the host school agrees to enter into a consortium agreement with the USF School of Law. Financial aid will consist of federal and private loans for the fall and spring semesters. Only private loans and Graduate PLUS loans are available during the summer unless the USF law student is graduating the following fall semester.

USF students awarded any USF scholarship and/or grant are not allowed to use such funds while attending another ABA-accredited law school as a visiting student during the normal academic year or during the summer.

In order to be eligible for financial aid as a visiting student, USF law students are required to complete the following:

1. Receive permission from the USF School of Law associate dean of academic affairs granting approval to visit another ABA-accredited law school.
2. Receive official letter of admission as a visiting student at another ABA-accredited law school.
3. Submit a FAFSA application for the appropriate academic year (for example, students needing financial assistance for the 2023-24 academic year, including summer 2024 are required to complete the 2023-24 FAFSA application and should do so as soon as possible).
4. Inform the USF Law School financial Aid Office of your intention to visit at another ABA-accredited law school via email (lawfinaid@usfca.edu) or hard copy letter. Notification must include a copy of the Dean’s permission letter as well as the admission letter from the host school for the visiting term(s). If visiting during the summer, USF students must submit an Intent to Enroll for Summer (ITE) Form 2019 to the law school financial aid office along with the documents noted above. The financial aid office will forward a USF School of Law consortium agreement to the host school's financial aid office requesting enrollment and cost of attendance information. This form must be returned to the USF financial aid administrator in order for USF to process your financial aid. Law students should inform the law school financial aid administrator of their intention to visit at another ABA-accredited law school as soon they are offered admission to the host school.

Once a consortium agreement is received and processed by the law school financial aid administrator, the law student will be notified in writing. Federal and private loan funds are disbursed directly to USF on behalf of the student once each semester for the appropriate visiting term or in two equal installments, once each semester, if visiting for a full year. The earliest scheduled disbursement date is typically the week before the USF School of Law classes begin. The USF Student Accounts Office will issue a tuition payment check to the host school once the loan funds are received by the University. Any excess loan funds are then refunded to the student.  If the host school does not require a direct payment from USF, the entire financial aid disbursement will be refunded to the USF student.

USF law students are responsible for forwarding official enrollment and tuition payment verification to the law school financial aid administrator in order for a check to be issued to the host school and for any excess loan funds to be refunded to the law student. The USF student must have a completed an Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) authorization form on file with the USF Student Accounts Office to receive funds electronically. Otherwise, a paper check refund will be issued to the law student for any excess loan refunds.

Law students visiting at another ABA-accredited law school are responsible for submitting verification of enrollment at the host school to all of their lenders, federal and private. Failure to do so will result in an early repayment schedule of both federal and private loans.

Visiting Students Attending USF

Law students from other ABA-accredited law schools who plan on visiting USF, including the Summer Abroad programs, Intensive Advocacy Program (IAP), and regular summer session may be eligible for financial aid assistance through their home school if their home school enters into a consortium agreement with the USF School of Law.

Visiting law students should contact their home school's financial aid office and request that a consortium agreement be sent to the USF School of Law financial aid administrator. Once the consortium agreement is received, the law school financial aid administrator will certify the amount of funding needed for the designated USF program. It is the visiting student's home school who will determine exactly what type of aid and how much aid will be available to their respective student. If financial aid is available, it is the visiting student's responsibility to insure that their home school submits the appropriate tuition billing payment to the USF Student Accounts Office by the appropriate deadline.

Visiting students are solely responsible for all tuition billing charges. Late charges may be assessed to those visiting students who do not pay their summer tuition bill by the appropriate due date. In order to meet the appropriate tuition deadline, consortium agreements should be sent to the USF School of Law Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.