Financial Aid Offices & Assistance Resources 

There are two financial assistance resources for UW Law Students: the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), and the Law School Office of Admissions & Financial Aid. OSFA, the University's main financial aid office, awards all federal loans as well as federal work-study funds. The Law School Office of Admissions & Financial Aid awards scholarships based on a variety of criteria.

For questions about federal loans or other concerns about financial aid packages, students are encouraged to reach out to both OSFA and the Law School Office of Admissions & Financial Aid. Current and admitted students are welcome to schedule an appointment with either office to discuss individual questions relating to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as questions regarding the acceptance, disbursement, and repayment of their federal student loans.

Office of Student Financial Aid 
333 East Campus Mall #9701
Madison, WI 53715
finaid@finaid.wisc.edu
608-262-3060

Law School Admissions and Financial Aid Office 
975 Bascom Mall, Room 6210
Madison, WI 53706
financialaid@law.wisc.edu 
608-262-5914

To Apply for Federal Aid 

To apply for federal aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must specify the University of Wisconsin-Madison as one of the schools that has permission to access your data. To do so, enter our Federal School Code: 003895 or choose University of Wisconsin-Madison from the school search tool.

If you would like to be considered for Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility, you must also complete the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form and PLUS Master Promissory Note. More information is available at the Office of Student Financial Aid website.

Students Who Worked Full-Time Prior To Law School

The FAFSA data used to complete your federal award letter is based on your income two years prior to the year for which you will be seeking federal aid. If you worked full-time during the tax year that you are reporting, but do not plan to work full-time during law school, you may be in a significantly different financial situation than that reported on your FAFSA. Students in this situation should notify OSFA of their change in level of income as soon as possible so that this special circumstance can be considered. To do so, send a written statement explaining your change in circumstances, along with supporting documentation, to OSFA by mail, fax, or email, after you have submitted your FAFSA.

Reapplication Process for Continuing Students 

As a continuing student, you must reapply for federal aid each year. To reapply, you must follow the same steps detailed above in To Apply for Federal Aid. You can complete your FAFSA Form online as soon as October 1st for the following fall. The priority deadline for completing your FAFSA is December 1st.

Student Loans

The majority of law students take out student loans to cover at least a portion of their cost of attendance. Because student loan debt can factor into your career choices upon graduation, it is essential that you manage your student loan portfolio both during law school and after graduation. For more information, please visit Managing your Student Loans. 

To Apply for Need- and Merit-Based Scholarships 

Prospective students seeking need- and merit- based scholarships should complete the Law School’s Scholarship Application. A link to the application will be sent to you after you submit your law school application.

Scholarship opportunities for continuing students are announced through emails from the Law School Office of Admissions & Financial Aid as well as postings in the Student Bar Association Announcements. Students can find additional scholarship resources on the UW Law School Scholarships web page.

Financial Aid Offers and Processing of Financial Aid 

Once your financial aid application is complete and has been processed, the OSFA will notify you of your financial aid offer. If you are awarded a scholarship, the Law School Office of Admissions & Financial Aid will notify you by email of your scholarship offer and how to accept it.

OSFA will generate a financial aid offer for you. This offer will reflect any scholarship awarded by the Law School, as long as you have accepted the scholarship, as well as any federal loan eligibility. If you would like to be considered for work-study, you can contact OSFA and request any work-study eligibility to be included in your offer.

Once you receive your award offer, you can do one of three things:

1. Accept all of it (meaning all loans for which you are eligible);
2. Accept part of it (i.e., you may not need all the loans you are eligible for); OR
3. Accept none of it

Remember that you retain this maximum eligibility throughout the academic year up until roughly one month before the end of the spring term.

Your financial aid notification will be sent by email from OSFA. It will contain instructions on how to access your offer information online, and where you can accept, reduce, or decline any offered loans. To learn more about the process, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid website.  Please note, financial aid is offered on an annual basis. You must apply each year, and you should complete the process by early summer.  

Remember, your financial aid offer will only include Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility if you have filled out the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form and PLUS Master Promissory Note as explained in "To Apply for Federal Aid" above. If you have questions about the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan application process, please contact OSFA at 608-262-3060.