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Are there any school loans available beyond COA? I am in a difficult situation for my first year. I am coming in to school supporting my longtime boyfriend. He is overseas in school and he will be there until next May. I currently work but pay the bills our cars, insurance, etc. Once I get to law school, I already know that I will need money beyond what the COA is and I was wondering if there were any loans that anyone knew of that are available to law students that are beyond the COA.

Also, can you negotiate with your school or request an increase in your COA?

I'll also note that I have received scholarship funds that bring my tuition to well under 10K per year, so its not as though I would be taking out 75K in loans.

novab wrote:I'll also note that I have received scholarship funds that bring my tuition to well under 10K per year, so its not as though I would be taking out 75K in loans.

For undergrad, I went in state to a public Georgia university, and the HOPE scholarship covered full tuition. I was still offered full tuition + cost of living loans every semester, despite not having to pay tuition. Law school may be completely different, but you may be able to take out loans to cover full tuition + cost of living even though you have scholarships to cover a lot of the actual tuition price.

It is my understanding that you can request the school to increase COA. I am in a similar situation and am asking for an increase in COA to cover higher living expenses first year. Contact the school and explain your situation.

Most schools explicitly state that they won't cover consumer debt (car, credit cards, etc.) with COA increases so you're on your own with some of that. They will cover housing, medical and a few other necessities. Check with your school.