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CHARLESTON SCHOOL OF LAW

FINANCIAL AID

Funding a legal education can be a daunting task, especially when students are responsible for financing their law school education and living expenses themselves. Need-based scholarships and merit scholarships are awarded by Charleston School of Law to selected students, but the largest forms of financial aid for law students are educational loans.

The amount of loan money students borrow now may affect their career and lifestyle choices when they finish their education. The popular adage says, “If you live like a lawyer while a student, you will live like a student when a lawyer.”

The Charleston School of Law Office of Financial Aid is ready to help students become aware and make informed financial decisions in all areas of student life: budgeting, loan comparisons, notifications of expected refund disbursements, explanation of the consequences of defaulting on student loans, and debt management and consolidation after graduation.

Charleston School of Law is committed to using the Principles & Standards of the College Cost Transparency Initiative in its student financial aid offer.

Students are eligible to receive aid (scholarships, loans, VA benefits, etc.) up to their established cost-of-attendance budget. (A student’s cost-of-attendance budget includes tuition and fees plus a reasonable amount for room and board, books/supplies, and miscellaneous expenses for the academic year). The maximum amount allocated for housing and food, books/supplies, and miscellaneous expenses in 2023-24 is $27,752.

For students who first enrolled between, and including, the fall 2018 and spring 2021 semesters, per semester tuition is $20,550 for full-time J.D. students and $16,512 for part-time J.D. students. For students who entered in fall 2021 or after, per semester tuition is $22,550 for full-time J.D. students and $18,100 for part-time J.D. students. All students pay an annual Student Bar Association fee of $120. 

Beginning fall 2017, and any start term thereafter, each newly enrolled first-year student, and any entering transfer student classified as a first-year student, will pay a Student Success Fee of $914. 

Students who enroll in the spring semester will also pay the per semester tuition rate for their second semester (summer term). For all other J.D. students, tuition for Maymester and Summer semesters is charged on a per credit hour rate. The per credit hour rate for students who entered between, and including, fall 2018 and spring 2021 is $1,580. The per credit hour rate for students who entered in fall 2021 or after is $1,630. Beginning in fall 2023, the per credit hour rate for students who entered in fall 2021 or after is $1,735. 

STUDENT LOAN RESOURCES

Student Loans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness

In this webinar, student Loan expert Heather Jarvis shares how to manage your student debt, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, tax filing status for students and more.

HOW TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID

To apply for federal student aid, you must first file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For an overview of what federal student aid is and how it works, please read Financial Aid for Graduate or Professional Students. You must also complete the Direct Unsubsidized Loan/Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form which will be sent to you by email via an e-signature form. Please see below for additional steps necessary to apply for financial aid for the 2022-23 academic year.

CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT (“CARES ACT”)

This act directs institutions of higher education (“institutions”) to use no less than 50 percent of funds received under Sections 18004(a)(1) and 18004(c) of the CARES Act to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Part of the CARES Act provides an allocation of funding to qualifying institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to qualifying students. The availability of this award is not continuous. Please click here for the CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid Grants Report as of January 29, 2021.

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND (HEERF)

Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Charleston School of Law is a recipient of HEERF II and III funds that must be distributed to students following federal guidelines.  CRRSAA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need.  The grants can be used to help cover expenses related to the cost of attendance or emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, such as but not limited to tuition, food, housing, healthcare, mental health services, or childcare. Additional eligibility requirements are listed below:

  • Must have been enrolled in the Spring 2021 semester as of January 11, 2021.
  • Must be a degree-seeking student.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or Eligible Non-Citizen.
  • Must have a valid 2020-2021 FAFSA on file.

The availability of this award is not continuous. Please click here for the CRRSAA HEERF II Initial Grants Report as of June 9, 2021. Please click here for the CRRSAA HEERF II Final Grants Report as of June 22, 2021. Please click here for the CRRSAA HEERF III Grants Report as of October 9, 2021. Please click here for the CRRSAA HEERF III Final Grants Report as of December 6, 2021.

Please click here for the HEERF Student Grants Report for Quarter Ending December 31, 2021.

For students wishing to apply for federal student loans for the 2022-2023 academic year, The Office of Financial Aid will email the loan request form via an e-signature form to all students in the early part of the summer.

In addition to the e-signature form, students must complete the following steps to apply for federal student loans for Fall 2022 and/or Spring 2023:

Summer Loan Request Forms will be emailed via an e-signature form after Summer Registration opens (except for current Spring starts).

Questions? Contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@charlestonlaw.edu.

Please refer to the Financial Aid Checklist to help guide you through the financial aid process. All students may also apply for need-based scholarship funds through the Office of Admission. You can read more about the need-based scholarship application process here.
 

PRIVATE LOAN RESOURCES

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss private loan options, as well as directions on how to secure loans with a chosen lender.  The Office of Financial Aid can be contacted by email or telephone (843) 377-1102.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

CONTACT INFORMATION

385 Meeting Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29403

financialaid@CharlestonLaw.edu

(843) 377-1102

Team:
Bobby Greer
Director of Financial Aid
Phone: (843) 377-4901

Maureen Santanello
Assistant Director of Financial Aid
Phone: (843) 377-1102

Hours:
The Charleston School of Law Financial Aid office is open  Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome, but students with appointments are guaranteed to meet with a financial aid counselor.