Financial Aid Steps

• Complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.studentaid.gov using school code "002629" for Rutgers University. This application is available starting on December 1, 2023. The priority filing deadline for Rutgers is January 15, 2024.
• The FAFSA is required to be offered federal student loans. It also provides us with financial information that may be used in determining eligibility for need-based scholarships on the Institutional Scholarship Application sent in the fall. All U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens who apply are typically offered loans up to the Cost of Attendance.
• After completing the FAFSA, additional documentation may be requested to verify the student’s information. If you receive an email notification regarding required documentation that you need to submit for your financial aid, please follow the instructions below to log in and view/upload your documents:
  • Log in to the myRutgers dashboard with your NetID and password.
  • Locate the My Financial Aid widget
  • Go to the Documents tab within the widget and click the Requested button next to any document listed, which will bring you to the Financial Aid Student Portal.
  • Click the Documents tab on the top menu to view and submit/upload all required documentation.
  • Visit the Financial Aid Portal Library webpage to learn more about submitting and uploading documents.

VIDEO TUTORIALS

• Viewing Your Required Documents
• Uploading and Submitting Your Required Documents

An estimated financial aid award letter will be prepared after an initial review of your completed FAFSA application. This letter will outline the types and amounts of financial aid that you may be eligible to receive and will also provide you with information for completing any additional requirements before your financial aid can disburse. Financial aid award letters are accessed via the myRutgers dashboard using your NetID and password. Instructions and credentials for accessing myRutgers will be provided in the near future.

When accepting funds, please account for the loan origination fee, which is “a percentage of the total loan amount. The loan fee is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement you receive. This means the money you receive will be less than the amount you actually borrow. You're responsible for repaying the entire amount you borrowed and not just the amount you received.”

To learn more about loan origination fees, Please review the Federal Interest Rates and Fees page on www.studentaid.gov. It is the responsibility of each student to monitor their account, and to ensure that all applicable balances are accounted for. For any outstanding balance that exists on a student account past the tuition payment deadline, the student will run the risk of a late fee being assessed to their account. 

Steps to Review Award Letter

• Students will receive an email notification from the Rutgers Office of Financial Aid when they can view their awards.
• To view your Rutgers financial aid awards and/or required documents in the Financial Aid Student Portal, you must log in to the myRutgers dashboard using your NetID and password. Please do not attempt to access the portal via any other link or webpage.
  • If you have questions related to your financial aid, please contact your regional One Stop Student Services Center.
  • Additional information on logging in and viewing your awards and documents is included in the videos and quick guides below.
• When viewing your awards, please keep in mind that the costs and awards displayed are estimated based on the information you reported on your FAFSA. In addition, adjustments may be made to your awards as changes to your registration occur. Your package will be finalized when your schedule is finalized. You will receive an email notification anytime changes are made to your awards.
• Do not bookmark the Financial Aid Student Portal. Using bookmarks will direct you to a page that is not compatible with NetID login. You must log in to the myRutgers dashboard to access your financial aid information.

VIDEO TUTORIALS

• Logging into the Financial Aid Portal
• Viewing and Understanding Your Financial Aid Awards

If you plan to borrow either the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan or Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, you must complete all of the following before any loans can disburse (Note: final approval of all federal loans is determined by the Department of Education). The following requirements can all be completed online at studentaid.gov (you will need your FAFSA pin to access this site):

• Master Promissory Notes
  (Usually only needs to be done once for each loan type for the duration of time you will be enrolled at Rutgers Law School). Go to the MPN landing page for Graduate/Professional Students on studentaid.gov to complete a Master Promissory Note for the Federal Direct Stafford Loan. The maximum Stafford Loan eligibility per academic year is $20,500 (approximately $10,142/semester after loan fees are deducted). If you need to borrow federal funds in excess of this amount and wish to borrow the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan, you must also complete a separate Master Promissory Note for that loan.
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Application
  Go to the PLUS Loan landing page on studentaid.gov to apply for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. This must be done each time you apply for the Graduate PLUS loan. Make sure to include the amount you wish to borrow; refer to your Financial Aid Award Letter for your eligibility.
• Entrance Counseling
  (Usually only needs to be done once for the duration of time you will be enrolled at Rutgers Law School). Click on Entrance Counseling on studentaid.gov to complete the entrance counseling requirement. All first-time borrowers for either the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford or the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan must complete the Entrance Counseling requirement before any loans can disburse.

Students who are offered federal loans are required to complete a loan acceptance process in the Financial Aid Student Portal. Students who wish to accept any portion of their awarded loan amount(s) will not receive funding until this process is complete.

If you were offered federal loans, at such a time that you are eligible to complete the loan acceptance process, you will receive an email notification that includes instructions for accepting, adjusting, or rejecting/declining your federal loans. If you have already received that email, please follow the instructions to complete the required loan acceptance process. Please do not attempt to begin the process until you receive the email notification, as your loans must be in an awarded status before you can complete the process.

We have created the following resources to assist students in completing the loan acceptance process:

• Quick Guide to Accepting Awards | Video Tutorial
• Adjusting or Rejecting Awards Quick Guide | Video Tutorial

Direct deposit is the fastest, safest, and most convenient way to receive refunds issued by Rutgers. If you do not enroll in direct deposit, refunds are issued by check and can take several weeks to arrive via postal mail.  Be sure to have your bank account and routing numbers ready before initiating the registration process. Please note that direct deposit is currently not available for summer and winter refunds. International students can enroll in direct deposit with a valid U.S. bank account.

Click here to learn how to enroll in direct deposit.

Steps to Enroll:  

Step 1: Log into the Nelnet Refund Portal using your NetID and password. You will be required to authenticate your student account using Duo authentication.  

Step 2: Select your school affiliation (legacy Rutgers) from the home screen. Verify your school affiliation before beginning your enrollment. You will not receive your refund if you select the wrong school. 

Step 3: Confirm your identity by text or email.  

Text: Enter your 10-digit U.S. mobile number and click “Save.”  

Email: Select “Save.” You will automatically receive an email confirmation code from Student ABC in your ScarletMail inbox.  

Step 4: Enter your text or email confirmation code to proceed.  

Step 5: Select your refund method by clicking the “Bank Account (Direct Deposit)” option.  

Step 6: Provide the account information for the checking or savings account where you would like to receive your refund and click “Save.”  

This should not be debit/credit card information.  

Step 7: You are now enrolled in direct deposit and will receive your refunds faster and more securely.  

• Some students and families experience issues that may impact their ability to contribute to educational expenses. In these situations, submitting a Professional Judgement (PJ) Request Form will allow us to address those issues and decide if a change in eligibility is warranted. Typical reasons for a PJ are uninsured medical expenses, childcare costs, etc.
• Please contact your Director of Financial Aid on the Newark or Camden Law School campus to schedule a time to discuss your request.
• Additional documentation will be required to review your request. Your Director of Financial Aid will discuss what documents are necessary to submit in order to have your Professional Judgement considered.

• Students who receive a Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) award, please note the following:
  • If you are a continuing student and indicated you would like a new job for the upcoming academic year, you will receive an email with a link to the FWSP Job Application.
  • If you are a continuing student planning to return to the same job for the upcoming academic year, you will receive an email when/if your job has been renewed and your assignment is available to view in the FWSP Online Portal.
• You must have received a FWSP award as part of your financial aid package to be eligible to work through the program. Students who are not eligible can search for part-time jobs through Rutgers Handshake.
• Please see the FWSP webpage for more information, including eligibility requirements and details about the job application process.

Institutional scholarships are funds that are offered by Rutgers Law School and awarded to students who meet certain criteria that includes academic achievement and financial need. Available scholarships will be awarded to qualified recipients beginning in the late fall. In addition to completing the FAFSA, you must also submit the the Institutional Scholarship Application (see below). Priority when selecting scholarship recipients, will be given to students who are not receiving merit-based scholarships and demonstrate a true financial need.

Cost of Attendance
This Cost of Attendance (COA) is an annual figure that encompasses the total amount it will cost a student to attend Rutgers Law School. This amount includes tuition and fees, housing and food (room and board for on-campus students), transportation, books, supplies, and loan fees. It also includes miscellaneous and personal expenses, such as an allowance for the purchase of a computer/laptop, expenses related to a disability, and dependent care. If you have other expenses that may affect your COA, please contact the Law School Financial Aid Office.

Rutgers Law School utilizes three budgets: On-Campus (living at 330 Cooper in Camden or RBG Hall in Newark), Commuter (living with parents or relatives), and Off-Campus. Your COA total will differ based upon your residency (in-state vs. out-of-state), program (full-time vs. part-time), and living situation (on-campus, commuter, or off-campus), as selected in your FAFSA.

2023-2024 Cost of Attendance Figures

In-State Students:

Out-of-State Students:
 

2. Financial Aid Package
   The total amount of financial aid (scholarship, work-study, federal loan funding, private loans, etc.) offered by Rutgers Law School. University Financial Aid combines these different types of aid into a “package” to help meet a student’s education-related costs.
3. Award Letter
   Amount of aid a school expected to provide a student based on their current grant and loan eligibility, enrollment status (PT/FT), and the school’s cost of attendance.
4. Federal Loan Funding
   
   Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan: A loan for which the borrow is fully responsible for paying the interest regardless of the loan status. Interest on subsidized loans accrues from the date of disbursement and continues throughout the life of the loan. The maximum amount per year for this loan is $20,500.
   
   Direct PLUS Loan: A loan made by the U.S. Department of Education. The borrow is fully responsible for paying the interest regardless of the loan status.

5. Interest: A loan expense charged for the use of borrowed money. Interest is pad by a borrower to a lender. The expense is calculated as a percentage of the unpaid principal amount of the loan.

6. Interest Rate: The percentage at which interest is calculated on your loan(s). The fixed interest rates for Direct Unsubsidized Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2023 and before July 1, 2024 is 7.05%. For Direct PLUS Loans, the fixed interest rate is 8.05%. For more information, click here.

7. Loan Origination Fee: Most federal student loans have loan fees that are a percentage of the total loan amount. The loan fee is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement you received while enrolled in school. This means the money you receive will be less than the amount you actually borrow. You’re responsible for repaying the entire amount you borrowed and not just the amount you received.
8. Disbursement Date: Date federal student aid funds were credited to a student’s account at Rutgers Law School or paid to the student or borrow directly, as reported by the University.
9. Loan Servicer: A company that collects payments, responds to customer service inquiries, and performs other administrative tasks associated with maintain a federal student loan on behalf of a lender.
10. Loan Period Begin Date: Date classes are (or were) scheduled to begin for the period covered by a federal student loan.
11. Loan Period End Date: Date classes are (or were) scheduled to end for the period covered by a federal student loan.
12. Students may access their federal loan information on the National Student Loan Data System or nslds.ed.gov. On NSLDS, students can view their entire federal loan history and find their loan servicer information.