Applying for Financial Aid

Federal Financial Aid

To apply for federal loans, eligible students must complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). While non-U.S. citizens or ineligible non-citizens may not borrow under the Direct Loan program, they may, however, be eligible for loans through private lenders. The FAFSA is available each year beginning October 1 and the UT Austin’s school code is 003658.

We encourage students to submit their FAFSA by January 15, which is the University’s priority submission date. Students who do not intend to borrow any federal loans should still submit a FAFSA if they wish to be considered for need-based grants, which require a FAFSA submission. Scholarship Requirements and Policies require merit scholarship recipients to complete a FAFSA before every subsequent academic year to remain scholarship eligible. Texas Law does not use parental information for need-based aid eligibility.

Scholarships

  • Incoming Students:  All admitted students are considered for merit-based scholarships if they submit a Scholarship Application. The application will be made available to admitted students beginning January 1 of the year they are applying and only admitted students will be emailed a secured link to access the application. In general, scholarship decisions are rendered within 2-3 weeks from the application submission date. Students who are awarded a scholarship receive that award for each of their three years at Texas Law and are guaranteed the award provided they satisfy minimum performance standards and remain enrolled full-time in the JD program. Students who wish to be considered for need-based funding must submit a FAFSA and are strongly encouraged to do so by January 15 even if they do not intend on borrowing federal student loans.
    • William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law Scholarships – Applicants interested in a career in public interest law are encouraged to apply for our full-tuition scholarship opportunities. To learn more about their application process, please visit the Justice Center. While applicants must have applied to the Law School by March 1, they need not wait for an admissions decision to submit an application to our Public Interest Law Scholarships.
    • Scholarship Reconsideration Process – Our Scholarship Committee gives complete and fair consideration to all applications for scholarship support. No single factor determines whether a scholarship offer will be made. If Texas Law is one of your top choices and you feel that our scholarship award is not sufficient to enable your enrollment, you may request a one-time review of your scholarship offer. This limited reconsideration opportunity will consider scholarship offers from similarly ranked schools along with other factors such as merit and need. Although Texas Law will not be able to match all scholarship offers from peer schools and we will not engage in a bidding competition, our Scholarship Committee is happy to reevaluate the initial offer. We are committed to doing all we can to help every admitted student who wants to join our community. The Scholarship Reconsideration Form will be available only for admitted students starting February 1 through the Dashboard. The Scholarship Committee will begin reviewing scholarship reconsideration requests after March 15. If you have any further questions, please email lawfinaid@law.utexas.edu.
  • Current Students:  Rising second- and third-year students will need to complete a Scholarship Profile (available in the Spring semester of each year) to be considered for continuation of the scholarships awarded to them as incoming students. In addition, students are required to submit a FAFSA (if they are eligible to do so) regardless of whether they intend to borrow federal student loans or not. The Law School offers a limited number of scholarships for which continuing students may be considered that are based on specific criteria, e.g., performance in particular areas of law, student organization/journal involvement, and leadership. Please note that we are not able to negotiate the original scholarship you received as an incoming student.

Notification of Awards 

  • Scholarships: Texas Law will notify admitted students of any scholarship awards through email.
  • Financial Aid:
    • Check Your Status Here (CASH):  CASH is the online system used to access your financial aid award. After you submit a FAFSA, the University may request additional information from you to complete your financial aid profile. They will notify you through email and CASH if verification documents are required. Throughout your time at Texas Law, use CASH to view your financial aid award, check the status of your financial aid, or complete any outstanding requirements that may prevent you from receiving your aid.
    • Financial Aid Notification (FAN): In May, the University will issue your FAN, which will include your financial aid offer and provide you with the opportunity to accept, decline, or reduce award amounts. You may access your FAN through CASH. You must respond by the deadline listed otherwise your financial aid award will be canceled. Please note that students receiving a Texas Law Scholarship will find it listed under Additional Student Resources.

Receiving Aid

Financial aid funds will be released on a rolling basis around the first day of class every semester and no earlier than 10 days before the start of each semester. To ensure your financial aid releases timely, please make sure to complete the following requirements:

  • Upgrade UT EID: Before financial aid can be released, you must have an upgraded UT EID. To upgrade your EID, visit the ID Center in the Flawn Academic Center to sign the Electronic Agreement Form. You will need to present a valid, current government-issued ID.
  • Tax ID Number: All scholarship recipients must confirm or update their Tax ID number through UT Direct to receive their scholarships. In addition, scholarship recipients must also agree to the Scholarship Requirements and Policies.
  • Sign Master Promissory Note (MPN): Students who are borrowing federal student loans are required to sign MPNs for the Direct Unsubsidized Loan and a separate one for the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. You may access the MPNs through Federal Student Aid using your FSA ID.
  • Entrance Counseling: First-time borrowers must complete Entrance Counseling. Please make sure to complete the combined Entrance Counseling for the Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans if you are borrowing both.
  • Update Address and Email Address: All tuition and fee notifications will be sent to a student’s current email address. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain a current email address and local/permanent physical addresses. You may update this information with the University Registrar’s.
  • In-School Deferment: In general, students who have any outstanding federal student loans (from undergrad or other graduate programs) will not need to take any action to put their loans into in-school deferment. The University will automatically notate your enrollment at Texas Law after the 12th class day, which is the University’s official enrollment count date. However, we still advise students to check with their federal loan servicers to ensure that all the necessary information has been received. On the other hand, students who have outstanding private student loans should contact their loan servicers and submit any documentation required.

All students are required to pay their tuition and fee bills before any financial aid will release. Any federal financial aid and grants are applied to your bill first and any excess funds will be sent to the student, either by mail to their local address or direct deposited into their bank account. Law scholarships do not disburse until you have confirmed attendance by paying tuition and fees. After a student upgrades their UT EID, the student may complete an authorization form to set up electronic funds transfers. Forms are available to be submitted online or a printable document can be downloaded. For more information on paying your bill including other payment options visit Paying Your Tuition.

Minimum Hours Policy

  • First-Year Students: 1Ls are required to take a minimum of 29 hours, although most enroll for 30 hours. The financial aid budget is based on 30 hours of enrollment. Students enrolling in less than 14 hours for either semester must notify the Financial Aid Office for budget adjustments.
  • Second- and Third-Year Students: 2Ls and 3Ls must take a minimum of 10 hours per semester to receive financial aid. Students who are taking less than 10 hours per semester and wish to receive financial aid need prior approval from the Financial Aid Office.
  • Summer Enrollment: Three (3) credit hours are the minimum hours necessary to receive financial aid during the summer session. Students enrolled for summer internships for credit also must be enrolled for a minimum of three hours. Students must notify the Financial Aid Office immediately if they are enrolling in only one session.