Financial Aid

UK Law offers a quality legal education at a comparatively low cost for both Kentucky residents and nonresidents. However, because of the expense involved in obtaining a legal education at any institution, the University Kentucky and the College of Law have made financial assistance an important priority.

Financial Aid at UK Law is administered by the University of Kentucky Financial Aid Office and is designed to ensure that all students admitted to the College of Law are able to meet the basic costs of their education. If you have in-depth questions about financial aid in general or your personal situation in particular you should contact that office directly.

If you are interested in receiving financial aid for UK Law, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA) and file it with the federal processing center, as shown in the application packet. You also can complete and submit your FAFSA on-line. To be considered for all types of aid available, you must file your application by April 1 for the upcoming school year. Financial aid is available to UK law students from the following programs:

Federal Perkins Loans. Awards of up to $4,000 annually are made based upon financial need. To be considered, you must file the FAFSA by April 1. Interest on Perkins Loans does not accrue during the three years of law school.

Federal Direct Loans. Federal direct guaranteed student loans are available for up to a total of $20,500 per academic year. The Direct Loan has two components, both of which carry the same, low interest rate. The subsidized loan component (awarded up to a total of $8,500 annually) is based on need, and the interest is paid by the government while you are enrolled. The unsubsidized portion (awarded up to a total of $12,000 annually) is not based on need, and you will owe interest while in school. That interest can capitalized and then repaid after law school.

Federal PLUS Loans.Federal PLUS Loans are a new program to help pay any cost of attendance in excess of your other federal loans. You can borrow up to an amount not to exceed you cost of attendance minus other financial aid. Applications for the Federal Direct Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan can be downloaded from www.uky.edu/FinancialAid. Go to the download page on the UK Financial Aid website and scroll down to the Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan Request Form. PLUS loans are a cheaper alternative than most private loans.

Work-Study Funds. If you qualify for work-study funds (based upon financial need), you will have the option of either taking the funds as a loan or working part-time during law school. The College of Law requires first-year students to take these funds as a loan because of the rigors of the first-year program. Second and third year students who qualify have the opportunity to work for the College of Law Library, the local U.S. Attorney's Office, Central Kentucky Legal Services, the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund and other legal employers. To be considered for work-study funds, you must meet the April 1 deadline for applying.

Private Lenders. There are private, national lenders that will offer law students long-term unsubsidized loans at competitive interest rates. For example, you can borrow funds as required each year from Law Access , Key Bank or LawLoans (up to a total of $120,000 for all outstanding school loans) at a variable rate with up to15 years to repay. However, to be eligible you must first apply for Direct Loan funding. Law Access, Key Bank and LawLoans applications are available from the UK Financial Aid Office or by contacting the lenders directly. You can apply on-line for most private law school loans.

FFEL Loans & Loan Forgiveness If you plan to go into a public interest or public service position, you may want to elect the FFEL Option and accept your loan award from the Family Federal Education Loan program instead of the Federal Direct Loan program. Under the FFEL Loan program, you will be eligible for a loan forgiveness program now offered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky for law graduates who go on to public interest or public service positions in Kentucky. Qualified positions include public defenders, assistant commonwealth attorneys, assistant county attorneys, Kentucky legal services attorneys, and law clerks for the Kentucky Court of Appeals and Kentucky Supreme Court. This is separate from the Rural Drug Prosecution Assistance Project loan forgiveness program that is available only to UK law students and graduates.

A Federal Direct Loan will be included in your initial aid package from UK Law. You will then be notified of your option to borrow a FFEL loan instead from a list of preferred lenders provided by UK's Student Financial Aid office.

Other financing. Law school scholarship and loan opportunities may exist in your local community for students with your particular qualifications. We recommend that all candidates take the time to research any other funding opportunities for which they may qualify.