Financial Aid | Columbia Law School

LL.M. and J.S.D. Degree Students

Applicants to the LL.M. and J.S.D. programs who are interested in grant assistance should note that the Financial Aid Office does not review LL.M. and J.S.D. students for grant assistance.

The Financial Aid Office reviews grant applications for J.D. students only, and the Office of Graduate Legal Studies reviews grant applications for LL.M. and J.S.D. candidates.

However, the Financial Aid Office certifies educational loan applications for all Columbia Law School students, so this page may still be a useful reference for Graduate Legal Studies students needing educational loans to finance their cost of attendance.

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

U.S. citizens and permanent residents may be eligible for federal loans (Direct Stafford, Direct Graduate PLUS), as well as for additional funding from private educational loan programs. Please refer to the Law School’s Loans and Credit webpage and the Columbia University Student Financial Services website for more information.

International Students

International students (not U.S. citizens and those not holding a U.S. permanent resident visa) are not eligible for federally guaranteed assistance programs. In addition, they need to provide a U.S. cosigner in order to apply for private educational loan programs. Please refer to the Law School’s Loans and Credit webpage and the Columbia University Student Financial Services website for additional information. We strongly advise all international students seeking educational loans to secure an eligible cosigner as early as possible.