Financial Aid - College of Law

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Juris Doctor (JD)

Financial Aid

The University of Tulsa strives to make quality private higher education available to all qualified students.  Every effort is made to help students who require financial assistance meet their tuition and living expenses. Sources of financial aid at TU include scholarships, federal loans, and private loans.  Approximately, 98% of the student body receives some combination of federal and private loans.  62% of the overall student body receives a scholarship.

The Office of Student Financial Services is available to help students understand the financial aid process and to answer questions about loan eligibility.  Contact Kristi Emerson, Assistant Director Student Financial Services, at 918-631-3325 or kristi-emerson@utulsa.edu for more information.

Financial Aid Application Process

To receive federal financial aid, students must complete a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year.  The Department of Education begins accepting applications for the new school year on October 1.

Please Note: All students are required to set up a utulsa.edu email account with the University as soon as the Office of Admissions provides the instructions.  The TU Office of Student Financial Services will only correspond with students via their utulsa.edu accounts.

Students who plan to attend summer school must complete the Summer TU Financial Aid Application form and have a current FAFSA on file with the TU Office of Student Financial Services.  The summer form will be available in March of each year.  Students studying abroad or visiting another school will need to complete the study abroad/visiting student form.

Once we have received your application, we may ask for additional information or documents based upon information received from the Department of Education. Some students are chosen by the Department of Education for a process called Verification. We will send you an email requesting the documentation required to complete the verification of your file. Additional information may be required if all questions are not resolved. Once all of the documents are received and all discrepancies are resolved, we will process your application.

Aid eligibility will not exceed your Cost of Attendance.  The Cost of Attendance is set annually on reasonable expenses. (See Tuition & Fees) It does not cover debt previously incurred or high expenses.  Please set a budget for yourself if you plan to live on an aid refund; regulations are tight and do not include any expenses for other family members. 

All students are required to have medical insurance and enrolled automatically.  To opt out of the mandatory health insurance: studentcenter.uhcsr.com/tulsa

IMPORTANT NOTE: All awards are based on Full Time Status.  Please notify the Office of Student Financial Services immediately if you will not be attending Full Time.

Student Loans

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans are available for students who need funds to help meet their educational expenses.  The maximum amount for an Unsubsidized Stafford loan per academic year is $20,500.  The student is responsible for the interest on this loan while in school or upon the request of the borrower. This interest can be added to the principle.  Visit studentlaid.gov for the current interest rate and origination fees.  Students will enter repayment six months after enrollment drops below half-time status.  The lifetime aggregate Stafford loan limit for law students is $138,500, of which no more than $65,500 can be from the Subsidized Stafford loan. Read more about Direct Unsubsidized Loans

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans

The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS (GPLUS) Loan is a loan that students may apply for in addition to the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loan.  The maximum a student is allowed to borrow each year is the difference between the Cost of Attendance and all other aid received for the academic year.  Visit studentaid.gov for the current interest rate and origination fees.  Students will enter repayment six months after enrollment drops below half-time status.  The student must not have adverse credit in order to obtain this loan.  Read more about the GPLUS Loan

Private Loans

Private Alternative Loans are loans that students may apply for in addition to the Federal Unsubsidized Stafford loan.  The maximum a student is allowed to borrow each year is the difference between the Cost of Attendance and all other aid received for the academic year.  This interest rate varies among the lenders as they will use either the T-Bill or Libor in addition to another percent that will be determined by them when you apply for the loan.  Some lenders will also assess processing and origination fees and those are based upon your credit score.  Students will enter repayment six months after enrollment drops below half-time status.  The student must be creditworthy in order to obtain this loan. Read more about private loans

  • Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

    Federal regulations require all recipients of student financial assistance to make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or eligible certificate. Read more about the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

  • Loan Deferment

    If you are entering The University of Tulsa AND have student loan debt, please self-report this school change to the National Student Loan Data Systems (NSLDS).

    This will assist you in obtaining an in-school deferment status if eligible.

    1. Visit www.nsldsfap.ed.gov/nslds_SA/
    2. Log in using your FSAID
    3. Click on the tab titled “ENROLL” in the menu
    4. In the drop down box, choose “Oklahoma” – “University of Tulsa” then provide the date you will be attending TU and click “ADD”
    5. Click “SUBMIT” to save changes
  • Resources

    Financial aid and student loans can be complicated but we are here to help! Below are some great resources to learn more about federal student loans.

    What if I still have questions and need more direction?

    Please feel free to contact us and set up a time to talk one-on-one. We know that financial aid can be stressful, and we would like to help you in any way we can. Scholarship questions should be directed to Law Admissions at lawadmissions@utulsa.edu; financial aid related questions should be directed to Kristi Emerson with the Office of Student Financial Services at Kristi-emerson@utulsa.edu.

  • FAQ

    What Do I Need To Do After I Receive My Award Letter?

    You should accept award offers as quickly as possible once you receive the email telling you the award letter is ready.  You will sign into the TU portal and log onto your web advisor account.  You will be able to accept or decline the aid offer directly on the financial aid self-service page.   You will then follow the instructions listed below for each type of loan you are choosing to accept for the year.

    To be eligible for this loan you must not have adverse credit.

    If your award letter has an offer of “PLUS/PRIVATE” this is a loan that you must initiate on your own.  You accepting this loan offer on the TU portal does not allow us to process this loan for you.  You must choose which credit based loan you will apply for, the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan or the Private loan. Once you have completed the application process outlined above, signed the Promissory Note and the lender has approved your credit, they will send our office the electronic certification request.

     

    When Will My Loan Funds Be Disbursed To TU?

    If you would like for the bursar’s office to directly deposit the excess funds into your bank account please go to selfservice.utulsa.edu/Student/HumanResources/BankingInformation log in and complete the bank information.

    All processed aid will post to your student account in the bursar’s office on the first or second day of classes. The bursar’s office will then take out all charges and request a refund to you for the excess. This will only happen if you have signed the Master Promissory Note (MPN), completed the required entrance loan counseling and are enrolled in the number of hours for which the aid was processed.

    Per Federal Regulations, the Bursars office has 14 days to issue the refund to you. If you have signed up for direct deposit you will receive an email the day before this deposit is made. You can also log onto univoftulsa.sharepoint.com/sites/StudentCommunication, click on view and pay my account, and click on account activity to view you current account status.

    Please also remember that there are loan fees taken out of each disbursement so the amount that shows posted is less than what you borrowed.

    If you choose not to participate in direct deposit a check will be prepared for you to be picked up at the bursar’s office approximately 2 weeks after your funds are disbursed to TU.

    Please note that loan amounts may be adjusted if you are not enrolled in the hours that were anticipated at time of awarding. This process can take up to 10 business days to resolve before funds are credited to your student account.

     

    Return of Federal Financial Aid for Early Withdrawal

    As mandated by the Department of Education, recipients of Federal Title IV student financial aid must complete at least 60% of the term enrolled to earn all of the federal funding awarded for that award period.  When a recipient withdraws from the term for which funds are paid directly to the student or used to pay charges owed by the student for a specific enrollment period, a Return of Title IV Calculation is required.

    Students earn the opportunity to receive federal funds based on the number of days of attendance in each enrollment period, expressed as a percentage of the total number of days in the term.  This calculation translates into the percentage of Federal Title IV financial aid earned by the student while in attendance.  Unearned federal funds must be immediately returned to the federal programs.  This may result in the student owing charges to The University of Tulsa.

    Two additional variables are important for students to understand if they are recipients of Federal Title IV financial aid funds.  After a student is in attendance through the 60% point of the enrollment period, no Return of Title IV calculation is required.  The student is considered to have earned the funds received for the term enrolled.  The second variable of importance is for students who have earned a percentage of funds they have been awarded but not yet received.  These students may still be eligible to receive a percentage of those funds after the total withdrawal occurs.  The required Return of Title IV calculation will determine eligibility for funds.

    Attendance is the key…if enrollment is maintained in at least one class with attendance beyond the 60% date during the term; this policy will not affect the student.  All withdrawals will impact satisfactory academic progress.  Please refer to the Satisfactory Academic Policy for details.

     

    Other Important Information

    If you need money for books upfront and will have excess funds for the semester, please contact the bursar’s office one week before classes begin to request funds be applied to the your student ID in order to purchase books in the campus bookstore.

    There are only three items that will be considered when requesting additional aid:

    The cost of a computer for school –

    Please provide to the Office of Student Financial Services a receipt or a quote for this one time increase.

    Daycare expenses –

    Please provide written documentation from the daycare provider regarding the cost that you will incur for the academic year.  This must be submitted each year in order for it to be added to the Cost of Attendance budget.

    The University of Tulsa Health Insurance –

    Please contact Kristi Emerson via email to confirm that you are purchasing the TU health insurance.

    Contact Information:
    Office of Student Financial Services
    Kristi Emerson
    918.631.3325
    Kristi-emerson@utulsa.edu
    http://www.utulsa.edu/financialaid