Student Loans

If you are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have been granted political asylum and are interested in securing student loans through Temple, you may be eligible to borrow federal student loans through the U.S. Department of Education.

Students who need to be certified by the University to obtain student loans, or to qualify for deferment of payment on prior student loans, may be required to register at least half-time (5 credits per semester during the fall and spring semesters; 4 credit hours during the summer session) per semester.

Learn more about Federal & Private Student Loans »

All applicants for financial aid must submit a FAFSA  form and complete the online Graduate Law Student Financial Aid Request Form. Students can apply for the federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans and/or the federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan online at www.studentaid.gov. Refer to the Financial Aid Information section below for more details.

For information regarding financial assistance, please call the Law School Financial Aid Office at (215) 204-8943 or e-mail at lwfinaid@temple.edu.

Graduate Law Student Financial Aid Information

Borrowing Limits

Students enrolled at least half-time (5 credits per semester during the fall and spring semesters; 4 credit hours during the summer session) are allowed to borrow up to the cost of attendance for the academic year, which includes tuition and fees, room/board, books/supplies, and miscellaneous living expenses for the 9 months (fall and spring) or 12 months (summer, fall and spring) that you are enrolled in school. You will be able to borrow enough to cover your tuition and fees (which is based on the number of credits that you register for) plus the amount included in the cost of attendance for room/board, books/supplies, and living expenses, which is approximately an additional $20,000. Please note: you must apply for financial aid each academic year. If you continue in the program the following summer and/or academic year and need student loans, you will need to complete new financial aid forms for the next academic term.

Federal Student Loan Types

The federal Direct Stafford Loan is the main type of student loan offered by the government. The maximum loan amount that graduate/professional students can borrow each academic year from the Stafford loan is $20,500. You may be able to borrow additional funding, up to the cost of attendance, through the federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. The Graduate PLUS loan requires a credit check and your credit must be approved in order to qualify for the loan. You can apply with a credit-worthy endorser (co-signer) if you are not approved on your own credit. To apply for a Graduate PLUS loan, you must complete a Graduate PLUS loan application and a separate Graduate PLUS Loan MPN online at www.studentaid.gov. Please go to Federal and Private Loan Programs for more information about student loans options.

Loan Disbursements

Any financial aid you receive for the academic year will be split equally among the semesters for which you are enrolled and applied directly to your student tuition bill each semester. Any loan funds that you borrow in excess of tuition and fees will be sent directly to you as a student loan refund and can be used to pay for living expenses. Refunds are generally issued during the first week of class for each semester. To receive the refund via direct deposit, you will need to select your refund option through Student Choice Refunds which you can access online through TUPortal (you must have an activated Temple email account to access TUPortal). Once you access TUPortal, go to Student Tools, then select TUPay, and then select Student Choice Refunds. If you do not sign up for direct deposit, you will receive your student loan refund in a paper check which will be mailed to you.

Students who do not meet the citizenship requirement to receive federal student loans can apply for private educational loans. Many private educational lenders provide loans to foreign students with credit worthy co-signers who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. Information on private loans for international students is available on websites such as:

International students may also contact the Law School Financial Aid Office at 215-204-8943 or e-mail at lwfinaid@temple.edu, or the Office of Graduate and International Programs at 215-204-1448 or intllaw@temple.edu for additional information.

Scholarships

Public Interest Scholarships for LL.M. in Trial Advocacy Students

A number of partial scholarships to the LL.M. in Trial Advocacy Program are awarded each year to attorneys practicing in public interest settings. Awards are applied in equal amounts in the fall and spring semester. Scholarship awards are dependent on class size and the number of applicants and finalized in late spring. Public Interest Scholarship applications are submitted as part of the online application process for the program.

International Student Scholarships

Temple Law offers partial LL.M. tuition scholarships based on need and merit. Such financial aid is awarded only in the form of partial tuition waivers. The amount of any award offered will be indicated after a final admissions decision has been made. Even without financial aid, Temple’s LL.M. tuition is very competitive when compared to the tuition at many other U.S. law schools.

Students interested in applying for one of these partial-tuition scholarships should complete the financial aid questionnaire as part of their LL.M. application.

U.S. immigration regulations limit the scope and number of hours a foreign citizen on a student visa may work, so it is not possible for international LL.M. students to earn enough to support oneself while studying. Moreover, no scholarship aid may be used to cover living expenses.

Possible Funding Resources for International LL.M. Students  

Prospective and admitted students should also apply for financial aid and scholarships from their home countries, or other sources. Here are some resources to consider:

Other International LL.M. Student Scholarship Opportunities

For a custom list of funding opportunities for which you might be eligible, please email us at intllaw@temple.edu with the subject line “Scholarship List” and the following information:

  1. Name
  2. Gender
  3. Country of Origin
  4. Country of Residence
  5. Intended LL.M. start date: semester (spring or fall) and year

International LL.M. Student Financial Aid

Temple Law has limited funding for international LL.M. student financial aid. Aid is awarded to international LL.M. students on a competitive basis with consideration given to each applicant’s prior academic performance and stated financial need.

In a typical year, our funds permit us to offer assistance in the form of partial tuition scholarships to four or five international LL.M. students. These partial scholarships usually amount to less than one-half of the annual LL.M. tuition rate. While our restricted funding does not permit us to offer assistance to every deserving applicant, Temple’s LL.M. tuition is very competitive when compared to the tuition at many other law schools.

No financial aid may be used to cover living expenses.

Fellowships and Grants for International Students

International students who require financial assistance should investigate alternative sources of financial support and should begin this process at least one year before applying to the LL.M. program. To assist in your search, we recommend the following resources:

  • Fulbright Fellowships from the U.S. Information Agency
  • Rotary International scholarships
  • Funding for United States Study, a book from the Institute of International Education.
  • The International Education Financial Aid web site.
  • The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your region, which will likely have a library that is open to the public. These libraries often contain information on various sources of financial assistance for study in the United States.
  • Study Abroad, which is published every two years by UNESCO. Study Abroad describes all the United Nations and various intergovernmental agency scholarships available. There are over 500 pages of detailed descriptions of scholarships offered by each country of the world, either for its own citizens to study somewhere else, or for people from somewhere else to come and study there. This is followed by information on specific courses of study offered by the universities and institutes of each country, specifically designed for, or available to people from other countries. Study Abroad is available by mail from Unipub, P.O. Box 433, New York NY 10016; (212) 686-4707.

Temple Law Financial Aid
215-204-8943
800-560-1428
lwfinaid@temple.edu