1. Tuition Fellowships

At Stanford Law School, tuition fellowships are synonymous with grants. They provide the neediest students with a direct grant covering up to one hundred percent of their annual tuition. Students are eligible for fellowship aid for no more than 9 quarters. The fellowship appears as a credit on your tuition bill with one-third of the total fellowship being applied each quarter. The fellowship is tax-free and is automatically accepted on your behalf.

Tuition fellowship recipients are expected to borrow or earn the first increment of their need. For 2026-2027, this figure -referred to as self-help- is $59,500 for all students. Self-help is based upon the demand for and availability of tuition fellowship funds in a given year. It is important to note that the self-help figure is subject to an annual adjustment of at least $3,000. The self-help portion of a student’s need is financed with loan funds.

Effective 2022-2023, we will cover all the tuition costs for JD students with family income below 200% of the poverty guideline and whose assets are below $150,000. This funding will also cover the University’s Health Services Fee (not the health insurance, however) and the law school’s student services fee. This funding is intended to help those with very substantial need. All of our need-based funding is assessed annually and this new fund will be awarded on an annual basis as well. To be considered for this full tuition funding, you must file all of the required documents needed for an aid review including the submission of the requested tax returns. If you are considered independent based on our policy and wish to be considered for this funding, you must submit all required parental documents so that we may properly assess your parents’ financial information. If you are married, your spouse’s income and assets will be reviewed as part of the process. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances that may warrant consideration for this funding, please reach out to our office. Because this is still considered a part of our overall need-based financial aid program, all aid policies and practices apply to recipients.

Tuition fellowship assistance is provided only when you are enrolled as a student here at the Law School. On rare occasions, a student may be given permission to visit at another law school for an academic term based on extenuating personal circumstances. In this situation, a student will not be eligible for fellowship assistance and must instead rely on loan funding only.

Students who have the benefit of tuition fellowship assistance are asked to acknowledge a moral obligation to help future students who will need tuition fellowship aid. This obligation is not legally binding and, as a moral obligation, it is tempered by recognition of the realities of financial capacity. Thus, graduates who pursue relatively low-paying public service employment would usually not be able to contribute as generously as others. The aim of the moral obligation acknowledgment is to assure that financial need will not be a barrier to an education at Stanford Law School.

There are two principal sources of tuition fellowship funds. The first is the Law School’s tuition fellowship endowment which consists of nearly one hundred and fifty separate funds that have been acquired through legacies and gifts. The remainder of the tuition fellowship budget is funded by current gifts to the Law School from individuals and organizations, including a number of law firms. The School’s vehicle for annual giving, the Stanford Law Fund, accounts for a substantial portion of these gifts. Each fall, the Office of Financial Aid provides tuition fellowship recipients with the names of their particular donors.

2. Long-Term Loans

Students are eligible to borrow from a range of programs to finance their education – covering both tuition and living expenses.  Through tuition fellowship and/or loans, students can meet the full cost of attendance.  Keep in mind that the total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance less any resources or other aid.

The Office of Financial Aid packages the following loan options:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan (available to all students)
2. Federal Direct PLUS Loan and/or private alternative loan, referred to as “Graduate Loan” on your Financial Aid Notification (available to returning students who are current borrowers)
3. The  “Graduate Loan” will reflect only alternative loan options for first-year students as the Federal Direct PLUS Loan is no longer available to new borrowers

Starting in Fall 2026, entering law students are eligible for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan up to the annual maximum amount of $50,000.  Interest rates and origination fees are published by the U.S. Department of Education by July 1st of each year.

Returning students continue with the current federal student program for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan (maximum of $20,500).  Interest accrues on the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan upon disbursement.  The current 2025-2026 interest rate on Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans is fixed at 7.94%. A 1.057% origination fee is deducted by the Department of Education prior to funds disbursing to Stanford Law School.  Applicable interest rates will be updated on July 1, 2026.

Beginning on July 1, 2026, The Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan will be discontinued for all new borrowers.  The Law School is actively exploring alternative options to replace the Federal Grad PLUS loan and will notify new borrowers when terms are finalized.

Returning students who are continuing in their existing degree program remain eligible for new Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan through the end of their program of study.  These students are considered legacy borrowers and must have been registered and in attendance in the spring of 2026 and have borrowed a Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan for their current program of study prior to July 1, 2026.  The annual limit on a Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan is equal to your cost of attendance minus any other financial aid.  Interest accrues upon disbursement of the loan, and the current 2025-2026 interest rate was fixed at 8.94%.  A 4.228% origination fee is deducted by the Department of Education prior to funds disbursing to Stanford Law School.

Students may also elect to borrow private alternative loans. The yearly limit is equal to your cost of attendance minus any other financial aid.  Interest accrues upon disbursement of the loan, and the interest rate is variable.  Origination fees are usually not charged on private alternative loans; however, repayment terms vary by lender.

3. Federal Work-Study for Summer Public Interest Employment

The Federal Work-Study program supports returning students working in public interest jobs during the summer. Students will be considered eligible for Federal Work-Study grants if they qualify for at least $16,500 in need-based federal loan eligibility, meaning they have an SAI of no more than $121,377 as determined by FAFSA. Federal Work-Study recipients are paid a salary and must work for at least 10 weeks in a full-time law-related public interest position during the summer. This includes jobs with tax-exempt 501(c) organizations and government entities. Please contact the Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law for more information.