If you want to apply for federal student loan funding to help cover your educational expenses, complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov for the applicable academic year. You can find tips on completing the FAFSA at studentaid.gov.

All graduate students are considered independent when determining federal student loan eligibility so parental financial data will not be required on the FAFSA. If you are married, your spouse will need to contribute their information to your FAFSA.

First, create your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID)

To complete the FAFSA, you will need to have an active account at studentaid.gov (also known as an FSA ID). Not only will this account allow you to complete the FAFSA, but you'll also use this account to finalize various loan documents during your time at UChicago Law and review your federal student aid history and dashboard. If you do not have an active StudentAid.gov account, you should create an account as soon as possible.

If you are married and your spouse does not yet have an active account, they will also need to create an account. 

Once your account is confirmed, submit your FAFSA

Log into studentaid.gov with your StudentAid.gov account to submit the FAFSA for the applicable academic year. When completing your FAFSA, add the University of Chicago's federal school code (001774) so that we will receive your FAFSA results.

If you are married, it is strongly recommended that you (the student) start the FAFSA and complete your section first. You (the student) will enter your spouse's information in your section of the FAFSA and then once you submit your section, your spouse will receive an email invitation from the Department of Education to log into your FAFSA with their own StudentAid.gov account to complete their section. Your FAFSA will not be considered complete and submitted until both you and your spouse submit these separate portions. 

You (and your spouse, if applicable) will need to provide consent and approval in the FAFSA to allow the Department of Education to obtain your federal tax information automatically from the IRS. If you (or your spouse, if applicable) do not give this consent, the Department of Education will be unable to process your FAFSA submission and you will not be eligible for federal student loan funding. You can find more information about the federal tax information disclosure consent at studentaid.gov.

Review your FAFSA Submission Summary

After the FAFSA is submitted and processed, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary from the Department of Education that will outline the information from your FAFSA and include your "Student Aid Index", or SAI. You can review the status of your FAFSA by logging into studentaid.gov. UChicago will receive your FAFSA information from the Department of Education when you receive your FAFSA Submission Summary.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Financial aid packaging and FAFSA processing for the 2026-2027 academic year was paused in mid-April 2026 while our system is being updated to reflect the new regulations and federal loan changes from the OBBBA. We expect our system to be updated and ready to package financial aid and process incoming FAFSAs by late June 2026.

Once you receive your FAFSA Submission Summary, review it for any incorrect information; if there is a mistake in the information you reported on your FAFSA, make a correction to your FAFSA online at studentaid.gov.

Monitor Your UChicago Email for Outstanding Issues

If there are additional steps you need to take once the Financial Aid Office has received and reviewed your FAFSA, we will send an email to your UChicago email account. We will also add these outstanding items to your To-Do Items list in your my.UChicago portal. 

Required documentation will vary depending on the situation, but may include completion of additional University forms or submission of identification documents, tax documents, and/or citizenship documentation. Students should submit any additional requested information or documentation as soon as possible. Federal aid processing cannot be completed until this information or documentation has been submitted to the Law School Financial Aid Office. 

In some cases, students are required to submit additional forms and/or documents as part of the verification process. Federal verification is a process that requires the University to collect additional information or documentation to confirm the accuracy of the data provided on a student’s FAFSA before federal aid can be disbursed. If the documentation doesn't match the data reported on the FAFSA, we will be required to update your FAFSA to reflect the verified data.

After the Financial Aid Office reviews and processes your aid application, we will send a notification email to your UChicago email account when your aid package is ready to review in your my.UChicago portal. Your aid package notification email will outline your financial assistance for the relevant academic year, as well as your cost of attendance and next steps. You can find more information about your financial aid package and the steps to respond to the aid package on our website.

Accept or Decline Unsubsidized Loan Offer

If you have been offered a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you will need to accept, decline, and/or reduce this loan offer in your my.UChicago portal.

You can find more information about the Unsubsidized Loan, including information on borrowing limits, interest rates, and fees, on our Federal Student Loans website.

Complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Application (JD Classes of 2027 and 2028 only)

Continuing students who wish to apply for the Graduate PLUS Loan are required to complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Application at studentaid.gov. A credit check (valid for 180 days) is required for the Graduate PLUS Loan and is immediately run by the Department of Education when you submit the PLUS Loan Application. The Financial Aid Office will receive notification of your PLUS Application a few days later and if approved, we will accept the loan on your aid package on your behalf for the amount you indicate in the PLUS Loan Application. 

You can find more information about the Graduate PLUS Loan, including information on borrowing limits, interest rates, and fees, on our Federal Student Loans website.

There are additional steps to complete in order to finish the Federal Direct loan application process if you are borrowing federal student loans as a graduate/professional student for the first time. 

First Time Borrower

If you are a first-time Federal Direct loan borrower, you must complete Master Promissory Notes (MPNs) and Entrance Counseling in order to receive a Federal Direct Unsubsidized or Graduate PLUS Loan. Entrance Counseling only needs to be completed once and an MPN is valid for ten years.

• Complete an MPN for Federal Direct Unsubsidized and/or Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan borrowers
  • There are two MPNs for graduate/professional students for both loan programs (Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS). Be sure to complete both MPNs if you are borrowing both loans.
  • When completing an MPN and selecting the school from the drop-down menu, please select the option that reads: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (THE)
• Complete Student Loan Entrance Counseling as a graduate/professional student.

Continuing Borrower

If you previously borrowed Federal Direct student loan funding as a graduate/professional student, whether at the University of Chicago or at another institution, you usually not need to complete a new MPN or Entrance Counseling. If you do, you will receive an email notification from the Financial Aid Office once your loan has been accepted and processed.

Before considering a private student loan, students should maximize their Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility first. Information on Federal Direct Loans and the current fixed interest rates, repayment options, borrowing maximums, and other terms can be found on the Federal Student Aid website. More information about loan considerations is available on our Private Student Loan webpage.

If you would like to borrow a private student loan from an outside lender, you should thoroughly review your lending options. The University has gathered a preferred lender list to help students identify possible lenders to research further. Private student loans can be borrowed in combination with federal student loans, up to the student's remaining cost of attendance.

JD students and families can use ELMSelect to compare Law School lending options from the lenders included on the University's preferred lender list. ELMSelect has the option to compare lenders and loans, and the information is updated by the lenders. You can also start an application with your chosen lender directly through ELMSelect.

Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions about the private/alternative student loan process.

Once you are approved for a private student loan, you will need to complete a Private Student Loan Form in your my.UChicago portal to alert our office of your chosen lender and loan amount. The 2026-2027 form will be available in my.UChicago once we begin sending official financial aid package notifications in late June 2026, and we will update this page with instructions once the form is available.

After you submit the Private Loan Form to our office, we will we will calculate your eligible loan amount based on your requested amount or your Cost of Attendance minus other financial aid received, whichever is less. We'll then add the loan to your aid package in my.UChicago and process your private loan with your chosen lender (which includes certifying your enrollment eligibility and scheduling the loan disbursement dates). If you need to do anything more with our office once this form has been submitted, we will follow up via email. 

The lender will then reach out to you directly with required application and approval disclosure information, as well as any final lender disclosures and right to cancel information. Review these disclosures and contact your lender with any questions.

If you will be using private student loan funding, your lender should provide you with a self-certification form to complete and return to them. The Private Loan Self-Certification Form can be used if a lender-specific form was not provided to you, but this form must be returned to your lender. The Law School cannot accept these forms for your lender. 

Report aid from other sources (AmeriCorps, tuition assistance, outside scholarships, etc.) that are not listed on your financial aid package to our office via your my.UChicago portal. You may report this assistance by navigating to "My Financial Aid" and clicking "Report Aid from Other Sources". 

Based on the amount and type of aid you are receiving, we may need to make adjustments to your loans. Those adjustments will typically be made within a week of when you reported the aid and you will receive an email notification if/when any adjustments have been made. You are not required to report institutional aid from another UChicago department or division, as that is reported internally.