Frequently Asked Questions

We process official financial aid offers upon receipt of the first admissions deposit. Most students can expect to receive official notification of financial aid status within two to three weeks after submitting the first seat deposit. We may require additional information from you in order to complete your financial aid file which can delay your official financial aid offer, so please respond to requests for additional information in a timely manner.

If you would like to receive a preliminary financial aid package before submitting your seat deposit, please contact the Law School Financial Aid Office and request a Preliminary Financial Aid Offer letter.

Yes. The seat deposit is required from all admitted students to confirm your intention to attend Temple Law School and hold your place in the incoming class. Your scholarship can not be used to pay the seat deposits.

The Admissions Committee considers all admitted students for merit-based scholarships at the time of their admission to the law school and merit-based scholarship awards are mailed with the admission letter. No application is required to be considered for an admissions merit scholarship.

Information on scholarships, including those which require a separate application, is available by clicking here. Students who have a commitment to working in the public interest may apply for the Rubin-Presser Social Justice Fellowship.

In addition to these admissions scholarships, the law school awards numerous scholarships to students during the academic year. Many of the scholarships require that students meet specific criteria such as academic performance, specific organization membership, areas of interest, state of residence, or financial need. Most of the scholarships do not require a separate application.

The AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank is a robust searchable list of scholarship and writing competitions for prospective and current law students curated by AccessLex Institute.

The Law School Financial Aid Office also maintains a listing of outside scholarship sources. This listing is updated periodically and all students are encouraged to apply for outside scholarships.

To get started, you need to file both the Temple Law School Incoming Student Financial Aid Application and the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA). The Temple Law School Financial Aid Application can be filed online once it becomes available each January. The FAFSA can also be filed online at www.studentaid.gov using our school code 003371.

Returning students should file their FAFSA by the priority deadline of March 15th of the year they plan to enroll at the law school. Incoming students should submit their FAFSA and The Temple Law School Incoming Student Financial Aid Application no later than your first admissions deposit deadline.

If you intend to apply for loans, you will also need to complete the loan application process.  More information on the steps you need to complete to receive a loan are available on the Financial Aid page of the Law School website.  You may apply for a loan at any time during the academic year.  However, in order to insure that your funds are available by the start of classes you should complete the loan application process by the end of July.

The FAFSA form will request tax information from two years prior to the academic year for which you are applying.  For example, the FAFSA  for the 2024-2025 academic year will request your 2022 federal tax return information.  While completing the FAFSA, you must consent to use the Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) to transfer your federal tax information directly into your FAFSA.

If you indicate you will file, or if you are selected for verification, we may be required to request a federal tax return transcript after you file or ask that you provide additional documentation to our office.  If you did not file a tax return for the requested tax year, you should indicate “No” to question 19 on your FAFSA form.

All graduate level students are considered independent by Department of Education guidelines, therefore Temple Law School does not require our students to provide their parents’ financial information. You should check with the other schools you are applying to to make sure they do not require you to provide parental data. However, if you do provide your parents information on the FAFSA, Temple will not use the information when determining your eligibility for financial aid.

Yes, students enrolled in the evening division are eligible for the same types of financial aid as day division students.

FAFSA will automatically import Federal tax information from 2 years ago. If the earnings from that tax year are significantly higher than your earnings from the current year, you should contact our office to complete an Income Reduction Form. The Income Reduction Form allows the financial aid office to use the current year’s earnings to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid, which may or may not affect your eligibility for certain types of aid.

The SAI is a figure which is calculated by the federal processor based on the financial information you provided on the FASFA. The SAI is used to help schools determine your financial need and eligibility for need-based financial aid. The SAI is not the amount of aid that you will receive or what you are expected to provide.  A negative SAI indicates that you have a higher financial need.

The FAFSA is not a loan application, it is the federal government’s need analysis form and is used to help us determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid.  Although the FAFSA is required to qualify for federal loans, the FAFSA alone does not approve you for a loan.  In order to borrow a federal Direct Stafford Loan, you will need to complete an electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) on the Direct Loan website: www.studentaid.gov.  Additional loan documents are required if you also borrow a federal Graduate Plus loan.

More information on the different types of loans and the application process can be on the Federal and Private Loans page of the Law School website.

No. You can only be denied a Federal Direct Stafford loan if you do not meet the citizenship requirements for federal funding, if you are currently in default on a previous federal student loan, or if you have already borrowed $138,500 from the federal Direct Stafford Loan program.

Veterans, military service members, and their families/beneficiaries may qualify for education benefits.  Some students who are initially assessed Temple’s out-of-state tuition rate may also be eligible for the in-state tuition rate under PA Act 11.

More information about VA Education Benefits, including Temple University’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program and PA Act-11, is available on Temple’s Military and Veteran Students website.

International students are eligible to receive school-based merit and endowed scholarships and grants. Although international students  do not meet the citizenship requirements to borrow federal student loans, there is funding available through private student loans. Many private student loan lenders provide loans to international students who apply with a credit-worthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident.

eduPass has a student loan finder which may be helpful in looking for loan sources. International students should also review the scholarship listing compiled by the Temple University International Student and Scholar Services Department.

There are emergency loans available for students who are experiencing temporary financial difficulties. Students may borrow up to $1,000 in an interest free loan. The student must demonstrate that they are able to re-pay the loan within eight weeks and a charge will be added to the student’s tuition account in the amount of the loan. Incoming students may not apply for an emergency loan until they are officially matriculated in the law school and in most cases, a student may not borrow an emergency loan to cover the cost of their books. Students in need of an emergency loan should contact the Law School Financial Aid Office.