Current Students

SUBMIT TO INITIATE AID APPLICATION:

If you need to update your application after it has been submitted, including to reflect any special circumstances, please email the Financial Aid Office with the new information.

SUBMIT TO FINALIZE AID APPLICATION:

Note for Returning Students

The deadlines listed above ensures students will receive their financial aid award notification prior to the July bill. We will continue to review financial aid applications, and notify students, after these dates.

If you are a returning student who has not yet borrowed through student loans at YLS you will also need to complete the requirements to “Establish Student Loans.”

If you are a returning student who has not previously applied for need-based scholarship support but now seeks consideration, you must submit the required tax documentation.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine eligibility for federal student loans: Get the Application

• Yale Law School’s Title IV federal code number is 001426.
• Regardless of age, it is not necessary to submit parental information on the FAFSA.
• Married students will need to submit their spouse’s information.
• You must e-sign the FAFSA using your assigned PIN

Visit the FAAST website:

• Students who will be 28 years old (or younger) on December 31, 2023 need to submit parental information. Students who will be at 29 years old or older on December 31, 2023 do not need to submit parental information.
• Married students will need to submit their spouses' information.
• Some questions on FAAST reflect data required for the purpose of specific scholarships fund eligibility and are used solely for that purpose.

Yale Law School  2023-2024 Notification & Confirmation Form

• This form acts as your acceptance of the aid award offered. Please complete Section A indicating if you are declining or accepting any portion of the loans awarded.
• In addition to the unit loans offered in your award letter, you may choose to borrow additional funds to cover the calculated parent, spouse or student contribution(s). If you choose to do this, you should indicate the additional borrowing requested in Section A. Note that only additional borrowing to support the calculated parent contribution is COAP eligible.
• If you are opting to use a private loan, you should indicate the lender, lender ID and type of loan in the appropriate fields in Section A.

Financial aid is awarded based on tuition, mandatory fees, books and supplies and a standard living expense budget known as “Cost-of- Attendance”. A student may complete a Budget Revision Form to request a review of his/her specific circumstances and adjustment of the “Cost-of-Attendance” figure. Federal regulations, in general, only permit increases to cover education-related and living costs of the STUDENT. The financial aid staff will review all budget revisions in the context of their ability to exercise professional judgment. Additional documentation may be requested in that review. All decisions made by the financial aid staff are final.

Students will be able to borrow a COAP or Non-COAP eligible loan for the following Approved Budget Revisions:

• Technology Purchase
• Suit Purchase
• Clerkship Interview Travel
• Public Interest Interview Travel
• Academic/Non-academic Conference Travel
• Bar Prep Course
• Third-party Dependent Care
• Family Health Care Costs
• Academic Travel Rider

Receiving your Financial Aid and Paying your Fees

Student Financial Services creates a “student account” for each student. This account is used both for charges (tuition, university fees, health insurance, etc.) and for payments and financial aid awards. The student account is available for you to review at any time via the Yale Hub.

During the summer, Yale sends incoming students a NetID along with instructions on how to activate the NetID and how to access your student account on the Yale Hub.

Financial Aid awards, loans and grants, are disbursed to a student’s account on the first day of each semester. The full loan amounts are disbursed 50% in the fall term and 50% in the spring term. Please note: the fall semester covers five months (September through January) and spring semester covers four months (February through May). Please plan accordingly.

Payment Options

There are a variety of options offered for making payments toward your Student Account. All fees must be paid in U.S. currency; Yale does not accept credit or debit cards; and payments should not be made to a student account that are in excess of the balance due (net of pending financial aid credits). Yale reserves the right to return any overpayments.

Yale's recommended method of payment is online through YalePay. Online payments are easy and convenient and can be made by anyone with a U.S. checking or savings account. There is no charge to use this service. Bank information is password-protected and secure, and there is a printable confirmation receipt. Payments are immediately posted to the student account, which allows you to make payments 365/24/7 up to 4 PM ET on the due date of the bill, from any location, and avoid late fees.

For more information on sending checks, making cash payments, or international payments, please visit Student Accounts, Paying Your Bill.

Using your Financial Aid to Receive a Refund

Funds in your account are first applied to any core Yale institutional charges, for example, your term fees. If there is a credit on your account due to excess funds over the amount of your core charges (for example, if you took out loans to cover living expenses), you are entitled to a “refund.”

Refund Example:

You can request refunds of credit balances on the Yale Hub system by selecting the Student Accounts tab at the top and then Refund Request from Student Account. Credit balances in your Yale Account will be available as refunds ten days before the start of the semester. If you wish to have your refund directly deposited into your personal bank account, select the Student Accounts tab at the top and then select Direct Deposit Authorization. If you change bank accounts, please update your new account information here as well.

The Yale Payment Plan

The Yale Payment Plan (YPP) is administered by the University’s Office of Student Financial Services and enables students and families to pay all or a portion of the term fees over a period of months without incurring any interest charges. Participation is optional and elected on a term basis. The cost to sign-up is $50 per term.

Depending on the date you enroll, you may be eligible for up to five installments for the fall and spring terms. Payment Plan installments will be automatically deducted on the 5th of each month from the bank account you specifiy when enrolling in the plan.

Yale Tuition Insurance

Yale Tuition Insurance (YTI) is designed to protect you by alleviating the loss of funds you paid for tuition, room and board should you find it necessary to withdraw from school during the term for medical reasons. This plan complements Yale’s published refund policy, assuring you of a significant tuition refund any time during the term.

Eligibility: YTI is available to all Yale students.

Cost: The cost is based on the total amount of tuition and other insured expenses.

For coverage and exclusions: Visit the Student Financial Services section for more details

Financial Aid & Refund Policies

Federal Verification: FAFSA applicants are randomly selected for the federal verification by the Department of Education. Your Student Aid Report (generated from the FAFSA) will indicate if you have been selected for verification. The Financial Aid Office will also send you formal notification of your selection and will provide detailed instructions on the forms and documentation you must submit to satisfy this requirement.

Institutional Verification: Students seeking first time consideration for grant/scholarship support undergo institutional verification for funds requiring applicants to submit a signed copy of their own and their spouse's complete (all pages, including W2s) 2022 Federal income tax returns (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ). Students who are applying for grants and are age 28 or younger (by December 31st of the academic year) must also submit signed copies of their parents’ tax returns. This information is used for internal audit only and will be treated in the strictest confidence. This requirement can be satisfied with photocopies or the actual income tax return filed with the IRS. If you have not kept a copy, please go to www.irs.gov to obtain Form 4506 to request a tax transcript.

Satisfactory Academic Progress: Title 34 Part 668 of the Code of Federal Regulations requires institutions to establish reasonable Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for "determining whether an eligible student is making satisfactory academic progress in his or her educational program and may receive assistance under the Title IV, HEA programs" and institutional financial aid.

Refer to the Yale Law School Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress for the Juris Doctor Degree. (PDF)

Grant awards: Will not be disbursed and loans will not be processed until all forms (including tax returns) are in the student's financial aid file. Failure to provide these forms by May 5 may result in late fees.

Independence: For the purposes of distributing Yale Law School grants, we consider the financial resources of the parents of students who are age 28 or younger as of December 31st of the academic aid year. In very rare cases, students who are younger than age 29 may be able to demonstrate independence from their parents. Please feel free to discuss your situation with the Financial Aid Office.

Default on Prior Student Loans: It is the University's policy to refuse financial aid to a student who is in default with any federal loan, university student loan or if a refund is owed to the Department of Education, Yale, or any other educational institution. If a student is found to be in default after being offered financial aid, the University will withdraw all aid immediately and continue to hold the student responsible for any charges that may have been incurred.

Fraud or Misconduct: Federal regulations require that the University report any information that indicates that an applicant may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her federal loan application. The information will be reported to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education or other law enforcement officials.

***Please note: For non-U.S. Citizens, the information on the Student visa form and the financial aid application must correspond. If the information varies, it must be corrected or it will be reported to the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Tuition Rebate and Refund Policy 2023-2024

On the basis of the Federal regulations governing the return of Federal Student Aid (Title IV) funds for withdrawn students, the rebate and refund of tuition is subject to the following policy:

1. For purposes of determining the refund of Federal Student Aid funds, any student who withdraws from the Law School for any reason during the first 60% of the term will be subject to a pro rata schedule which will be used to determine the amount of Title IV funds a student has earned at the time of withdrawal. Funds are earned according to the percentage of the term completed. A student who withdraws after the 60% point has earned 100% of the Title IV funds. In 2023-2024, the last days for refunding Title IV funds will be November 6, 2023 in the fall term and March 31, 2024 in the spring term.
2. For purposes of determining the refund of institutional aid funds and for students who have not received financial aid, tuition will be rebated in accordance with the following policy:
   1. 100% of tuition will be rebated for withdrawals which occur on or before the end of the first 10% of the term (September 11, 2023 in the fall term and January 27, 2024 in the spring term).
   2. A rebate of one-half (50%) of tuition will be granted for withdrawals which occur after the first 10% but on or before the last day of the first quarter of the term (September 28, 2023 in the fall term and February 13, 2024 in the spring term).
   3. A rebate of one-quarter (25%) of tuition will be granted for withdrawals which occur after the first quarter of a term but on or before the day of Midterm (October 26, 2023 in the fall term and March 11, 2024 in the spring term).
   4. Students who withdraw for any reason after Midterm will not receive a rebate of any portion of tuition.
3. The death of a student shall cancel charges for tuition as of the date of death and the Bursar will adjust the tuition on a pro rata basis.
4. If the student has received student loans or other forms of financial aid, funds will be returned in the order prescribed by Federal regulations; namely, first to Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loans, if any; Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans; next to any other Federal, State, private or institutional scholarships and loans; and finally, any remaining balance to the student.
5. Recipients of Federal and/or institutional loans who withdraw are required to have an Exit Interview before leaving Yale. Students leaving Yale receive instructions on completing this process from Yale Student Financial Services.

Tuition Rebate and Refund Policy Revised 5/15/2023

The Financial Aid Office and Yale Law IT have partnered to offer a program that provides all students with the opportunity to purchase a laptop computer through the Law School. Students are eligible to participate in this program once during law school, during the academic year of their choosing. A one-time purchase of up to $3,000 is eligible for the program.

This program has a number of advantages for students:

• The laptop may be less expensive if purchased through YLS, and
• The laptop can be purchased through a COAP-eligible student loan with no upfront costs.

If you would like to purchase a computer during the 2023-2024 academic year, you are encouraged to sign up for the program prior to May 1, 2024. Computers ordered prior to August 1, 2023 will be delivered during the first week of classes, and will be available for pickup from YLS IT department, or will be shipped to the home address.

In order for the laptop cost to be charged to the student account, students must first sign up for a Yale Charge Account. ITS will submit charges to the Registrar’s Office as close to the first business day of the month as possible. Once the Registrar’s Office posts the charge, the Financial Aid Office will then process the loan request and the funds will disburse to the student account. This will ensure that the charge of the laptop and the disbursement of the loan are posted to the student’s account during the same billing period.

Students interested in participating in the program can complete the form here. Please contact the Financial Aid Office or Loriann Seluga with questions.

Financial Aid Eligible Students

At the time of delivery, students will complete the loan documents to cover the cost of the laptop, applicable tax, and loan origination fees. The loan will be processed and credited to the student account to clear the computer charge.

Non-Financial Aid Eligible Students

Students who are not eligible for financial aid will be solely responsible for payment to the University. The student will be required to sign a statement acknowledging responsibility for the purchase and payment, and payment will be due within 30 days of the charge to the student’s SIS account. If a student is not on financial aid but would like to borrow a COAP eligible loan to cover the cost of the laptop, please contact the Financial Aid Office for additional instructions.

Yale Law School's financial aid policies and programs are designed to make it possible for students to pursue their legal education at Yale regardless of their financial circumstances. Using a combination of loans and scholarship grants, the Law School makes every effort to provide students with the difference between their resources and the cost of attending Yale.

Budget and Cost of Attendance

Yale Law School, as required by federal rules, does not have a separate, fixed budget for students (married or single) with dependent children. The standard student budget is adjusted up or down in consideration of a working spouse’s income (less certain allowances) as well as additional expenses including a basic living allowance (expenses such as food, housing, utilities etc.), allowance for family health insurance, and, for single parents and students with a working partner, the Law School provides additional allowances for reasonable childcare expenses based on a survey of childcare costs in the New Haven area.

Children

For students with dependent children, an allowance of $8,000 for each child is added to the applicable budget.

If the student has childcare expenses, the entire cost can be added to the student’s budget for additional loan borrowing as long as the student provides appropriate documentation. The amount a student borrows for childcare expenses is COAP eligible, however COAP caps the allowance at $17,500 in the COAP award calculation.

• For example, if the childcare expense totals $21,500 for the 9 month academic year, the student can borrow $21,500 in additional loan. When the student applies for COAP, the COAP award will be based on the $17,500 cap that COAP allows for childcare expenses.

Health Care Coverage

Mandatory fees include membership in the Yale Health Plan (YHP), a comprehensive pre-paid group practice plan. In addition, students who are not enrolled in a hospitalization plan must obtain hospitalization coverage either through the University or another source. For 2023-2024, Yale Health Plan membership fees are set at $2,894 for single students, $10,764 for student plus spouse, $9,686 for student plus child/children, and $18,060 for family coverage. The cost of single student coverage is automatically added to the basic budget for all students. If a student obtains outside insurance and waives this coverage, this expense will be removed from the student’s bill. If a student has dependents and will be enrolling in the two-person or family coverage plan, a Budget Revision form (with documentation of enrollment) must be completed and submitted to the Financial Aid Office for a budget adjustment (available at our website in the ‘Forms’ section for download). Additional financial aid for this expense is available in the form of a student loan and is not COAP eligible.

Spousal Contribution

Students who are married, or expect to be married at any point prior to September 1 of the calendar year, must report spousal (or to be spouse) income and assets. YLS will use the information provided to access the spousal (or to be spouse) contribution as it is expected that the resources of the spouse (or to be spouse) will be available to the student to help meet the students cost of attendance.

Spousal contributions are calculated based on the following parameters:

• Spouse is full time enrolled student (including a fellow YLS student): no contribution assessed
• Spouse is documented unemployed: no contribution assessed
• Spouse is a stay-at-home parent due to childcare responsibilities: no contribution assessed (a $6,000 living allowance for spouse is also added to the Cost of Attendance in this circumstance)
• Spouse is gainfully employed: a contribution based on the gross income according to the schedule below:

Spousal Contribution Table

It is the student's responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes to the spouse's employment status during the academic year at which time an aid award adjustment may be made. The Financial Aid Office will also request documentation to verify the spouse's status as unemployed, full time student or primary childcare provider.

Spousal assets (whether jointly held or in separate accounts) are to be reported on the financial aid application. The financial aid calculation will assume that these assets are available and will access them based on our standard policy regarding treatment of assets.

Students may opt to borrow additional loan funds to compensate for the calculated spouse contribution up to their Cost-of-Attendance. However, any additional borrowing for this purpose will not be eligible for the COAP program.

Examples of Spousal Contribution

Below are a few examples of the impact a spouse and/or dependents could have on both the student’s budget, contribution, and aid awarded. Please note that the budget is based on a 9-month academic-year budget.

• Student Married, with no children and spouse...
  • is a full-time student = No contribution assessed and no impact to student budget.
  • is documented unemployed = No contribution assessed and no impact to student budget.
  • is gainfully employed = a contribution based on the Spousal Contribution Table.
• Student Married with children and spouse...
  • is gainfully employed = a contribution based on the Spousal Contribution Table and the budget is increased by $8,000 for each child.
  • is a stay-at-home parent due to childcare responsibilities = No contribution assessed for the spouse. The budget is increased by $6,000 for a living allowance for the spouse and also increased by $8,000 for each child.
• Student is a single parent...
  • Budget is increased by $8,000 for each child.

Whether you are arriving with spouse and/or children or planning to marry or have children during your time at YLS, it is important to contact the Financial Aid Office at (203) 432-1688 or financialaid.law@yale.edu to discuss your personal circumstances as they relate to grant, loan, and COAP eligibility.

Financial aid available to noncitizen students, including international, undocumented, and DACA students, is very similar to the financial aid available to domestic students: Yale Law School meets 100% of demonstrated financial need with a combination of loans and scholarships. There is no difference in the amount of financial aid or scholarship funding provided to citizens and noncitizen students. In addition, tuition rates are the same for all students, regardless of citizenship status.

Noncitizen students are eligible for two types of financial aid: need-based institutional scholarships and the Yale Graduate and Professional International (YGPI) Loan. The YGPI Loan is available without a cosigner. Some students choose to take out private loans instead of the YGPI Loan, however they are not required to do so. Noncitizen students apply for financial aid using our Financial Aid Application & Scholarship Tool (FAAST), which allows us to determine eligibility for loans and scholarships.