Frequently Asked Questions

All applicants who feel they need assistance are encouraged to apply.

By the March 1st priority filing deadline, students should complete: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA). Complete only the student section each year using the FAFSA school code 002218.

No.

New Students/New Student Applicants

We will send periodic e-mail notifications to the address you specify on your admission application. You may also check the status of your financial aid application by contacting us by email to determine if any further documentation is required to complete your aid application. New students should be sure to supply their Social Security number to Admissions at the time of application to insure aid application information may be processed.  Beginning in mid-March, financial aid award letters will begin to be sent to admitted new student applicants whose aid applications were complete by the priority filing deadline. Thereafter students should expect to receive award notifications approximately two weeks after their aid application file is complete.

Returning Students

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they become complete. Returning student award notifications will begin to be available mid-June on the MySuffolk web portal first to student applicants whose aid applications were complete by the priority filing deadline. Further awarding will continue over the summer.

• Institutional Merit scholarship and grant funding is awarded to incoming students at the time of admission by the Office of Admissions.
• Law Achievement Scholarships, need-based Endowed and Named Scholarship funds are awarded by the Office of Financial Aid based on information from the FAFSA and, if applicable, academic achievement.
• Federal loans are awarded by the Office of Financial Aid based on eligibility and are based on information as reported on the FAFSA application.

Please refer to your program-specific budget and cost of attendance.

Federal loans such as the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and Graduate PLUS loan require that you must first apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If eligible, you will be awarded an Unsubsidized Stafford loan. First time borrowers of federal loans should also be sure to complete loan entrance counseling and sign the appropriate master promissory notes (MPN). If desired, once awarded you will need to complete a separate application and promissory note to receive a federal PLUS loan. Learn more about this process.

Generally speaking all applications for federal PLUS or alternative loans should be submitted for certification to the Financial Aid office no later than 2 weeks prior to the semester billing due date.

Yes. There are a wide variety of private, non-federal, credit-based student loans available. Interested students should carefully explore the options and be sure to complete the lender’s application process in a timely manner to ensure semester charges are covered by the semester billing due dates.

Endowed or "Named" awards are funded by the generous gifts from alumni and friends of Suffolk University Law School. The funds are awarded each year to students who meet the donors' designated criteria. Qualifications and award amounts vary. Students applying for financial aid are automatically considered for these funds. Scholarships that require a separate application will be posted when the application is available to MySuffolk.

In addition, private non-federal, non-Suffolk scholarship information is regularly posted in the Current Outside Scholarship Opportunities section of our website.

If you’d like to research non-federal, non-Suffolk scholarships on your own, try FastWeb, the largest free web-based scholarship search service. You may also wish to consider whether you have any civic, religious or employer based scholarship options available to you. We caution you not to pay for scholarship search services, as some may not be reputable and will only provide you with information you could have found yourself for free.

International students are not eligible for federal funds or Suffolk need-based funds. International students may be awarded merit funds by the Office of Admissions at the time of admission or apply for a private, credit-based loan with a U.S. co-borrower.

1. If you plan to accept the scholarship and grant aid as awarded, no further action is needed. We will contact you with details on the Stafford loan process, which does require further action.
2. If you are a first time borrower under the Federal Direct Loan program at Suffolk Law and wish to receive Federal Unsubsidized Stafford loan funding you will need to complete loan entrance counseling and a master promissory note (MPN). Learn more about this process.
3. If you will need additional funding such as a federal PLUS or private, credit-based loan to cover your Suffolk charges you should make arrangements to ensure that loan certification can be completed in time to ensure that loan funds will appear as a pending credit against semester charges on your semester billing statement. Applications for loans should be submitted for certification to the Financial Aid office no later than 2 weeks prior to the semester billing due date.

You should expect to receive the same financial aid, provided there are no significant changes in your finances or eligibility and you meet the financial aid renewal deadlines.

If you would like a graduate PLUS or private, credit-based alternative loan you must complete and submit a new loan application each academic year. Please see our Grants and Scholarships page for further information on aid retention.

If your credited financial aid, including other certified loans, is greater than the semester charges on your student account, Student Account Services will issue a refund check for the credit balance. Students generally use their refunds to pay for non-Suffolk education related expenses such as rent, food and books.

Refunds are generally available beginning the second week of classes. Refund checks are processed by the Bursar/Office of Student Accounts, 73 Tremont Street, 6th floor. Electronic deposit of refunds to your designated account is also available.

Refunds are NOT available prior to the first day of classes in any semester, regardless of situation as Federal regulations prohibit the releasing of federal funds to students prior to that time. We strongly encourage students to plan to bring sufficient funds to cover their initial month of personal expenses such as food, books and housing.

Federal Work-Study is a federal, need-based program that subsidizes jobs during the summer break which focus on campus-based or community service work for nonprofit organizations. Work-study positions are available for continuing students during the summer break only in a range of settings. Work-study is currently available for Law School students only during summer and is unavailable during the fall and spring semesters. Applications are available from the Office of Financial Aid in January for the upcoming summer. Students must also have the up-coming academic year’s FAFSA on file with the Office of Financial Aid in order to be considered. Summer FWS is only available from Suffolk University Law School for students to work in one of the following states: Arizona, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington.

The pay scale for student workers is established by the University's Office of Student Financial Services in conjunction with the Office of Human Resources based on job responsibilities, experience and skills required. Students are encouraged to return to the same job each year to provide offices/departments with continuity and reduce training needs.