This is the final article in our six-part law school guide (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). See also our general policy graduate school advice and policy master’s guide.

Tuition and fees for law school programs vary widely. As of 2023, some state universities were offering in-state tuition and fees totaling less than $25,000 per year, while the total for many highly-ranked private law schools was nearly $70,000 per year, not including room and board expenses. Most students cover some of the cost of attendance using a combination of need-based scholarships, merit-based scholarships, and loans. 

Remember that the price of a graduate degree includes both the direct costs (tuition, living costs, health care, books, etc.) and the foregone income from (partially) leaving the workforce.

Institutional scholarships

Most law schools offer merit- and need-based scholarships that can significantly reduce the cost of attendance below the “sticker price.” (But notably, Yale and Harvard do not offer merit-based scholarships and Stanford has just one merit-based scholarship program, which is highly competitive and requires an application much earlier than the normal deadline for law school applications.)

Merit-based scholarships often (but not always) go to candidates with undergraduate GPAs and LSAT or GRE scores that are significantly above the medians for the school’s incoming class. These scholarships can be extremely valuable: The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, as one example, covers up to three years of tuition at Stanford, plus a stipend, for a total value in the range of $200,000.

Some private foundations also provide scholarships for people pursuing law degrees—see lists like these—including some specifically for law students from underrepresented groups.

Federal financial aid

If you’re a US citizen or permanent resident you may be eligible for some federal need-based grants and reduced-rate loans. Some of them don’t require payment until six months after graduation and will lend you spending money on top of tuition money.

Students have to apply each year using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can apply here by your state’s deadline. This is one helpful FAFSA guide, including an FAQ and eligibility requirements.

Loans and loan forgiveness programs

Most law students take out loans to finance the cost of tuition. Some students find that they can borrow to finance their law school education at a lower interest rate than was available to them as undergraduates, in part because the cohort of JD-holders has a higher average earning potential than the cohort of people with bachelor’s degrees.

Before looking into private loan options, consider the Federal Direct and Grad PLUS loan options available from the US Department of Education. These are the first stop for many law school borrowers, and even if you end up choosing another option, it can help to understand the terms of the federal loans as a baseline.

Because the amount being financed is so large, small differences in loan interest rates can make a substantial difference in the total cost of law school for someone taking out loans. If you are considering private loan options, be sure to compare interest rates available from different lenders. (But note that some private loan options with attractive interest rates may not be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, discussed below.)

Candidates interested in government or nonprofit work should study the requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), a program through which the federal government will pay off any remaining loan balances after the borrower has made 10 years of payments. The requirements have some nuances, and it is essential to understand the program completely before relying on this option. Here is a summary of requirements from the program website: “To qualify for PSLF, you must

• be employed by a US federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization (federal service includes US military service);
• work full-time for that agency or organization;
• have Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan);
• repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan*; and
• make 120 qualifying payments.”

Some law schools also have loan forgiveness policies for people working in public interest jobs that are more generous than the federal PSLF. The details of these programs vary widely and change from year to year, but most provide financial assistance based on a graduate’s job category, income, and debt burden. As one example, Harvard Law School graduates who enter nonprofit or government work and have incomes below a certain threshold are eligible for that school’s Low Income Protection Plan. At certain schools, these programs are relatively generous and can place graduates’ take-home (after-tax, after-loan payments) incomes in the ballpark of $40,000, and sometimes more. People who remain eligible for and continue to participate in these programs often have any remaining loan balances forgiven after 10 years. 

If you are intending to rely on any of these financial assistance programs, it is important to understand each program’s details as fully as possible before enrolling in a law school.

Application fee waivers

While they are small relative to the cost of tuition, law school application fees can add up to hundreds of dollars for applicants applying to multiple schools. You can apply for need-based fee waivers directly from the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Some law schools may also send you unsolicited fee waivers based on your LSAT and GPA if you opt into allowing LSAC to share your application information with law schools.

Do a master’s or PhD instead of a law degree

If you’re interested in policy work but would struggle to finance a top law degree, consider instead doing a policy master’s program or possibly a PhD. 

Policy master’s can be significantly cheaper than law degrees for several reasons: (1) they generally take only 2 years (instead of 3 years for law school); (2) the annual tuition cost of the top policy master’s programs is often substantially lower than for the top law degrees; (3) many top policy master’s offer substantial financial aid, with Yale and Princeton offering 100% aid; (4) some policy master’s programs are designed to allow you to work part-time or even full-time, providing an income and significantly reducing the “lost income cost” of graduate school; and (5) there are some good and relatively cheap graduate school abroad, especially in in the UK and Europe.  

Most US PhDs are fully funded, meaning that they not only pay for your tuition but also provide a fellowship (to cover living costs) and/or an assistantship (to pay you for working as a teaching assistant). The first two years of most US PhD programs focus on classes, the successful completion of which gives you a master’s degree as part of the PhD program.

In principle, you could get a fully-funded master’s degree by enrolling in a PhD program and dropping out after two years. But there are several downsides to this path. Pursuing this as a strategy may be unethical as it involves applying for PhDs under false pretenses. You’re also much less likely to be admitted to the PhD program or find an academic advisor if they suspect you’re only interested in a master’s degree. Finally, while completing the initial 2-year course phase of most PhD programs counts as equivalent to completing a master’s degree, the course structure and content can differ greatly. In particular, the PhD course phase typically focuses on teaching research methods, which could be much less relevant if you aim to become a policy practitioner.

We generally recommend this path only to people who are seriously considering actually completing a PhD, or who already enrolled but changed their minds about their preferred career path.

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