Tuition & Financial Aid

Louisville Law is a state-assisted institution, with tuition and fees set by the Board of Trustees of the University of Louisville and subject to change. Full-time tuition rates are based on enrollment in fifteen credit hours per semester for first-year students and ten or more credit hours per semester for upper-level students. The figures below are subject to change and have been provided for planning purposes only.

Below is the estimated annual cost of attendance for full-time students, based on 2022-2023 tuition rates:

Annual University fees bundled with tuition include the student activity, student building, student services, university facility, student athletics and student health fees. Additional fees not listed include a one-time 1L Orientation fee of $75, an annual student recreation fee of $196 and an annual primary care health fee (PCHF) of $300. The PCHF may be waived with proof of health insurance.

University policy generally requires that tuition and fees be paid in full at the beginning of each term on or before the designated due date. Payments and all other matters relating to financial obligations are handled by the University Bursar.

Residency

For tuition purposes, Kentucky residency status is determined in accordance with University of Louisville policy and 13 KAR 2:045. The law school will make an initial determination of residency based on information provided by the applicant, with the University of Louisville Bursar responsible for the ultimate determination. This determination of residency will be stated in the applicant’s letter of admission. Applicants who are admitted to the JD program as nonresidents and who believe they can validly claim Kentucky residency may contact the Office of Admissions. Appropriate documentation will be requested to support any such claim.

According to state regulations, a person who moves to Kentucky for the primary purpose of enrollment at an academic institution is considered a nonresident for tuition purposes. Please be aware that the University of Louisville’s professional schools, including the law school, are not eligible for participation in residency reciprocity for Indiana residents. As such, Indiana residents admitted to the law school, including those enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Louisville, will be billed at the nonresident tuition rate.

For more information regarding residency determination for admission and tuition purposes, please contact the University Registrar or visit the University’s dedicated Residency webpage.

Louisville Law offers scholarship funding to incoming students to help defer the cost of attendance. Applicants are automatically considered for all available institutional scholarship funding with no separate application required. While not the only factors considered by the Admissions Committee in allocating scholarship funding, an applicant’s LSAT score and undergraduate GPA will be strongly taken into account. Louisville Law does not consider financial need in making scholarship determinations.

Scholarship determinations are made on a rolling basis as part of the admissions process. Applications that are complete and ready for review by the priority application deadline of January 15 at 5:00 PM Eastern are given priority in allocating institutional scholarship funding. Applications that are incomplete as of the priority application deadline but complete and ready for review by the regular application deadline April 15 at 5:00 PM Eastern will be considered for institutional scholarship funding to the extent that such funding remains available. Applications that are incomplete as of the regular application deadline are generally ineligible for institutional scholarship funding.

Human Rights Fellowship

Louisville Law’s Human Rights Fellowship identifies and distinguishes student leaders prepared to work with the Brandeis Human Rights Advocacy Program (HRAP) throughout their time in law school. HRAP engages actively with nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders to advance the human rights of immigrants, refugees and other noncitizens with respect to health care, education, access to legal and vocational services and more. Human Rights Fellows work closely with faculty members, community leaders and fellow law students who share a passion for justice and commitment to action. In return, Human Rights Fellows receive annual academic stipends, renewable for each of the three years of the JD program.

Applicants who are interested in the Human Rights Fellowship are strongly encouraged to meet the priority application deadline. The fellowship selection process typically begins in February, with selected fellows notified in March or April. Those who wish to be considered must apply for the Human Rights Fellowship separately and may only do so after they have been admitted to the law school. Additional information will be provided to admitted students prior to the beginning of the fellowship selection process.

External Scholarships

The law school itself is not the only potential source of scholarship funding for students. Many public agencies, charitable organizations and private firms also offer scholarship opportunities to students pursuing a legal education. We encourage prospective and current students alike to explore the AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank, a searchable and filterable database of hundreds of available scholarship opportunities and writing competitions, curated by the nonprofit AccessLex Institute.

External scholarship opportunities may be open to incoming law students or those currently enrolled at law school. Each scholarship establishes its own application requirements, preferred qualifications and terms of eligibility. In some cases, students who have applied to law school but have not yet been accepted may apply for a scholarship but must be accepted to and enroll in a JD program by the time the scholarship is awarded. The University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law makes no representations or warranties as to the continued availability or terms of any external scholarship opportunity.

For additional information about general external scholarship opportunities, please visit the University of Louisville’s Student Financial Aid Office website.

The availability of federal financial aid can be a major consideration in planning your educational future, so it is important that you clearly understand how to seek financial aid and your responsibilities during the process.

All student financial aid is processed by the University of Louisville’s central Student Financial Aid Office. For more detailed information on financial aid processing, packaging and disbursement, please contact the Student Financial Aid Office at (502) 852-5511 or finaid@louisville.edu.

Completing the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an application you must complete annually in order to qualify for financial education assistance from the government and deferred repayment of such assistance while you remain enrolled. The FAFSA opens on October 1 each year and may be filed using income and tax data from either the year in which the application opens or the previous year.

First-time FAFSA applicants should follow the steps below to get started. For more detailed information, please review the University’s Financial Aid: Start-to-Finish online guide.

The University of Louisville’s FAFSA school code is 001999.

1. Assemble your tax asset information, including your W-2 and 1040 tax forms.
2. Create an FSA ID if you do not already have one. Your FSA ID will be used to electronically sign your FAFSA. Please note that if you are required to provide parental information on your FAFSA, your parent will need to create an FSA ID as well.
3. Visit the FAFSA website to complete your FAFSA. If eligible, you may import your tax data into your FAFSA by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. 
4. Once your FAFSA has been processed, you will be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR). If you filed electronically, the SAR will be sent to you via email. If you filed by paper or did not provide an email address, the SAR will be sent to you via USPS.
5. Review the SAR for comments and incorrect information. If accurate, keep the SAR for your records. If you find any errors, you can make corrections to your processed FAFSA online or return the paper SAR with corrections.
6. Check ULink to monitor the status of your financial aid package.

Federal Loans

Eligible students may borrow up to a total of $20,500 per year from the federal government in Direct Loans, also known as Stafford Loans. You may be familiar with Direct Loans from your time as an undergraduate student, but be aware that for graduate students, all Direct Loans are unsubsidized. While a student does not have to demonstrate need to qualify for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, all interest is paid by the student, as opposed to being paid by the government while the student is in school or the loans are in deferment.

Students may also be eligible to borrow up to the cost of attendance (less any other financial assistance, including Direct Loans) in Direct PLUS Loans, also known as Grad PLUS Loans. A credit check is required, and loans may not be available to students with adverse credit histories. Direct PLUS Loans are automatically awarded to law students who pass the credit check. Because of the comparatively favorable interest rates and terms, many students who have good credit opt for Direct PLUS Loans over private loans.

For both Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Direct PLUS Loans, repayment is not required until six months after graduating, leaving school or dropping below half-time enrollment. However, interest starts accruing as soon as the funds are disbursed and continues to accrue throughout the student’s enrollment and the six-month grace period, with unpaid interest added to the loan balance. Interest rates reset for new federal student loans on July 1 each year and are fixed for the life of the loan.

Financial Aid Disbursement 

Most financial aid awards are disbursed to student accounts at the beginning of each semester or upon gaining eligibility during a semester of enrollment. Disbursement of awards is based on compliance with all eligibility requirements, including enrollment status and satisfactory academic progress. Since most awards are based on full-time enrollment, part-time students must complete an enrollment adjustment form prior to the start of classes in order for aid to disburse at the beginning of the term. Enrollment status is established as of the day after the last day to drop and receive a 100% tuition credit, and courses for which a student is on a standby list are not included in the student’s enrolled hours.

Disbursed financial aid that exceeds the balance owed to the University is considered excess. Excess financial aid will be delivered to you in accordance with the University’s refund delivery process. For more information on how to establish your preferred refund method, please refer to the University Bursar’s website.

The University of Louisville is dedicated to serving those who have served our nation in the armed forces by offering educational support, including a range of military education benefits. Awarded Gold status for 2022-2023 by Military Friendly, the University of Louisville participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and offers both federal and state-level educational benefits to veterans and their family members. To discuss available benefits, please contact the Center for Military-Connected Students.

Post-9/11 GI Bill

Administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, can help eligible veterans or their family members pursue law school education by providing money toward tuition and other educational expenses. Benefit rates are determined based on the cumulative length of a veteran’s post-9/11 active duty military service. The benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill can be transferred to a veteran’s spouse and dependent children. All public institutions of higher education offering VA-approved programs charge tuition and fees to all such covered individuals at state-resident rates.

The VA offers several ways to apply for Post-9/11 GI Bill education assistance and resources to help you understand benefits. The VA takes an average of 30 days to process education claims, after which you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility verifying the amount of benefits and months of entitlement available to you. Please note that the University’s VA-Certifying Official will need a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility.

The University of Louisville requires tuition to be paid at the time of registration. Due to the processing time you may experience with the VA, you may not be able to rely on your education benefits to cover the initial tuition payment. For more information on alternate payment plans, please contact the University Bursar.