Policies and Procedures

This website is designed to provide you with information regarding the financial aid process and how to apply for assistance. It is your responsibility to submit all the required material by the announced deadlines. 

Prospective students are encouraged to apply early for priority consideration. Applicants should not wait for an admission decision before applying for financial aid. Admission decisions are made independent of financial aid decisions.

This site should answer most of your general questions about financial aid. If you have any other questions, or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Financial Aid Office.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

For financial aid consideration, applicants need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Renewal FAFSA.

The Department of Education has recently switched to a username and password system called FSA ID. The FSA ID replaces the FAFSA PIN previously used to log into the Federal Student Aid websites. Both new and continuing FAFSA filers will need to create a FSA ID to access, complete and electronically sign their FAFSA  as well as to view their federal loan history at the Federal Student Aid website. This website will also allow you to view the status and results of your processed FAFSA as well as to make corrections to you Student Aid Report.

If you have not created your FSA ID, you can do so at www.fsa.ed.gov.  To prevent delays, please designate USD School of Law (code G06976) as recipient for the processed forms.

The priority filing date for the FAFSA is March 1; this means the Central Processor must receive your application on or before this date if you wish priority consideration for programs that have limited funding.

Students applying for Summer financial aid must be enrolled in a minimum of 3 units and must submit the Summer Institutional Financial Aid Application, generally available in February. The priority filing date for Summer is April 1.

Financial Aid Notice

The Financial Aid Office will prepare a tentative financial aid package based on the evaluation received from the Department of Education. The financial aid notice email will detail which programs may help finance a student's education. In addition, students will be asked to complete the loan application process. Other documents may be needed to establish their eligibility, as required by federal regulations.

Entrance Loan Counseling

Students who are first-time borrowers at the School of Law under the Federal Direct Loan Programs need to complete the entrance loan counseling requirement. The purpose of the counseling is to give students the opportunity to review borrowing limits and disbursement procedures, and confirm that students understand their rights and responsibilities as borrowers. More information.

Disbursement

Students can check on the disbursement of loans to their USD student account by visiting the MySanDiego portal, and clicking on "My Student Account." If your enrollment status has changed and you have not notified the Financial Aid Office, this will delay your loan disbursement. If you need to notify our office of any changes, please email us at lawaid@sandiego.edu or bring written notification to our office. Please be sure to include your student ID number, your first and last name and your anticipated units for the applicable semester. Please note that 8-11 units is part-time, 12-16 units is full-time and LLM students are charged on a per unit basis

Links

If you would like information about filling out the FAFSA, or other information related to financial aid, please view the links below.

Contact Us

  • Law School Office of Financial Aid:  (619) 260-4570  or  lawaid@sandiego.edu