How to Pay for Law School: Guide to Law School Student Loans

The majority of people in law school take out student loans to pay for their cost of attendance, including tuition and other living expenses.But borrowing isn't the only way to think about paying for law school.The smartest strategy is usually to combine scholarships, financial aid, savings, work opportunities and a repayment plan that aligns with your legal career path.Law school can absolutely be a worthwhile investment depending on your career goals, expected earnings and how you plan to manage repayment after graduation.

Read on to learn how to pay for law school.Step 1: Law school financial aid, grants, scholarships and other tactics to reduce student loans Take out as few law school loans as possible.Simple as that. The fewer loans you have to pay back, the better off you’ll be.If you demonstrate financial need, you may qualify for grants and scholarships first, lowering your out-of-pocket cost of law school.

Then, take on federal loans next from the federal government (through the Department of Education), and only take on what you need.If you get accepted to a top-20 law school, then it might be worth going at just about any cost.These top schools offer not only the highest starting salaries (often in the $150,000 to $180,000 range), but they also have some of the highest rates of employment (in the 80% to 90% range) after graduating with a law degree.But if you’re going to a school outside of the top 20, then here's how to pay for law school, while keeping your loan balance low.

Pick a low-cost, in-state law school and avoid out-of-state and private law schools If I’m being honest, private law schools (outside of the top 20) can be a total rip-off.The law school cost is outrageous compared to the future prospects of a young attorney-to-be.When I talk with other lawyers, they tell me it’s better to attend a more affordable law school.That's because competitive offers will come if students work their tails off and graduate near the top of the class.

Go to an in-state public law school, study hard and get the degree.Apply for scholarships and grants galore If you think about how much money a young lawyer will have to make to pay back their loans, you'll see that you'd be better off spending the time to get scholarships and other financial aid.Break that down to an hourly rate (scholarship dollars awarded per hour of work applying), and the hourly rate could rival a seasoned attorney.Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your eligibility for need-based aid, such as scholarships and grants.

Then move on to your College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile.Some law schools offer significantly more institutional aid than others, particularly in the form of merit scholarships and grants.Before accepting an offer, compare scholarship packages carefully and look at each school’s total cost of attendance — not just tuition.There are also plenty of private foundations and other organizations that offer scholarships.

Search Google for merit and need-based law school scholarships like it’s your job! Just be careful.Sometimes what looks like a scholarship or grant might actually end up being a loan.Do your homework before committing to anything on FAFSA.Look into law school loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) Many law schools, especially highly ranked institutions, offer Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) for graduates pursuing public interest, nonprofit or government legal careers.

Depending on the school, LRAPs may help cover student loan payments and can sometimes work alongside Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).If public interest law appeals to you, research whether your prospective law school offers LRAP support.Military and JAG programs Military service can also help offset law school costs.Some attorneys pursue military-funded legal education opportunities or serve as Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers in exchange for service commitments.

Program details vary, but for students open to military service, this can be another way to reduce borrowing.Work part-time I know you might not think it’s possible, and you should definitely put school first, but if you can make an extra $1,000 per month, not including your summer internship, that’s about $24,000 in loans you don’t have to take out.Some law schools do have restrictions around working during school, so check in with the school first.Another option could be to save what you can over summer break going into law school or between each year of school (i.e., between 1L, 2L and 3L).

You may also qualify for federal work-study programs as well that can help cover law school expenses.Taking these steps will ensure you can take out the most flexible and least expensive student loans.Step 2: Federal Student Loans Federal student loans have the most flexible repayment options and various loan forgiveness programs, so it’s a good place to start.You can also lower monthly payments through repayment programs such as income-driven repayment (IDR).

This is a major perk for law school graduates who want to have more control over their student loan debt.Here are the various types of federal student loans to go for.Federal student loans for law school Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are generally the first place to start.These loans are relatively easy to qualify for since there isn’t a credit history requirement, and they offer repayment flexibility through IDR plans and loan forgiveness opportunities.

Beginning July 1, 2026, new professional students, including law students, may generally borrow up to $50,000 per year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with a lifetime borrowing cap of $200,000.This replaces the prior structure of borrowing $20,500 annually and then using Grad PLUS Loans to fill remaining gaps.Borrowers already enrolled in an eligible graduate or professional program before July 1, 2026 may generally continue accessing Grad PLUS Loans under grandfathering rules through program completion or June 30, 2029, whichever comes first.While Grad PLUS Loans require a credit check and charge higher fees, they still offer access to income-driven repayment and PSLF, making them more flexible than private loans for many borrowers.

Related: Grad PLUS Elimination Guide: How to Fund Grad School in 2026 Avoid Parent PLUS Loans Don’t let your parents take out a Parent PLUS Loan on your behalf.These loans are the least flexible of all federal loans.Repayment is based on your parents’ income, and repayment flexibility is much more limited than with student-held federal loans.Depending on eligibility and timing, income-driven repayment and forgiveness options may also be more restricted.

It sounds good on paper to have parents help out with loans, but when it comes to loan repayment, they place a heavy burden on parents.Step 3: Private loans for law school Private student loans should be a last resort.Avoid them if at all possible.The interest rates can be fairly high, and repayment is very inflexible.

There’s no forgiveness or income-driven repayment and often no forbearance.Because there are many ways to pay for law school — scholarships, grants and repayment assistance programs tied to public service — private loans should generally be viewed as a funding gap option rather than a first choice.If you absolutely have no other choice, be sure to select a fixed-rate and prioritize paying these loans off in short order upon graduating, five to 10 years tops.We recommend shopping around with at least three lenders to find the best rate and terms and only take on a loan amount for what you need.

Related: Top Private Law School Loans to Fund Your J.D.Law school loan repayment options We’ve worked one-on-one with over 22,000 clients, totaling more than $5.2 billion in student debt here at Student Loan Planner®.We’ve found there are two optimal ways to pay back law school loans.Taxable loan forgiveness using an income-driven repayment plan for federal loans For households that owe more than two times their income in student loans (e.g., lawyers who owe $200,000 and earn $100,000 or less), selecting an IDR plan for long-term repayment and eventual loan forgiveness could be the best option.

In the end, the remaining loan balance is forgiven, though taxes will be owed on the forgiven amount.The idea is to keep student loan payments as low as possible, save up for the tax bomb and work toward other financial goals along the way.This strategy may make the most sense for lawyers in lower-paying private practice, solo practice or other career paths where PSLF isn’t available and debt is high relative to income.Aggressive repayment with refinancing to get a lower interest rate For lawyers entering BigLaw or higher-paying private practice, or those who owe 1.5 times their income in student loans or less (e.g., owe $225,000 or less and make $150,000 or more), their best bet could be to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into paying off the debt as quickly as possible.

The goal is to pay as little interest as possible and to eliminate the debt in 10 years or less — hopefully much less.This may also include refinancing to get a lower interest rate.When you refinance, you could save money and pay less interest.Be sure to consider any private loan payments and loan forgiveness options for the federal loans before committing to refinancing.

Once loans are refinanced and removed from the federal program, the only option is to pay off the loans.Affording the payment is a must.PSLF for lawyers If you pursued a legal education to work in public interest law, government, legal aid or other qualifying nonprofit legal work, PSLF might be for you.Most lawyers take a significant pay cut to work for a nonprofit or government employer, hoping the PSLF benefit is better than making more income in the long run.

This may or may not be the case, though.The PSLF benefit has a number attached to it, so it’s important to compare the savings in student loan repayment with PSLF versus paying back the loan using another repayment strategy to see if the numbers support the thought.That being said, career choice and fulfillment are very important.If a lawyer wants to work in the public sector or for a nonprofit, that’s awesome! PSLF would be a great side benefit.

But if a lawyer chooses that line of work for 10 years just to get PSLF, run the numbers with our calculators first.If your law school offers a LRAP program, factor that into the equation as well, since some schools help graduates pursuing public interest or government legal careers manage student loan payments while working toward PSLF.How to save the most money paying back law school loans There’s a ton of money at stake when we’re talking about taking out and paying back six-figure student loan debt.It’s just like buying a house.

The key is matching your repayment strategy to your legal career path and expected income.A public defender, nonprofit attorney and BigLaw associate may all take very different approaches to repayment — and that’s okay.We kept hearing that our readers and clients wished they had known about all the student loan rules before they went to school in the first place.Whether you’re considering law school or already navigating repayment, having a strategy before borrowing can make a huge difference.

We’ve worked with thousands of borrowers navigating six-figure student debt.A Student Loan Planner® Advisor can review your unique situation and help build a strategy for borrowing, repayment and forgiveness based on your goals and legal career path.