Financial Aid

Mizzou Law recognizes the financial commitment of attending law school and how financial decisions can influence your future.  Mizzou is an exceptional value and it’s understandable that financing your law school education can be daunting. The Financial Aid Office offers support in the area of student finances including financial aid, financial literacy, and individual financial counseling by an Accredited Financial Counselor.

It is important for law students to review their finances and consider the resources available to pay for their law degree.  Mizzou Law students finance their legal education through savings, scholarships, student loans, and federal work-study.  Financial aid resources are allocated on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

a photo of the cover of the financial aid brochure

Overview

A legal education is an investment in your future and serious financial investment as well.  It is very critical that you take a realistic assessment of how you will pay for it.  The cost of receiving a law school education can be very expensive when you include tuition, the cost for housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses.  Today nearly 80% of law school students rely on student loans as their primary source for financing their J.D.  The more a student borrows, the longer the debt will have an impact on life after law school.

Your Financial Aid Package

Once the MU Financial Aid Office has received your FAFSA results and other required forms, a financial aid package is developed and a financial aid award notification will be sent to you via email.  The award notification will include the financial aid for which you are eligible and what you need to do to accept your award.  For first-year law students, financial aid awards are usually available by mid-March.  Continuing law students will receive their financial aid award notices in June.

Receiving Your Financial Aid

All financial aid received, except federal work-study, is applied directly to your MU account. This account is established in the Cashier’s Office once you are registered for classes.  Your account consists of all tuition, fees, room and board (if you live in campus housing), books and any other University charges. Usually, one-half of your aid is credited to your account for the fall semester and the other half is credited for the spring.  More information about how funds are applied to your account. 

e-Consent

Access to view your financial aid online requires that you grant e-consent in myZou.  By granting e-consent you have access to view and accept your financial aid online.  If you are new to Mizzou you will be able to provide consent when you receive your login information from the law school Office of Admissions.

Official Notice on Fees

The University reserves the right to increase or decrease the fees charged for attendance and other services at the University when the Board of Curators considers it in the best interest of the University to do so.  Any increase in fees must be approved by the Board of Curators not less than thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the academic term (semester, etc.) to which these fees will be applied.  Any change in fees will be effective irrespective of whether fees have or have not been paid by or on behalf of a student prior to the effective date of the modification.