12.2 Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid will assist students with financial aid issues. Most Financial Aid policies are outlined on their website at law.uchicago.edu/financial-aid.
Students who receive federal financial aid should note that they must demonstrate continuing satisfactory academic progress in their program of study. The Office of Financial Aid assesses progress by reviewing a student’s grades, attempted credits, and total length of enrollment. More information about this policy can be found on the Office of Financial Aid website at https://www.law.uchicago.edu/financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress.
Student Loans
Loan determinations are made by the Law School’s Office of Financial Aid after students have submitted either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ) or an application with their chosen private lender for the applicable academic year. The FAFSA can be completed at studentaid.gov. Once a FAFSA is submitted and processed by Financial Aid, students will receive an email notification to their UChicago email account when their official financial aid package is ready to review in their my.UChicago portal. Any next steps needed to finalize loan offers will be outlined in this email.
Disbursement of Federal Direct Unsubsidized, Federal Direct PLUS, and Private Loan Funds
All loans are offered in three equal, quarterly installments each academic year, and accepted loan funds are disbursed at the beginning of each quarter. Your loan funding will be applied to your tuition account, and any funds in excess of tuition and fees will be refunded to you for living expenses by the Bursar’s Office. These excess living expense refunds can be direct deposited to the checking or savings account of your choice if you sign up for direct deposit via your my.UChicago portal. If you don't sign up for direct deposit, refund checks will be mailed by the Bursar to your current address on file. Most refunds are available approximately one week prior to the first day of each quarter. More information on the refund process is available on the Bursar’s website at bursar.uchicago.edu.
Prior Education Loan Deferment
Students who have education loans from undergraduate or graduate study prior to entering the Law School may be eligible for deferments of interest and principal payments on these loans while they attend the Law School. In most cases, this deferment for prior federal student loans is done automatically within a few weeks after the start of your 1L Autumn quarter coursework. More information about this process can be found on the Office of Financial Aid website at law.uchicago.edu/deferring-prior-student-loans.
Financial Emergencies
If you run into an unexpected financial emergency, the Bursar’s Office may be able to assist through the University’s Emergency Assistance Program. More information about the program is available on the Bursar’s website at bursar.uchicago.edu. If that option is not available, please contact the Director of Financial Aid and the Dean of Students for more guidance. Temporary emergency funds or loans may be available.