Financial Aid Available to J.D. Students at Syracuse University College of Law
You have options on how to finance your legal education at Syracuse. Below is a list of different types of financial aid available to J.D. students through a variety of institutional, federal, and outside resources.
Merit Scholarships
Merit scholarships are awarded to select incoming first-year J.D. and LL.M. students as part of the admission process. Merit scholarships are renewable throughout a student’s enrollment, provided they maintain good academic standing.
Syracuse Law Annual Awards
Syracuse Law annual awards include special scholarships and grant opportunities, often funded through the generosity of alumni and donors.
Outside Scholarships
A one-stop-shop of outside scholarship resources to help students on their search. We encourage you to review the resource options that we have curated for you and apply for those that align with your interests and qualifications.
See Outside Scholarship Opportunities
Federal Student Aid
Federal Student Aid for eligible students may consist of Federal Direct Loans and/or Federal Work Study.
Private Loans
Private Loans are credit-based, alternative educational loans that students may use toward program expenses.
Yellow Ribbon and Other VA Benefits
Yellow Ribbon and other VA Benefits provide financial support for eligible student veterans or dependents of veterans to attend law school.
Yellow Ribbon and VA Benefits Info
How to Apply for Financial Aid
To ease the process of applying for financial aid, the steps below will provide direction through the process.
Students who wish to be considered for financial aid, including federal student loans, should submit the 2025-2026 FAFSA at studentaid.gov.
A note for international students enrolling or returning to Syracuse University College of Law: Federal student loans require that student applicants are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. International students who do not meet these criteria need not submit the FAFSA. All candidates, regardless of citizenship status, are considered for merit scholarships.
The Financial Aid Process Made Easy
Note: Each step can be expanded for more details and links.
Incoming Students: Request FSA ID and File the FAFSA.
If you would like to be considered for financial aid, you will need to file the 2025-2026 FAFSA. When submitting your FAFSA, you will need an FSA ID. If you do not have one, you must request an FSA ID before continuing.
For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you will be able to use your 2023 tax and income information. You must consent to allow the IRS to share your tax information to be able to file the FAFSA. The Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange, replacing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA form, will transfer contributors’ federal tax information from the IRS directly into your FAFSA form. Make sure to include Syracuse University’s school code (002882.)
In addition to the FAFSA, a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling are required for your Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan to fully process. These two items only need to be completed once during your attendance at Syracuse, and carries over every year you wish to borrow this loan.
Receive your Financial Aid Package.
For Incoming Students: Merit Award notifications are sent with admission alongside a presumptive snapshot of the academic year cost of attendance. Your eligibility for financial aid, after completion of the FAFSA, will be sent on a rolling basis starting in spring.
For Returning Students: Financial aid will be packaged on a rolling basis beginning in late spring.
For All Students: If you do not intend to borrow federal loans for the upcoming academic year, please decline your loans through the “accept/decline” tab in your MySlice portal. If your loans have already disbursed, please review our loan cancellation policy and complete our online Student Loan Cancellation and Reduction Form.
Check your To-Do list for any required verification items and provide documentation, if necessary, using the To-Do List Upload Tool.
Only the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is included in your award notice. Graduate PLUS loans are not automatically awarded by the Financial Aid Office. You are encouraged to calculate the amount needed to cover your educational and personal expenses (Step Six). Please refer to the Cost of Attendance for expenses not allowed in the student budget. Once you finalize the amount you need to borrow, log onto Studentaid.gov to apply for a Graduate PLUS Loan.
Please note, Grad PLUS loans are credit-based loans and student are advised to not start applying until late April at the earliest.
Educational expenses not traditionally included in the Cost of Attendance (such as enrollment into Syracuse University health insurance or purchase of a new laptop) may allow your Cost of Attendance to be altered. Please contact our office via email and we can provide our Law Budget Adjustment Request Form.
Incoming Students: Activate Your SU Net ID and log in to MySlice.
Financial Aid will be communicating with you via email (to discuss submitting additional paperwork if necessary). The University’s portal, MySlice, is used to submit this documentation. To log onto the MySlice portal, you must activate your Net ID and create a password.
Go to the Net ID Services website. You will be asked to provide your SU ID number on this site. If you need assistance with your NetID, contact Information Technology Services at 315.443.2677 or email help@syr.edu.
From here, you may access your account and view your anticipated aid as noted in your Financial Aid Package.
View your Student Bursar Account.
The first bill for the fall semester will be issued over the summer and will be sent to your SU email address. Information will be sent to students from Admissions about when to set up your email.
If you will need a loan to cover remaining charges and you have not submitted your FAFSA, submit your FAFSA to be considered for an unsubsidized loan. (Step One)
If you will need a loan to cover remaining charges and you have not applied for a Grad PLUS loan, calculate how much you will need using the estimated cost of attendance and then apply for a Graduate PLUS Loan at studentaid.gov (Step Six)
Make a payment or apply for a Graduate PLUS Loan if you desire additional funds. To help you determine the amount of Graduate PLUS Loan needed for the academic year, students should use our Budget Calculator to estimate expenses and other aid resources.
Your maximum Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility will be determined in your official Financial Aid Package. Log in to Studentaid.gov to begin and submit an application. Your credentials to access the application are the same as if you were filing the FAFSA (FSA ID). Make sure to include Syracuse University’s school code (002882) or else we will not receive your Graduate PLUS Loan Application.
Similar to the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan from FAFSA, this loan also requires its own Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling, which also only needs to be completed once during your attendance at Syracuse and carries over every year you wish to borrow this loan.
Educational loans only can be borrowed during the loan period for which a student is enrolled at least half time. A loan period is defined as the timeframe between the first day of classes and the last day of classes. Loans cannot be borrowed during periods of non-enrollment and new loans cannot be certified after the loan period has ended.
Financial Aid will disburse approximately 5-10 days before classes. Please plan to have your own financial resources to cover any living and personal expenses before the first day of classes. Students with a credit balance can request a refund.
If you have borrowed student loans to cover living expenses, you will likely have a credit balance at the beginning of each semester on your student bursar account after financial aid and loans disburse. If this is the case, you may request a refund from the Bursar’s Office at the beginning of each semester.
The refund process takes 7-10 business days during peak periods. Allow for ample processing time and have enough cash for your personal expenses for the first two weeks of classes every semester. Early disbursements and refunds are not available, so please plan accordingly!
You may also set up Direct Deposit information for the refund to deposit into the account(s) of your choice through MySlice. Please allow an additional 1-2 business days for your refund to fully deposit into your account(s).
Summer Aid Process and Eligibility
Summer loans may be available to students to cover the cost of tuition and fees, as well as personal living expenses for the weeks of summer enrollment. Maximum eligibility is based on the number of credits for which a student enrolls. Students must enroll at least half-time (a minimum of 4 credits in the summer term.) A Summer financial aid application (available in late spring on your Financial Aid To Do list within MySlice) must be completed to begin the loan application process. The internal aid application will gather important information about your enrollment plans and any outside awards or benefits you might be receiving. Once we receive your summer aid application, we will provide details about your summer budget, which includes tuition and living expenses based on your per-credit-hour enrollment. Typically, summer financial aid will consist of a Federal Unsubsidized Loan for up to $10,250. If you plan to use the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan, please note that it requires a separate credit-based application, typically available around mid-to-late April.