Financial Aid Application Process

for incoming law students

Financing Your Law Degree

Lewis & Clark’s costs, like those at most private colleges, may seem high. But earning an advanced degree is an investment in your future earning ability.

Financial aid, including scholarships, loans, and Federal Work-Study is intended to cover up to the cost of attendance for the year. This comprehensive cost figure includes not only the annual tuition and fees, but also set allowances for living expenses, local transportation, personal spending, and semester book purchases.

Student expense budgets for financial aid do not allow the use of education loan funds to pay for prior consumer debt. Pay off any outstanding consumer debt before enrolling in law school. Save as much money as possible for contingencies, and maintain a good credit history.

Incoming and Transfer Students

As an applicant to the Lewis & Clark Law School you will be considered for scholarships through the admissions process. International students are also considered for scholarships from the Law School. Most of these scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit. The Admissions Committee determines which applicants will be offered scholarships.

To apply for need-based financial aid including student loans you’ll need to:

• Apply for admission to the Law School. Financial aid awards can only be made to admitted students.
• File the 2024-25 FAFSA online at FAFSA.gov as soon as possible. Our priority deadline for maximum consideration for financial aid from all sources is February 15. List Lewis & Clark as one of the schools you authorize to access your FAFSA data electronically. Lewis & Clark’s FAFSA code number is 003197. Do not wait until after you are accepted into law school to begin the financial aid process.

Priority Filing Deadline - February 15

Students whose FAFSAs are processed prior to February 15 will be given full consideration for aid from all sources. While we are still able to prepare awards for other students after February 15, some of the more limited federal aid funds may not be available.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

The FAFSA is a need-analysis tool of the U.S. Department of Education.

By virtue of having earned your Bachelor’s degree, you are considered to be financially independent of your parents. Your eligibility for financial aid as a law student at Lewis & Clark will be calculated using only your own (and your spouse’s) financial information. Other law schools may request additional information about family income and assets when awarding their own institutional funds.

Verification

In some limited circumstances FAFSA applications are selected for a quality control process called verification. If you are selected for verification, you will be required to submit information to support the information you provided on the FAFSA such as an IRS Tax Return Transcript. Please DO NOT submit verification materials to us unless they are requested.

Further Information

Federal Student Aid Information Center
StudentAid.gov | 1-800-433-3243