Students who are enrolled in classes at least half-time during the summer can apply for student loans to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses for the summer program. If you are enrolled less than half-time during the summer, you will need to pay out-of-pocket or borrow a private education loan (see Borrow Private Education Loan) to cover your summer charges. Please see below for what constitutes half-time enrollment and the additional requirements for each summer program.
How do I apply for summer financial aid?
Financial aid for the summer is not automatically awarded, even if you indicate on the FAFSA that you plan to enroll in summer classes or after you register for summer classes. Please follow the steps below to complete the summer financial aid process. The priority deadline to complete Step 1 and Step 2 is March 15, 2024.
Step 1. Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Step 2. Complete the Temple Law School Financial Aid Request Form online at https://www4.law.temple.edu/financialaidrequests/
Step 3. Complete the online 2024 Summer Loan Request Form.
Step 4. After you file the financial aid forms, the Law School Financial Aid Office will reach out to you to schedule an appointment to authorize your financial aid package for the summer program. Summer financial aid appointments will begin in March. Please review the information below to make sure you meet all requirements to borrow loans for the summer.
If you have additional questions after reviewing the information below, please feel free to contact us or stop by our office during business hours (no appointment necessary).
What summer programs qualify for financial aid?
You can use financial aid to attend the summer programs listed below as long as you also meet the additional requirements for the program.
Summer Programs and Additional Requirement
Study Abroad in Rome
You must be admitted to the Rome program and register for at least 4 credits. If you drop below 4 credit hours after receiving loan money, you will be required to return your student loan refund and the loan funds will be returned to the lender.
Temple Law School - Main Campus
You must register for at least 4 credits. If you drop below 4 credit hours after receiving loan money, you will be required to return your student loan refund and the loan funds will be returned to the lender. The summer course schedule should be available in April. You must submit a summer registration request to Student Affairs before you schedule your financial aid appointment.
Temple Law School - Law & Public Policy Program
You must be admitted to the Law & Public Policy Program and register for at least 4 credits. If you drop below 4 credit hours after receiving loan money, you will be required to return your student loan refund and the loan funds will be returned to the lender.
MBA classes at Temple University (JD/MBA)
You must be an official JD/MBA student and register for at least 4 credits. Registration must be processed before you make your financial aid appointment.
Business Certificate
You must be approved by Student Affairs to enroll in Business Certificate courses and register for at least 4 credits. Please note, most students only take a 3 credit Statistics course in the summer toward their business certificate. Therefore, you will need to take at least one additional course during the summer in order to qualify for federal student loans. If you choose to only take the Statistics course, you will have to either pay out-of pocket for the course or borrow a private education loan (see Private Education Loan for Summer below).
Study Abroad at Temple Japan Campus
Only students who attended the spring semester Japan program can be approved to continue studying in Japan in the summer. You will be eligible to borrow federal student loans if you receive approval to continue in Japan for the summer and register for at least 4 credits.
Domestic Summer Programs through another (host) school
You must be approved by Student Affairs to attend the summer program and register for at least 4 credits that will be accepted towards your J.D. You will need to provide the Law School Financial Aid Office with the name and fax number of the Host school’s financial aid office. Temple’s financial aid office will then contact the host school to file a Consortium Agreement which will allow Temple to use their budget for the summer program in order to determine your student loan eligibility. Your financial aid cannot be processed until the Consortium Agreement is completed.
Summer Study Abroad through another (American of foreign) school
You must be approved by the Office of Graduate and International Studies to attend the summer program and register for at least 4 credits (at least 2 courses) that will be accepted towards your J.D. If the program is through an American school, you will need to provide the Law School Financial Aid Office with the name and fax number of the Host school’s financial aid office. Temple’s financial aid office will contact the host school to file a Consortium Agreement which will allow Temple to use their budget for the summer program. If the program is directly through a foreign institution, you will need to provide the Law School Financial Aid Office with all of the information you have received from the foreign school about the costs for their program in order to determine your financial aid eligibility.
How much can I borrow for the summer?
You can borrow up to the cost of attendance, or budget, for the summer program to cover tuition and fees, books/supplies and modest living expenses. The funds you borrow for the summer are only intended to meet the expenses for the time you are enrolled in the summer program and not for the entire summer break. Below are the budgets for Temple’s summer programs. Budgets for programs through other schools are determined by the host school.
| Campus/Program | PA Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| Rome | $11,249 (5 credits) | $11,249 (5 credits) |
| Main Campus – JD | $10,477 – $12,860 (4-6 credits) | $13,257 – $17,030 (4-6 credits) |
| Main Campus – Tax LLM | $11,316 – $16,549 (4-9 credits) | $12,216 – $18,574 (4-9 credits) |
| Temple Japan Campus | $TBD (4-6 credits) | $TBD (4-6 credits) |
| Temple Law Washington, DC | $16,459 (6 credits) | $16,459 (6 credits) |
What are my options for borrowing loans for the summer?
Students can borrow either a federal Direct Stafford loan, a federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan, or private education loan up to the cost of attendance of the summer program. If you receive an academic scholarship during the school year, it cannot be applied to the summer term.
If you would like to borrow a Direct Stafford Loan for the summer, you have two options on how to split your Stafford loan eligibility. These two options are available to most students as long as the student is not currently in default on a federal student loan and/or has not already borrowed up to the aggregate federal Stafford loan limit of $138,500.
Option 1: Summer/Fall Budget
With this option you can split your federal Direct Stafford loan equally between the summer and fall semesters. Combining the summer and fall semesters allows you to borrow more than the summer budget amount. This is done by using a portion of your fall semester’s loan eligibility. However, borrowing above the summer budget amount will directly reduce the amount you can borrow for the fall semester and can result in you receiving a smaller refund for the fall. To avoid financial hardship in the fall semester, you should reserve the excess money refunded to you in the summer to use towards your fall expenses.
Example: If the budget for your summer program is $8000 and the Fall budget is $16,000, the combined budget will be $24,000. The combined budget of $24,000 will be the maximum amount that you can receive in financial aid between the summer and fall semesters. Instead of being limited to borrowing $8000 for the summer, Option 1 allows you to borrow $12,000 in the summer (half of the combined budget). However, if you borrow $12,000 in the summer, during the fall semester you will only be able to borrow up to the remaining $12,000 that is left in the combined budget.
Any other financial aid you are offered for the summer and fall semesters (i.e. academic scholarships, grants, work study, etc.) will be included as part of your summer/fall financial aid package. If you receive a renewable academic tuition scholarship, it will be included in your financial aid package as an offered amount until your academic eligibility for scholarship renewal is determined. If it is not renewed, it will be your responsibility to seek additional funding.
The spring semester will begin a new loan period in which you will be eligible to borrow another Direct Stafford loan up to the spring semester’s budget. If you choose to take classes the following summer and are enrolled at least half-time, you can only borrow up to the amount left over from what you borrowed in the spring. For the following academic year, you will go back to borrowing the normal fall/spring loan amounts. This option allows you to borrow more of your funding through the federal Stafford loan program and significantly reduces the amount needed from the Grad PLUS loan for the semester.
Option 2. Summer Only Budget
The maximum Direct Stafford loan eligibility for summer, fall, and spring semesters combined would be $20,500. You can borrow a portion of your Direct Stafford loan eligibility in the summer (up to the summer program budget) and split the remaining Direct Stafford loan amount between the fall and spring semesters. If you normally borrow the maximum $20,500 during the academic year, you will be eligible for a lower amount of Direct Stafford for the fall and spring semesters if you have used a portion in the summer. However, you can borrow either a federal Graduate PLUS or private education loan if you need additional funding for the academic year.
Other Loan Options
Borrow a Graduate PLUS Loan
You can choose to not borrow from your annual Direct Stafford loan in the summer, and instead borrow a Graduate PLUS loan. You will then have your full annual Direct Stafford loan amount available to you for the academic year. You must meet the credit criteria for the Grad PLUS loan and you may have to complete an additional application. This option is only suggested for students who have already borrowed up to the federal Stafford loan aggregate limit of $138,500 and, therefore, no longer qualify for Stafford loan funding. Otherwise, we do not recommend this option because the interest on the Graduate PLUS loan is higher than the interest on the Stafford loan.
Borrow a Private Education Loan
You can also choose to borrow a private education loan if you do not want to borrow from your annual Direct Stafford Loan. However, if you are able to borrow the federal loan, we do not recommend that you borrow the private loan because it cannot be included in a federal loan consolidation and may have less favorable repayment terms and benefits than federal loans. The private education loan should only be considered by students who do not meet the half-time enrollment requirement for federal loans. The private education loan requires that you complete an additional loan application and is contingent on credit approval. Please contact the Law School Financial Aid Office for information on private education loan providers.
Please note, when you choose to borrow additional funding during the summer, you will be increasing your overall student loan debt no matter which option you choose.
How does Summer Work Study affect my summer financial aid package?
If you are awarded summer work study and you are attending a summer program, the summer work study award must be included in your financial aid package and will reduce the loan amount your are eligible to borrow. You can opt to reduce the amount of the summer work study award to increase your summer loan eligibility.
When will I receive my student loan refund?
If you are signed up for direct deposit and your financial aid package is complete, your refund should be deposited into your bank account during the first week of class. Otherwise, the refund check will be sent to you by mail.