Tuition in 2008-09 is $40,880 and will rise in 2009-10. Tuition is due in August and December.
For single students, room and board in University residences costs approximately $17,100 for the school year. Required books, if purchased new, cost about $1,770 a year. Local transportation, clothing, recreation, and the like are more variable items, but most single students will find that they need to budget a total of at least $64,118 for the school year.
Students are required to have laptop computers and are advised to have a printer and modem. In addition to using the laptop computer to write papers and create spreadsheets, students will have the opportunity to take examinations on laptop computers and will receive administrative notices only via electronic mail. Students will be able to purchase a laptop computer from the Stanford Bookstore through a special program with the law school. Students who must purchase a laptop computer to meet this requirement are eligible to have their financial aid budgets increased by as much as $3,300. Only specific computers will meet the needs of the law school's computing systems.
The purpose of student financial aid is to assist students who would otherwise be unable to pursue a legal education at Stanford. Approximately 80 percent of the student body receives tuition fellowship or loan assistance, with the average fellowship portion per recipient totaling about $20,000 annually. Aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need and is provided through a combination of tuition fellowships, government guaranteed loans, private loans, and university loans appropriate to the circumstances of each student.
Financial aid applicants should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Need Access application soon after January 1. The FAFSA is a service of the U.S. Department of Education and is free to all applicants. Please note that the Title IV School Code for Stanford Law School is E00341. The completion of both applications is required by March 15 in order to receive an aid package prior to the May 1st admissions response deadline.
The FAFSA may also be obtained from most college and university financial aid offices or by writing
Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
The Need Access application may be provided via diskette and is available by calling Access Group at 800 282.1550.
In general, the financial award system operates as follows: Each year the school determines a standard budget to cover basic costs (tuition plus living expenses). Each student's need is calculated by subtracting reported resources from the standard budget. These resources include one-third of reported assets; 57% of summer gross earnings over $6,000; assumed earnings of spouse (if married); and an imputed parental contribution (based on the Need Access analysis) if the student is dependent. Each student is then expected to borrow or otherwise raise a portion of this need, with the remainder being an outright grant, subject to a limit of full tuition. Financial aid is evaluated annually; one cannot, therefore, be guaranteed the same level of aid over three years of attendance.
In determining eligibility for tuition fellowships, if a student qualifies as financially independent from his or her parents for the past three years, the imputed parental contribution is 75 percent of the Need Access analysis amount; for four years, 50 percent; for five years, 25 percent; and for six years, there is no imputed parental contribution in calculating a student's financial resources.
Loans available to law students come primarily from two governmental programs: Federal Perkins Loans and Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. All graduate and professional students are independent for purposes of determining federal loan eligibility. In addition, long-term, unsubsidized loans are made available by lenders.
Additional financial aid information is provided in the School's Financial Aid Handbook.
The following forms will be provided by the Office of Financial Aid as necessary but are available here if additional copies are needed:
Due to the nature of federal, state, and institutional guidelines, this information is subject to change without notice.
Stanford law students planning public service careers may obtain Public Service Fellowships for their second and third years of school. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of demonstrated commitment to public service, intention to seek permanent employment in public service, academic achievement in law studies, and demonstrated financial need. The Law School's fellowship program provides tuition assistance when significant debt is being incurred.
In addition to various fellowships, Stanford Law School offers the most generous loan relief program in the country—The Miles and Nancy Rubin Loan Forgiveness Program—to graduates who take low-paying public interest jobs and have substantial educational debt. Stanford was one of the first law schools in the country to launch such a program, setting the standard for a number of law schools that have followed its lead. The school makes loans to eligible applicants to help meet education loan payments. The loans made by Stanford through this program will be forgiven (up to 100 percent) depending on the number of years the graduate stays in a qualifying job. Visit the LRAP section for additional information.