Financial Aid Portal
Financing Your Education
Hello from Quinnipiac Law!
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Step One: File your FAFSA
Because you are a graduate student, you are considered INDEPENDENT for purposes of the FAFSA. That means that parental data is not required. However, if you are married and did not file jointly with your spouse, they will be asked to submit data and be a "contributor" to your FAFSA.
Students and their contributors are required to give consent to have their federal tax information (FTI) transferred from the IRS. Consent authorizes direct access and disclosure of IRS data to be provided to us. If the student (or their contributor, if you have one), refuses to give consent, the student will be ineligible for federal, state, and institutional need-based financial aid. (This is a federal rule, not Quinnipiac's rule).
How do I pay for law school?
Recent Changes Regarding Paying for Law School
As you may have heard there were significant changes to the federal financial aid system in the recent months.
On July 4, 2025 President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law (OBBB). The OBBB contains numerous provisions that amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) and impact the administration of Title IV, HEA programs. Many of the changes under the OBBB will be implemented on July 1, 2026 and over the subsequent years. However, several changes made by the OBBB became effective upon enactment.
While the law provided general information, the Department of Education is working through the negotiated rulemaking process to iron out the details of how the law will be applied. We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available to us.
Federal Loan Options
Provided to students who meet the FAFSA criteria, which include: being a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible noncitizen; being accepted into a degree-seeking program, and enrolled at least half-time (6 credits in total) for each semester seeking assistance. Students will be eligible for a federal unsubsidized loan in the amount of $50,000. There is an aggregate cap on this loan of $200,000 for professional students as well as a lifetime borrowing limit of $257,500 of all federal loans.
Loans for part-time students will be prorated and we are waiting for more information from the Department of Education on this.
Private Loans
Another option for funding is private loans. Learn more about private loans here.
Scholarships
The Office of Admission has scholarships for entering students whose admissions qualifications demonstrate a potential for superior academic performance. If you were awarded a scholarship, you received notification directly from the Office of Admission with your acceptance. This scholarship is coordinated with other financial assistance to ensure that your total award does not exceed your cost of attendance.
Another option is scholarships outside of Quinnipiac Law. Many organizations have funds available for law students! You can search for outside scholarships through sites like those listed on the AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank. You can also check LSAC.org and local organizations such as Bar Associations as they may list some scholarship opportunities. When you become a student here, we also post scholarship opportunities in The Docket, our weekly law school newsletter.
If you have more questions about scholarships, check out the Top Scholarship Questions.
Payment Plans
Quinnipiac offers payment plans, which allow you to register for courses and pay in installments. A nominal installment fee is charged. Go to qu.edu/onestop for more information. (The plans are not available to students during the summer term.)
What will my financial aid offer letter include?
Generally, if you qualify for federal aid (see the Department of Education website for information on eligibility), have not defaulted previously on student loans, and have not exceeded your $200,000 aggregate cap on professional unsubsidized loans and $257,500 lifetime cap on federal loans, your financial aid offer letter will include the following:
- Your merit scholarship, if you received one from Quinnipiac Law Admissions.
- The federal unsubsidized loan of $50,000 (the maximum you are allowed to borrow on this type of loan per year). Loans for part-time students will be prorated and we are waiting for information from the Department of Education on this.
If you want to do additional borrowing you can work with our office to obtain a private loan.
Schedule a virtual appointment with QU Law Financial Aid below!
