E​ligibility

In order to qualify for student financial assistance, students must meet all the federal eligibility requirements and must:

  • Be officially accepted by the School of Law admissions office or Graduate Programs admission office in an eligible degree program. A diploma is not an eligible degree program for financial aid purposes.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
  • Be registered with the selective service (males only).
  • Demonstrate financial need as determined by the need analysis process on the FAFSA for the following programs: Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loan Program, Federal Direct Student Loan Program, Federal-Work Study Program and most scholarships. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan and Direct Graduate Plus Loan Programs are not based on financial need, however they are subject to consideration for the cost of attendance. Private loan applicants are generally required to prove credit worthiness.
  • Be enrolled in an eligible program (JD, JD/MBA, JD/IMBA, JD/MA, LLM, MSLS)
  • Be registered in at least half-time status, which equates to 6+ units for fall and spring terms for JD students or 5+units for LLM/MSLS students, and 3+ units during summer terms for all students.
  • Not be in default on a federal student loan, or have made satisfactory arrangements to repay it, or do not owe money back on a federal student grant, or have made satisfactory arrangements to re-pay it.
  • Not have borrowed in excess of the statutory loan limits.
  • Not owe a refund/repayment on any TITLE IV grant, (Pell Grant, SEOG, SSIG, ACG, SMART).
  • Sign a Statement of Education Purpose stating you will use federal student aid funds only for expenses related to attending school.
  • Complete the verification process if selected by the Dept. of Education or the Financial Aid Office.
  • Your eligibility for any of the federal programs may be suspended or terminated by a court as part of a conviction for possessing, distributing or manufacturing drugs.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
  • Students enrolled in the Diploma in Taxation Program are not eligible for financial aid.
  • Incompletes, withdrawals, audits, failed courses, repeated courses and any additional units or courses above the specified program requirements for graduation cannot be considered in the computation of minimum units and cannot be awarded financial aid. Repeated coursework as a result of incompletes, withdrawals or failed courses cannot be funded by Financial Aid.
  • Students on academic probation or academic watch will have one semester to remove the probationary status. Financial aid for the term immediately following the probationary semester will be placed on hold until the probationary status is cleared by the Records office. Students who are disqualified are not eligible for further financial aid.
  • USD students visiting another law school must check with the Financial Aid office about eligible programs and visiting agreement criteria.

Students who do not meet these minimum standards will be advised by the Financial Aid Office that they are not eligible to receive financial aid under the Title IV programs. Students who receive this notification have the right to appeal the aid denial. All appeals will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee. This committee will make a recommendation to the assistant dean of financial aid who will make the final decision.