During Law School
Students access a variety of sources to fund their legal education. Students are expected to apply any personal resources (income or assets) towards their legal education. In addition, students are expected to apply for government student loans and bursaries. Other resources typically include external scholarships and bursaries. The Faculty's Financial Aid Program supplements these resources through bursaries and interest-free loans. The Faculty's financial aid is awarded solely on the basis of financial means and admissions decisions are made independently of financial aid decisions.
Bursaries awarded by the Financial Aid Program are non-repayable grants. Interest-free loans are provided jointly through the Faculty of Law and Scotiabank. The Faculty of Law provides an interest subsidy to cover the interest costs over the course of the three-year J.D. Program while Scotiabank provides the underlying loan. Students begin paying back these loans two months after graduation.
For more information about the different scholarships and bursaries available to Faculty of Law students, click here.
Student Budget
In order to ensure fairness amongst students, the Financial Aid Committee sets a budget that is applied to all students applying for financial aid. Below is the approved student budget for a domestic first-year student for the 2013-2014 academic year, living away from the parental home for the eight-month academic year:
| Tuition: | $28,791 (subject to change) |
| Incidental/Ancillary Fees: | $1,142.50 (subject to change) |
| Books and Supplies: | $1,100 |
Room and Board:
(for students living away from home) | $10,000 |
| Personal Expenses: | $2,200 |
| | |
| Total | $43,233.5 |
Tuition and incidental fees listed above are subject to change. Click here to find out more about International student fees.
Students might actually spend more or less than these amounts. There are some specific expenses which a student may be permitted to claim in addition to the amounts listed above. Please refer to the Policies and Procedures Booklet for more information.
Student Resources
Financial aid awards take the following factors into account:
- Student income and assets (including those of a student's spouse): any income or assets of the student and the student's spouse and any external bursary or scholarship support or gifts that a student receives will be expected to be used to cover the student's costs.
- Summer earnings: Students are expected to work during the summer and contribute towards their legal education.
- Parental Income: All students regardless of age, are expected to provide information on their parental income and if the parental income is over a certain amount, a contribution towards the student's legal education will be deemed.
Aboriginal students may be eligible for financial assistance either from the Department of Justice Canada, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada or the student's home band administration office for both the Saskatchewan Program and the JD Program.
After Law School
The Faculty has the first and only Post-Graduation Debt Relief Program in Canada. This Program assists graduates in the repayment of eligible law school debt after graduation. The goal of the program is to assist graduating students who choose lower-paying career paths.
J.D. graduates are eligible to apply for a forgivable loan after graduation if they meet the Program's requirements. This loan typically covers the principal and interest repayment obligations on eligible law school academic debt (i.e., Faculty of Law interest-free loans and government student loans). In addition, this Program will take into account annual pre-law loan repayment obligations. At the end of each year, a certain percentage of the loan is forgiven. For each subsequent year that the student qualifies under the program, the Faculty will continue to provide a forgivable loan and will continue to forgive a higher percentage of the cumulative loan. If a student stays in the program for 10 years, the loan will be forgiven in its entirety. In this way, students are able to pursue interesting and rewarding careers in the public service and elsewhere, without the worry of how to make financial payments on debts incurred during law school.
For full information see the Post-Graduation Debt Relief page.
