Types of Financial Aid
A variety of resources are available to assist Capital Law students with funding their education:
- Federal Loans
- Scholarships
- Federal Work-Study
- Veteran’s Educational Benefits/GI BillTM
- Employer Tuition Reimbursement
- Private Loans
- Personal Savings
The majority of financial aid funding comes from Federal Loans. In the 2015-2016 academic year, 95% of Capital Law students used federal loans to fund a portion or all of their education and living expenses. We encourage all prospective and current students to consider federal loans.
Law students are eligible for two types of Federal loans: The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
All students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens are guaranteed a maximum of $20,500 per academic year in Stafford Loan. Borrowers do not need to pass a credit check to receive funding. The loan is assessed an origination fee by the federal government on each disbursal and interest begins accruing as soon as funds are disbursed.
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans
Graduate PLUS loans may be used to cover the difference between the Cost of Attendance for your program and all other financial aid. For example, if the total cost of attendance for your program is $55,000 and you have a Stafford Loan of $20,500, you may be eligible to borrow up to $34,500 of Graduate PLUS. Borrowers need to pass a credit check to qualify. The loan is assessed an origination fee by the federal government on each disbursal and interest begins accruing as soon as funds are disbursed.
The Student Loan Fact Sheet provides additional information on each loan: Loan Fact Sheet
Scholarships
All applicants admitted to the JD program are considered for Institutional Scholarships. Scholarship decisions are based primarily on undergraduate academic performance and LSAT scores. Awards range from $3,000 to $30,000. Funds are applied to a student's account in two equal disbursements in the fall and spring semesters. Scholarship funds are not available for use during the summer term. These merit-based scholarships are renewable each year if the student meets the minimum renewal criteria. Institutional scholarships cannot exceed the cost of tuition.
Continuing students have the opportunity to earn additional funds through Endowed Scholarships. Endowed Scholarships are awarded per the donor’s specific criteria. While some require a formal application others may not. In those cases, all students who meet the general criteria will be considered for funding. The cycle for scholarships requiring an application begins early spring semester. Scholarship recipients are notified mid-summer and funds are applied to a student's account in two equal disbursements in the fall and spring semesters. Endowed Scholarship funds are not available for use during the summer and in general, endowed scholarships are not renewable.
NOTE: Many endowed scholarships require that a student’s financial need be considered. In order to determine need, a review of the current FAFSA information is required. All students who wish to be considered for endowed funds should complete an annual FAFSA.
All students may apply for Outside Scholarships. Capital University Law School maintains a list of scholarships available through businesses, associations, and private donors from around the country. Amounts, deadlines, and criteria can be found on the individual organization websites. Capital University Law School receives new scholarship information throughout the year. Students should regularly monitor this list.
Federal Work-Study
Students who demonstrate financial need have the opportunity to participate in the Federal Work Study program. Students earn wages while gaining useful skills as faculty research assistants, library assistants, and experience in a variety of administrative offices. If you are interested in participating in the Federal Work-Study program, contact the Law School Office of Financial Aid.
Veteran’s Educational Benefits
Eligibility for veteran and dependent education benefits is determined by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. You must be admitted to the university and registered for courses in a degree-seeking program before you can be certified for veterans and dependent education benefits. Eligible students must submit their Certificate of Eligibility from the VA to the Financial Aid Office to be certified for benefits.
Capital University Law School is proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program which provides education benefits to military veterans who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001.
Capital University provides matching awards up to $6,000 annually to eligible veterans.
Employer Tuition Reimbursement
Capital University Law School offers matching funds of up to $5,250 per year to students who receive employer tuition reimbursement. The CapLaw Partners program and the Professionals in Law program provide our working professionals the opportunity to reduce the cost of obtaining a legal education.
Summer Aid:
If you will need financial aid for your summer classes, the following checklist and information will be beneficial for successfully processing aid in a timely manner. Please see the checklist below:
- File your FAFSA
- Enroll (and attend) at least half-time (4 credit hours) in courses at the same level as your program to be eligible for aid.
- Once you have received your award letter outlining your loan eligibility you will complete a Summer Loan Request form and return the form to the Office of Financial Aid. If you will be receiving a refund also complete the Refund Request form.
Law students will be eligible to borrow Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans during the summer semester if they meet the enrollment requirement.
Alternative Loans:
Alternative loans cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance for your program. Capital University Law School can only provide financial aid (scholarships, discounts, federal aid, tuition match, etc.) up to the cost of attendance for your program.
If you plan to cover tuition and living expenses solely with funding provided through Capital, you will need to budget accordingly, so your expenses do not exceed the maximum amount of financial aid provided by Capital.
Educational Loans may come from federal loans (Stafford Unsubsidized or Graduate PLUS), or alternative sources such as Sallie Mae, Discover, Citizens Bank, your bank or credit union, and others. Educational loans will post to your Capital account, but the total funding disbursed through Capital will not exceed your program’s cost of attendance. Educational loans from alternative lenders will not translate into additional refunds.
All students should examine their budget and attempt to stay within the cost of attendance for their program. However, if you plan to seek additional loans to cover living expenses you will need to get a personal/private loan. This is very different from an educational loan.
A personal loan is money that the lender will forward to you directly. These loans are not processed through Capital and do not require verification of enrollment. Most personal loans require credit checks, interest rates will vary from lender to lender and you will be required to make monthly payments on that loan.
Carefully read the loan agreement and payment schedules before accepting any loan. If you’re unsure of the differences between an educational loan and a private loan, please contact the Office of Financial Aid for assistance.