Paying for Law School: Financial Aid
The University of Washington School of Law’s Commitment to Institutional Aid
The UW School of Law is dedicated to helping students meet educational expenses through loans, grants, and scholarships.
The law school and the University of Washington's Office of Student Financial Aid
(OSFA) are committed to offering a comprehensive finaicial aid package to help
students achieve their educational goals while minimizing student educational
debt.
Bar Exam Loan Information
Prior to graduating from UW Law, students seeking to finance their bar preparation studies and living expenses may apply for bar exam loans. Bar exam loans are offered through private bank lenders and are not part of your academic year financial aid. These loans, however, still need to be certified by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), in Schmitz Hall Room 105. This certification is done electronically as part of the application process.
Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, and Sallie Mae are some of the private lenders that currently offer bar exam loans. Because each lender has different eligibility requirements and loan conditions, we strongly encourage you to research thoroughly your options before deciding on a lender. Factors to consider include: borrowing maximum, origination fees, grace period (6 months or 9 months from the date of graduation), interest rate, and repayment incentives. The links to Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, and Sallie Mae are included below for your convenience. UW Law does not endorse any particular lender.
Discover Bar Exam Loan
Fifth Third Bar Study Loan
Wells
Fargo Bar Exam Loan
SallieMae Bar
Study Loan
Students who are currently enrolled at UW Law may increase their student budget
to cover a “one-time cost of obtaining a first professional license or
certificate.” However, “the cost must be incurred while the student is enrolled
and does not include costs associated with preparing for a test or examination
required for licensure or certification unless such a preparation is part of the
eligible program.” A permissible one-time cost may include the bar exam
registration fee. The determination of qualifying expenses is made by the Office
of Student Financial Aid. To seek an increase to your student budget, complete
and submit a Revision Request Regarding Additional Expenses form to the OFSA.
See
http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/1112revaddexp.pdf.