Calculating Resources

Determining a student's resources is a process that requires the release of information about income, assets, and other obligations by the student, the student's spouse, and possibly the student's parents. The Need Access analysis is used to determine the resources available to a student. A student who is applying for Stafford and/or alternative loans only and not Law School grants or loans does not need to provide parents' financial information or complete the Need Access form.

Students and their spouses are expected to commit their own incomes and a portion of their own assets toward meeting their living expenses and the student's educational expenses each year. The expectation is that the spouse will be employed full time, unless he or she is enrolled in a post-secondary program or the student's family includes a child under one year of age. In most cases, law students are expected to save a minimum of $2,900 each summer if they are not enrolled in classes. Variations in earning capacity due to the type of legal employment are taken into account.