Financial Aid for MSLA Students
Please take some time to review the information on this site to help familiarize yourself with the financial aid process and aid options. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Financial Aid Overview
The financial aid process for new students begins with the application for admission. Students must complete the MSLA Scholarship Letter in the online application in order to be considered for scholarship funds. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, which includes your undergraduate GPA and test scores (and graduate GPA, if applicable).
Financial aid awards for graduate students look very different than what you may be familiar with from your undergraduate studies. At DU, scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit and not financial need. Since scholarships typically cover only a portion of your tuition charges, students who do not have other resources – such as income or savings – typically rely on loans to finance all or a portion of their MSLA expenses.
To apply for federal loans, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.gov. You do not need to be admitted to the College of Law in order to submit your FAFSA. The application for the 2012-13 academic year becomes available January 1st, 2012 and students submitting the application by February 15th will receive priority consideration for Federal Perkins Loans and, for evening students, Federal Work Study.
You may also want to review our Financial Aid Timeline to get a better idea of what to expect from the financial aid process. Please note, the MSLA program follows the same process, but not as stringent of a timeline.
Important Federal Aid Changes for the 2012-13 Academic Year
In August, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed into law and this law has direct implications on federal loans for graduate students. The most significant change for graduate students is that, beginning with the 2012-13 academic year, there will be no interest subsidy on any new Direct Stafford Loans issued to graduate students. Meaning, that interest will accrue, at a 6.8% interest rate, for all Direct Stafford Loans borrowed.