As you probably imagined, law school can be very expensive. The cost of a three-year law school education could exceed $150,000 at a more expensive school. Tuition can range from a few thousand dollars a year to over $30,000 a year. But, you should not let a lack of money stop you from pursuing your dream of becoming an attorney.

In fact, few law students are able to pay for their entire law school education while they are in school. Rather, most law students finance law school through loans, both from the federal government or private sources. In addition, financial assistance may be available in the form of scholarships, grants, and work-study.

Educational loans will likely be your primary source of financial aid. Loans from the government and private sources are available to qualified individuals at low and moderate interest rates. Federal Stafford loans (subsidized loans) are available to qualifying students. Under this type of loan, the federal government pays your interest while you are in school and you do not begin paying back the loan until six months after you graduate from law school. To obtain loans, in particular, private loans, it is very important that you have a good credit score or history. Therefore, you want to pay all your debts and be very careful not to default on your financial obligations.

A scholarship or grant is a financial award that does not have to be repaid. Scholarships or grants may be given on the basis of need or merit, or both. Opportunities for scholarships include those awarded by individual law schools, bar associations, business organizations, foundations, racial and ethnic minority organizations, religious organizations, veteran's groups, and community groups. Although scholarships and grants are great, they are also difficult to obtain. You will need to take the initiative in identifying scholarships and grants for which you qualify and then apply for them early.

You may also be able to work part-time to pay for your law school education. Although it is difficult to work during law school, many individuals have successfully completed law school while working. When applying for law school you should determine whether or not the law school will allow you to work part-time because most law schools will not allow you to work part or full-time during your first year of law school.

The best source for information regarding paying for law school is your law school's financial aid office. The individuals working in the financial aid office are committed to helping you find a way to pay for law school and will be able to help explain the process. Many financial aid offices also have websites that contain information that you will need in locating financial aid.

You can also find useful information regarding financing a law school education from the following entities:

LSAC - www.lsac.org
U.S. Department of Labor - www.ed.gov
The Smart StudentTM Guide to Financial Aid - www.finaid.org
National Association of Law Placement - www.nalp.org
National Association for Public Interest Law - www.equaljusticeworks.org

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