Understanding Your Aid Package
The Law Financial Aid Office processes applications in chronological order, based on the date received. After reviewing and processing your 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. The email will list your aid awards/offers and the quarters in which the funds will be available to you.
Cost of Attendance
A standard cost of attendance is determined by the Law Financial Aid Office each academic year for all degree programs at the Law School and will be outlined in the aid package notification email and in your my.UChicago portal. The cost of attendance sets the maximum amount of financial aid a student can receive in a given academic year and is a total based on:
- The actual tuition rates and fees for your program
- UChicago student health insurance plan (U-SHIP) premium
- Average costs for living expenses (housing and food), textbooks, personal expenses, transportation, and federal student loan fees
You can find a breakdown of the current cost of attendance on our website.
Responding To Your Financial Aid Package Notification
Your aid package notification email outlines your financial assistance for the relevant academic year, as well as any next steps you need to take in the "My Financial Aid" section of your my.UChicago portal and/or at studentaid.gov. We encourage you to complete the items listed on your my.UChicago portal checklist and in your aid package notification email as soon as possible, but no later than three (3) weeks prior to the start of the Autumn quarter (or Winter/Spring, if not borrowing for Autumn quarter).
Scholarship funding is automatically accepted on your behalf.
You can accept, decline, and/or reduce your Unsubsidized Loan offer in your my.UChicago portal. Students cannot accept their Grad PLUS Loan offer in their my.UChicago portal but you may decline your Grad PLUS loan offer in the portal if you choose not to borrow this loan. Students who wish to accept all or a portion of the Grad PLUS loan offer must complete the Federal Direct PLUS Loan Application after receiving their aid package notification email. Once we receive your completed and approved Federal Direct PLUS Application, we will accept the loan on your aid package on your behalf.
New Unsubsidized Loan borrowers must also complete both the Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) and the Student Loan Entrance Counseling; choose the "graduate/professional student" option when completing each task.
New Grad PLUS borrowers must also complete the Federal Direct PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) and the Student Loan Entrance Counseling; choose the "graduate/professional student" option when completing each task.
Your loan funds will not disburse to your student account if you have not accepted your loan offer(s) and/or completed the required documents listed on your package notification email and my.UChicago portal checklist.
Your Obligations in Regards to Your Aid Package
Once your aid package has been released, you must notify the Law School Financial Aid Office of any changes in your enrollment or external financial resources.
Receipt of Additional Outside Financial Assistance
It is your responsibility to report any outside assistance (grants, tuition assistance, scholarships, outside financial resources, etc.) you will receive to the Law Financial Aid Office that aren’t listed on your aid package. You may report this assistance in your my.UChicago portal by navigating to "My Financial Aid" and clicking "Report Aid from Other Sources".
If the University receives external funding on your behalf, it will be processed by the Bursar's Office and subsequently added to your financial aid package by the Financial Aid Office. You'll receive a notification from the Financial Aid Office once the funding has been added to your aid package.
We may need to adjust your financial aid package based on the aid reported or received on your behalf. You can find more information about outside scholarships or other external awards on our website.
Reporting Enrollment Changes
Notify the Law School's Financial Aid Office if you have any enrollment changes, as that could impact your financial aid. Bear in mind that the Law School requires all JD and LLM students to be in residence, full-time, for nine quarters of no fewer than nine (9) credit hours per quarter. Dual degree students can find more information about enrollment and residency requirements on the Law School's website.
Tuition Bill and Refunds
Tuition, fees, and other charges are billed on a quarterly basis by the Bursar's Office and are reflected both on your University student account and the advance tuition bill you will receive from the Bursar's Office each quarter. You can view tuition billing dates and information about the billing process on the Bursar's website.
Scholarships and loan funding will be reflected on your advance tuition bill for each quarter. Financial aid is disbursed (paid out) to your student account to cover tuition and other eligible fees for a given quarter approximately ten (10) days prior to the start of the quarter, as long as you have completed all necessary aid steps. If your aid application is incomplete and/or loan documents remain outstanding, your funds will not disburse to your student account. Review your checklist in your my.UChicago portal or contact the Financial Aid Office if you believe your application is incomplete.
Your advance tuition bill from the Bursar's Office will be credited with the estimated amount of your federal student loan funding and will not reflect deductions for origination/loan fees.
Any remaining balance due per your bill and/or student account must be paid with the Bursar's Office or covered with additional financial aid. Student accounts not paid by the deadline stated by the Bursar's Office are subject to late payment fees. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions about your financial aid package, and contact the Bursar's Office if you have any questions about your balance due or your bill.
Availability of Funds/Refunds
Financial aid is disbursed to your student account at the beginning of each quarter in which you are enrolled. Refunds resulting from excess disbursed financial aid are generally available beginning the first week of the quarter, provided you are enrolled at least nine (9) credit hours. At the beginning of each quarter, you may need to support yourself until your excess financial aid becomes available as a refund. Please visit the Bursar’s website for more information regarding excess aid refunds, including how to set up direct deposit in your my.UChicago portal.
If you received a stipend award, you will also need to complete additional setup steps in Workday, the University's stipend/employee system. The University will be in touch via email with more information about any steps that need to be completed via Workday to finalize stipend payout, but you can also find more information about these steps on the UChicagoGRAD website.
Financial Responsibility Agreement and Refund Policy
The Financial Responsibility Agreement outlines policies and procedures governing the management of your student account at the University of Chicago. Students are required to confirm their review and agreement to these polices once during their academic career. Failure to review and agree will result in restriction of future registration. You will be requested to complete this checklist item with the Bursar's Office in your my.UChicago portal.