Non-US Citizen JD - Applying for Financial Aid 2008-2009

All information is strictly confidential. Please address inquiries to:

Financial Aid Office
The University of Michigan Law School
310 Hutchins Hall
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
734.764.5289
lawfinaid@umich.edu

There is not a financial aid deadline for entering 1Ls. Non-US citizen JD students can apply for need based grants and alternative loans through the Law School Financial Aid office.  To apply for need based grants, complete steps one through four as described below. 

1. Submit your and your spouse's 2007 tax return or statement, converted to US dollars.
Send a signed photocopy of your and your spouse's (or prospective spouse's if you will be married during the 2008-2009 academic year) complete 2007 tax return(s) or statement(s), converted to US dollars, to the Law School Financial Aid Office. If you or your spouse are not required to file a tax return in your country for 2007 then you should type or print the following statement on an 8-1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper:

I hereby declare that I am not required to and did not file any tax statement for the tax year 2007 and therefore, I cannot supply an official copy of any income tax statement for that year to the University of Michigan Law School Financial Aid Office as required.

Add your signature, full name in print, social security number (if you have one) and the date. Return the affidavit to the Law School Financial Aid Office.

2. Complete and submit a 2008-2009 Need Access analysis.
This tool assists in determining resources available to a student. The Need Access should be completed on the Web at www.needaccess.org. Completing the Need Access online is the fastest method. If it is impossible for you to do this, you can download the Need Access software from their Web site. Completed information should be submitted to the Access Group as soon after January 1, 2008, as possible.

• If you are married or plan to marry during the 2008-2009 academic year, you must also answer the spouse's questionnaire.
• Be sure to select the University of Michigan Law School as one of the schools to which your Need Access report will be sent and retain a printout of the completed Need Access form for your records.
• See the section entitled "Parental Information" to determine if your parents must complete the Need Access as well.
• All financial information reported on the Need Access must be converted to US dollars

3. For the years that you were independent of your parents from 2002-2006 submit the section of your tax return or statement for those years that proves you were independent.
If you did not file a return, or if you are unable to provide a return indicating that you filed as an independent, submit the information from your parents' tax returns or statements for those years proving your independence. If this is not possible because of requirements in your particular country then you should provide our office with documentation showing how you were supporting yourself financially. Acceptable documentation would include proof of earnings, financial aid received and an itemized list of your expenses.

4. Submit parents' 2007 tax return or statement, converted to US dollars.
The section (entitled "Parental Information") explains when you will be required to submit information about your parents' financial situation as part of your financial aid application. You must send a signed photocopy of your parents' 2007 tax returns or statements, converted to US dollars. If your parents are unable to provide their 2007 returns, we will instead accept a copy of their 2006 tax returns. If your parents were not required to file tax returns, each should sign an affidavit, as described in step two.

Even though non-US citizen students are not eligible for Federal Stafford loans there are alternative loan programs to help fund your education. Our non-US citizen loan comparison chart/FAQ [PDF] provides an overview for two of these lenders.