The educational expenses listed on the award letter are an average allowed by federal regulation. Actual expenses may vary. Financial assistance is available to supplement rather than replace a student's income and financial resources. Adjustments cannot be made to these average expenses except in the case of child care expense, a documented loss of employment, unusual medical expenses incurred by the student while enrolled, or the purchase of a computer (up to $2000). Requests for an adjustment of educational expenses based on these variables may be made by submitting a written request for a change in the cost of attendance

The total aid that a student receives, included grants, outside scholarships, federal, GRAD PLUS and private loans cannot exceed a student's cost of attendance (educational expenses listed on the award letter).

All students are responsible for being familiar with the general provisions of aid. Information regarding the various financial assistance programs may be found at the Student Finance Office.

An award which includes a Federal Stafford Loan (subsidized or unsubsidized) is for a recommended amount only. It is the student's option to apply for a lesser amount.

Federal law requires that a student notify the Student Finance Office, in writing, of all scholarships and/or awards granted to him/her by sources other than the Law School Student Finance Office. (This includes employer reimbursements.)

A student must be registered for six or more credits in order to qualify for loans. Students must remain enrolled for at least nine credits to qualify for grant assistance (including Tuition Remission).

The Student Finance Office may request, at any time, supporting verification of a student's application. A student will be notified in writing if further documentation is required.

All financial assistance is subject to review, adjustment, and/or cancellation after supporting documentation is received.

A student should be prepared to pay for books prior to each semester. A student cannot charge books against a financial award, including loans. Please plan accordingly.

Tuition Remissions and Opportunity Grants are credited to a student's account only when acceptance and all required documents are received. Aid not accepted within the stated time frame will be cancelled. One half of the total of each award is credited to a student's account each semester. Awards may not be carried forward or back to any other period. A student must reapply for assistance each year.

An award letter indicates the enrollment status on which the award is based. Withdrawal and/or change of enrollment status may result in pro rata adjustment of an award. If a course(s) is added after financial assistance (including loans) has been processed and/or disbursed by the Business Office, the student will be responsible for the additional charges.

Dual Degree Programs

Students participating in a dual degree program will be charged by the program where the majority of the credits are being earned. Financial aid will also be processed by the campus where the majority of credits are being earned. If the majority of credits are being taken in the non-law degree program, the student must apply for aid through the Storrs campus. If a student is receiving a tuition remission grant from the School of Law, this will be canceled if the majority of credits are being taken in the second program. If a student is taking an equal number of credits in each program, a student's tuition remission will be reduced by one-half. Tuition remission grants from the law school may be used only for credits at the School of Law. This policy applies even if a student is transferring credits to the law degree and/or if the student's total credits equal 12 or more.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS:

The University of Connecticut School of Law will comply with the federal financial aid requirement that stipulates that participating schools will monitor satisfactory academic progress in terms of academic performance and the rate of progress.

Satisfactory progress for full-time students is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 20 semester hours of academic work towards the J.D. degree during a period of two consecutive required academic semesters.  Full time students may not receive financial assistance for more than eight semesters. 

Satisfactory progress for part-time students is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 16 semester hours of academic work towards the J.D. degree during a period of two consecutive required academic semesters.  Part-time students may not receive financial assistance for more than ten semesters.  

Satisfactory academic performance requires that all law students have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.30 after the completion of each academic year.

Procedure

Satisfactory Progress:

Each semester after add/drop, the Director of Student Finance will review the course registration of financial aid recipients.  Students will be notified and counseled when progress in a given semester is less than 10 credits for a full-time student and less than 8 credits for a part time student.

Students whose progress does not meet the required standards will be notified by the Student Finance Office.  Students will be placed on probation for two semesters.  If there is not evidence of satisfactory progress after this period of probation, the student will be considered ineligible for financial assistance.  If there are extenuating circumstances, a student may appeal the decision in writing to the Director of Student Finance.

A student who has been determined ineligible for financial aid due to lack of satisfactory progress can request that eligibility be reinstated after having completed two semesters within the definition of satisfactory progress.

Approvals of an under load after the close of the add/drop period are approved by the Petitions Committee.  This decision is made independently of the satisfactory academic progress policy. Students who are approved for an under load and are not making satisfactory progress as defined in this policy may make an appeal through the Student Finance Office.

Academic Performance:

Satisfactory academic performance is monitored at the end of each academic year by the Registrar's Office. Any student who fails to attain the required cumulative grade point average of 2.30 at the end of any academic year automatically is dismissed from enrollment and barred from attendance of classes in accordance with Law School policy.

A student may seek reinstatement of admission by action of the Committee on Student Petitions. A student who is readmitted by the Committee will not be eligible for financial assistance until the student's cumulative grade point average is 2.30 at the end of any given semester. A student whose cumulative grade point average meets this requirement after the completion of a fall semester will only be eligible for the spring semester of the academic year.