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Admissions

Loans and Options

Institutional Grants

Cornell Law School awards over $3 million in institutional aid each year to new and returning students. We provide scholarships ranging from $7000 to $35,000to over 50% of the entering class. To be considered for an institutional award, you must complete the Need Access Report and Cornell Law School Financial Aid Application by March 15, 2008.

Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships are scholarships offered to a student by an agency, state or civic association. Outside scholarships are paid to the student through the Cornell Law Financial Aid Office. These scholarships reduce borrowing dollar per dollar; however, on the rare occasions, they may impact institutional grants so it is important to disclose all outside scholarships. If you are interested in such scholarships, please review the list below. Please note that this is just a sampling of scholarships available to students. It is important to use your resources: college graduate school advisor, Internet, civic associations, local library and Bar associations.

American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC): Academic Year Fellowship
Award: Varies
Deadline: 6/1/2008
See Application

American Bar Association (ABA)-Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
Award: varies dependent on scholarship
Deadline: 3/1/2008
See Application

American Association of University Women Education Foundation-Women of Color
Award: $5,000-$12,000
Deadline: 1/10/2008
See Application

Earl Warren Legal Training Scholarships-African American Attorneys
Award: Civil Rights-$3,000; Shearman & Sterling- $15,000
Deadline: 4/30/2008
See Application

Harry A. Blackmun Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
Award: Varies
Deadline: 6/1/2008
Application:
Harry A. Blackmun Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
118 West Mulberry Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3600

HSF/Pfizer, Inc. Fellowship Program Hispanic Scholarship Fund Award: $10,000
Deadline: 6/30/2008
See Application

Jaycee War Memorial Fund
Award: Varies
Deadline: 3/1/2008
See Application (pdf)

John Gyles Education Fund Scholarship - Scholarship for Canadian or U.S. Citizens
Award: Varies
Deadline: 4/1/2008
Application:
P.O. Box 4808
712 Riverside Drive
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5G4
Canada
(506) 459-7460

Korean-American Scholarship Foundation: KASF Scholarships
Award: Not specified
Deadline: 6/1/2008
See Application

Mexican American Legal and Educational Defense Fund
Award: $3,000-$7,000
Deadline: 10/1/2008
See Application

Minority Corporate Counsel Association
Award: $10,000 per year
Deadline: 6/1/2008
See Application

National Black Law Students Association
Award: varies
Deadline: 11/1/2008
See Application

Databases

Columbia University Graduate school of Arts and Sciences External Funding Database
To use: Enter Law as discipline

Cornell University Fellowship Database
To use: Click on social sciences

FastWeb
To use: For this site you must create a free account.

University of Toledo Law School-Law Database
To use: Scholarships in Alphabetical order. Good resource for regional funds.

Please also check with the NAACP Defense and Educational Fund Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Japanese American Citizens League, Hawaiian Community Foundation and the Asian American Defense and Educational Fund.

We have compiled this list solely to serve as a resource for use in researching possible funding sources for your legal education. We have made a good faith effort to list programs of which we are aware. This list is not comprehensive. There may other sources to consider. Also, we are not in a position to vouch for any aspect of the listed programs or their particular funding mechanisms, and our list should not be seen as any kind of endorsement of these programs or their sponsors.

Federal Loans

Cornell Law School participates in the Federal Direct Lending Program which includes: William D. Ford subsidized loan, William D. Ford Unsubsidized loan and Perkins loan.

Loans are only offered if a student completes the requisite Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and qualifies for the loans.
Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The loan limit is $20,500 per academic year; up to $8,500 may be interest free while in school depending on the applicant's financial need as reflected on the Student Aid Report (SAR).
Repayment is deferred until six months after graduation (or cease at least half-time enrollment).
Starting July 1, 2007 the federal loan program will go from a variable annual rate to a fixed 6.8% loan.
The Perkins loan is only offered in the second year students who qualify for a subsidized loan.

Private or Federal Graduate PLUS Loans

Private or Graduate Plus loans allow students to round their aid packages by covering the unmet need or family contribution. Loan limits are determined by the cost of attendance, as determined by the law school, less all other aid. The Cornell Law School Financial Aid Office determines the yearly borrowing limit for each student. Lenders often have a debt ceiling that can impact the amount a student is eligible to borrow. Private loan interest rates and borrowing eligibility are based upon an applicant’s credit rating. It is therefore vital that you review your credit history before applying for these loans.

Graduate PLUS loan applicants will have their credit checked for approval only. Graduate PLUS loans have a fixed 7.9% interest rate with a 2.5% origination fee. For more information on these loans, please review the loan comparison chart.