I have no idea how to pay for law school.

[EEtoJD]

For those of us who aren't even eligible for FAFSA, this thread could use more creative ideas of how to pay for law school!

/please?

Egg donor.

[Boss]

Join the national guard/reserves.  Use your GI Bill & Tutition Assistance to pay.   However, if you're not a US citizen, you can't become an officer.  Even the Army dings you guys!

Ok, not the most desirable option, but at least I get points for coming up with an honest alternative!

[Jhuen_the_bird]

What about just getting regular loans from banks or something? (if you don't qualify for Fafsa)?

Oh, and by the way ... what IS need access?  Their website just makes it seem like Fafsa part II ... why would you need this in addition to fafsa?

I'm gonna pay for Law School with a combination of scholarships (crossing my fingers on that one), FAFSA loans, Out of my/my mom's/my fiance-will-be-spouse's pocket.  A bank loan could be acquired if absolutely necessary, but I'm going to hope for no.

I wish there were FAFSA grants for grad school - why does the gravy train have to end?

[Boss]

What about just getting regular loans from banks or something? (if you don't qualify for Fafsa)?

Oh, and by the way ... what IS need access?  Their website just makes it seem like Fafsa part II ... why would you need this in addition to fafsa?

Need Access is like Fafsa part II.  Some schools require it, some don't.  If you're applying to a school that requires it, fill it out as soon as you can.

The problem with plain jane loans is that generally you need to have collateral for them.  The highest loan I've ever scene without collateral was for $10K, and of course at a bad APR.  $10K is hardly anything for people looking to get $40K a year in student loans.  Plus, ordinary loans usually require repayment immediately.  Student/Education loans usually come with a grace period of at least no payments while in school, sometimes stretching all the way to no payments until you get a job.

[EEtoJD]

What about just getting regular loans from banks or something? (if you don't qualify for Fafsa)?

Oh, and by the way ... what IS need access?  Their website just makes it seem like Fafsa part II ... why would you need this in addition to fafsa?

Need Access is like Fafsa part II.  Some schools require it, some don't.  If you're applying to a school that requires it, fill it out as soon as you can.

The problem with plain jane loans is that generally you need to have collateral for them.  The highest loan I've ever scene without collateral was for $10K, and of course at a bad APR.  $10K is hardly anything for people looking to get $40K a year in student loans.  Plus, ordinary loans usually require repayment immediately.  Student/Education loans usually come with a grace period of at least no payments while in school, sometimes stretching all the way to no payments until you get a job.

I <3 education loans. I just wish funding for Pell grants wasn't cut. I'd probably qualify for a nice one (I already had one).

[sladkaya]

If you're staff at a University, oftentimes they'll give you tuition benefits that will cut some/all of the cost. These benefits are taxed as income, but it's much less than the alternative.

And same if your spouse is staff in some instances.  Even if it's not free tuition, it will definitely be in-state for state schools.  Great tip for the married folks - if you'll be moving anyway, see if your spouse can get a job at the school you'll attend. 

[sladkaya]

Need Access is like Fafsa part II.  Some schools require it, some don't.  If you're applying to a school that requires it, fill it out as soon as you can.

The problem with plain jane loans is that generally you need to have collateral for them.  The highest loan I've ever scene without collateral was for $10K, and of course at a bad APR.  $10K is hardly anything for people looking to get $40K a year in student loans.  Plus, ordinary loans usually require repayment immediately.  Student/Education loans usually come with a grace period of at least no payments while in school, sometimes stretching all the way to no payments until you get a job.

And that is the biggest problem with private loans! If you don't have an income (or will be on a very limited income during law school) how will you make the monthly payments?  Same with credit cards (yes, I've thought of that if the situation gets desperate).

[Denny Crane]

Need Access is like Fafsa part II.  Some schools require it, some don't.  If you're applying to a school that requires it, fill it out as soon as you can.

The problem with plain jane loans is that generally you need to have collateral for them.  The highest loan I've ever scene without collateral was for $10K, and of course at a bad APR.  $10K is hardly anything for people looking to get $40K a year in student loans.  Plus, ordinary loans usually require repayment immediately.  Student/Education loans usually come with a grace period of at least no payments while in school, sometimes stretching all the way to no payments until you get a job.

And that is the biggest problem with private loans! If you don't have an income (or will be on a very limited income during law school) how will you make the monthly payments?  Same with credit cards (yes, I've thought of that if the situation gets desperate).

You don't start making loan repayments until after graduation (usually 9 months to a year after the graduation date).  With credit cards, it's a whole different story, and I would advise you to stay away from those as much as possible, for both law school related costs and non-law school related costs.  You don't want to be paying 19% interest on anything while in law school.

[Boss]

Need Access is like Fafsa part II.  Some schools require it, some don't.  If you're applying to a school that requires it, fill it out as soon as you can.

The problem with plain jane loans is that generally you need to have collateral for them.  The highest loan I've ever scene without collateral was for $10K, and of course at a bad APR.  $10K is hardly anything for people looking to get $40K a year in student loans.  Plus, ordinary loans usually require repayment immediately.  Student/Education loans usually come with a grace period of at least no payments while in school, sometimes stretching all the way to no payments until you get a job.

And that is the biggest problem with private loans! If you don't have an income (or will be on a very limited income during law school) how will you make the monthly payments?  Same with credit cards (yes, I've thought of that if the situation gets desperate).

You don't start making loan repayments until after graduation (usually 9 months to a year after the graduation date).  With credit cards, it's a whole different story, and I would advise you to stay away from those as much as possible, for both law school related costs and non-law school related costs.  You don't want to be paying 19% interest on anything while in law school.

We're all in agreement that student loans have deferred payments.

This thread is mostly geared towards non-US citizens and how they can't get students loans.  Jhuen asked why they don't just go get standard loans (like the kind you get for a car or debt consolidation).  My reasoning against that was because they require immediate repayment, usually don't lend a large sum of money, and have a higher APR.

Of course no one wants to pay for law school with a credit card, but if you read through this tread, you'll see that non-US citizens might just have to do that.

[Denny Crane]

We're all in agreement that student loans have deferred payments.

This thread is mostly geared towards non-US citizens and how they can't get students loans.  Jhuen asked why they don't just go get standard loans (like the kind you get for a car or debt consolidation).  My reasoning against that was because they require immediate repayment, usually don't lend a large sum of money, and have a higher APR.

Of course no one wants to pay for law school with a credit card, but if you read through this tread, you'll see that non-US citizens might just have to do that.

Are there no student lending services in foreign countries?  I would suspect that Canada would certainly have student lending services (though perhaps they're limited for in-country use?).