Financial Aid
Current USD Student Loans
Loan Application Procedure:
USD students who wish to apply for Federal Loan Programs must follow the same process they would if the summer program were in San Diego.
- They must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which may take up to six weeks to receive. Please designate the USD School of Law (Federal Code G06976) as the recipient for the processed form. Students applying for private loans need not complete a FAFSA.
- All students must submit a completed Summer USD Law Institutional Financial Aid Application by March 1 to the Law School Financial Aid Office.
- If your file is selected for verification, a Verification Worksheet, along with copies of your latest federal income tax return and W-2, will be requested before eligibility is determined.
- The Financial Aid Office will provide an Offer of Assistance after your file is complete. At that point, you may need to complete additional forms or supply additional documentation. Please refer to the Summer USD Law Institutional Financial Aid Application for more detailed information. All supplemental forms and documentation must be submitted by April 1.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Federal loans cannot be disbursed earlier than ten days prior to the start of the loan period. If you need access to funds sooner, consider applying for a private loan instead of a federal loan.
- If you opt out of federal loans, notify the Financial Aid Office and then contact the lender directly to apply for a private loan.
- Depending on the lender, students will receive funds either electronically or by paper check.
- If your paper check does not arrive before you leave, you must leave a Power of Attorney on file at the One Stop Student Services Office designating an individual authorized to negotiate your loan checks in your absence.
- If your electronic loan disbursement does not arrive before you leave, please enroll in Direct Deposit online through the MySanDiego Portal so that refunds can be deposited directly to your checking or savings account. USD cannot mail these funds directly to students while they are abroad.
- First-time borrowers must complete a Loan Entrance Interview prior to disbursement of any federal loan. Please contact the Law School Financial Aid Office for specific instructions on this requirement.
- If you borrow a federal loan and you withdraw from the summer program, federal regulations may require that you return all, or a portion of, the funds disbursed to you. Graduate Plus Loans require that a student be “credit worthy,” which is determined by the lender’s review of your credit information/history.
Please visit the Financial Aid website, where you can find all the necessary forms, or contact the Law School Financial Aid Office by email or by phone at (619) 260-4570 for additional information.
Visiting Student Loans
Loan Application Information:
- Students visiting from another U.S. school should apply for federal student loans through their home institution.
- Contact your home school’s Financial Aid Office to obtain a Consortium/Visiting Student Agreement.
- Please be sure to include your name, program and program year on the agreement.
- Completed forms may be submitted by email or fax (619) 260-2230.
- Funds are either provided to the home school or directly to the student.
Scholarships
The generosity of an anonymous USD School of Law alum who participated in our summer programs abroad creates several scholarships, usually in amounts from $500 to $1,500, offered
to students who would like to attend the Institute. Students at USD and other law schools are
equally eligible, but students at USD's partner schools are not eligible. Scholarships are awarded
on a combination of need and merit. Scholarship applicants should submit a cover e-mail to the
Institute explaining why participation in the institute will be useful for their careers, what they can bring to the institute, and explaining their need and merit. Scholarship applicants should forward a copy of the transcript including fall grades. If it is not written on the transcript, an explanation of the applicant's approximate class standing would be useful. Applicants should also ask their school's financial aid office to send an evaluation of the student's need as either great, moderate or small.
