University of Pennsylvania

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Application requirements

Deadline

Mar 01, 2026

Application fee

$85.00

Recommendations

2 to 4

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you must provide an explanatory statement. If you do not, the processing and review of your application will be delayed. We caution you to err on the side of full disclosure. If you need additional space for your explanation, you may upload it in the Character and Fitness section in Attachments.

1. While attending an academic program, has your academic experience ever been interrupted, either non-voluntarily or voluntarily, for one or more full terms for any reason? (This does not include the time period between high school and college or between college and law school or any other degree program, etc.)

Explanation: (maximum characters 500)
Have you ever been issued academic or disciplinary warnings, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, suspended, dropped, expelled, or been required to withdraw from any post-secondary institution you have attended, or are any such proceedings now pending against you? (This should include matters that have been expunged or dismissed.)
Explanation: (maximum characters 500)
Have you ever, either as an adult or a juvenile, been arrested, charged, cited, or convicted of a crime (including misdemeanors), or cited for an infraction (including moving violations), or is any charge now pending against you? (This should include matters that have been expunged, dismissed, or subject to a diversionary program.)
Explanation: (maximum characters 500)
Have you ever been, or are you currently enrolled in another U.S. law school? This question refers to enrollment in any degree program at a U.S. law school (e.g., JD, ML, LLM, etc.). This does not refer to stand-alone certificate programs.
Explanation: (maximum characters 500)

**Application Instructions:

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School**Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6204
215.898.7400 (phone)
http://www.law.upenn.edu/; contactadmissions@law.upenn.edu; finaid@law.upenn.edu

FIRST YEAR JD ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION

We welcome your interest in the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (Penn Carey Law) and provide this information to guide you through the admissions and financial aid processes.

Applicant Eligibility Requirements

All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree to be eligible to enroll in the first year Juris Doctor (JD) program. Applicants who are admitted to the JD program are admitted for the fall on a full-time basis only. We do not have spring admission or a part-time program. All applicants must take an approved standardized test (either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)) and must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). (See Test Administration and LSAC Credential Assembly Service information below.)

Standards for Admission

The admissions process at Penn Carey Law is highly selective. Last year, we received over 8,000 applications for the approximately 260 places in the first-year class. Students who apply to Penn Carey Law come from every state in the nation, from many countries around the world, from more than 200 undergraduate institutions, and from a broad range of academic, ethnic, cultural, professional, and economic backgrounds.

There is no pre-law educational requirement or even a specific recommended course of study for admission to Penn Carey Law. Strength of character, breadth of knowledge, and intellectual maturity constitute the base upon which our legal education builds. As such, Penn Carey Law seeks to enroll individuals who have demonstrated outstanding academic success, who are intellectually curious, and who possess superior writing, oral communication, and analytical skills, and who will positively contribute to the Penn Carey Law community, and ultimately, to the legal profession.

The Admissions Committee considers numerous factors in the admissions process, including the student's academic record, course selection and grade trends, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, leadership, community service, extracurricular activities, professional and life experiences, demonstrated growth in response to any challenges an applicant may have faced, and the applicant's examples of written expression (the standardized test writing sample, personal statement, and optional essays). Importantly, the Admissions Committee bases its decision on all material submitted on behalf of each candidate. Though an applicant's academic record and standardized test score are significant factors in the review process, they are not the sole factors. We do not have numerical "cut-offs" in the application process, nor do we employ the use of an admissions index.

The Admissions Committee does not grant evaluative interviews by request of the applicant as part of the review process. To learn more about the Law School, the University campus, and Philadelphia, please consider attending one or more of our various virtual or in-person recruiting events. These events are offered predominantly in the fall semester. For more information and to register, please visit our website: https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/jd/connect-with-us.

**Application Deadlines

Early Decision (Binding)**Round 1

Submit application by November 15*
Complete application by December 1
Receive decision by December 31

Round 2

Submit application by January 7*
Complete application by January 15
Receive decision by January 31

*Early Decision applications must be submitted through LSAC no later than November 15 for Round 1 or January 7 for Round 2. All supporting documents, including the LSAC Credential Assembly Service Report, must be received by December 1 for Round 1 or January 15 for Round 2 Early Decision consideration.

Please be advised that once an Early Decision application is deemed complete, the application could immediately go to the Admissions Committee for review, regardless of Round 1 or Round 2 submission. Therefore, a decision could be made at any point and will be considered binding once made.

Regular Decision

Submit application by March 1**
Complete application by March 15
Receive decision by May 1

**Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in November and decisions are made beginning in December. Therefore, it is advised that you submit your application earlier in the cycle rather than later.

Early Decision

Penn Carey Law's Early Decision option is designed for applicants who have thoroughly researched their law school options and determined that Penn Carey Law is clearly their first choice, regardless of financial considerations. Penn Carey Law's Early Decision program is binding. Applicants who wish to be considered for Early Decision must commit to matriculate at Penn Carey Law if admitted. If admitted, you must withdraw your applications from all other law schools and refrain from initiating new applications. Applicants who apply through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools but may not have more than one binding Early Decision application pending simultaneously. If a binding Early Decision application has been submitted to another school, applicants may apply through Penn Carey Law's Early Decision program only if and when they are released from their binding terms at the other school.

If you are interested in applying for Early Decision, please select the Early Decision Admission, Round 1 or Round 2 option under Type of Application in the Application Data section of the Application Questions. Also, you must print and physically sign the Early Decision Agreement from Forms. You can then upload the signed Early Decision Agreement to Attachments before transmission of your application through LSAC. If you are not able to upload the signed Early Decision Agreement to Attachments, it can be emailed directly to the Office of Admissions. The Early Decision Agreement must be physically signed.

Penn Carey Law's Early Decision option allows applicants to receive a decision - admit, deny, or hold for further consideration - by the end of December for Round 1 and by the end of January for Round 2. For Round 1, Early Decision applicants must take an approved standardized test no later than November of the application year and submit the application by November 15. For Round 2, Early Decision applicants must take an approved standardized test no later than December of the application year and submit the application by January 7. Additionally, the Office of Admissions must receive all required supporting documents, including the LSAC Credential Assembly Service report and letters of recommendation, by December 1 for Round 1 and by January 15 for Round 2.

Applicants who choose to apply for Early Decision Round 1 but are unable to complete their application by December 1, may request their application be considered for Early Decision Round 2, keeping in mind that they may not have more than one binding Early Decision application pending simultaneously as stated above. A request to rollover from Early Decision Round 1 to Early Decision Round 2 must be submitted in writing by email to the Office of Admissions. Otherwise, Early Decision Round 1 applicants who are unable to complete their application by December 1 will be reviewed as regular admissions applicants. Early Decision Round 2 applicants who are unable to complete their application by January 15 will be reviewed as regular admissions applicants. An applicant's decision will no longer be binding if accepted through the regular admissions process.

Early Decision applicants who are held for further consideration, whether in Round 1 or Round 2, will be reevaluated during the regular admissions process. After being held for further consideration, an applicant's decision will no longer be binding if accepted through the regular admissions process.

Regular Decision

Applicants who submit applications for Regular Decision by March 1 and complete applications by March 15 will receive a decision - admit, deny, hold for further consideration, or waitlist - by May 1. We suggest Regular Decision applicants should take an approved standardized test no later than December of the application year due to our rolling admissions but we will accept approved standardized test scores for any tests administered by February 28, 2025.

How to Apply

We require you to submit an application using the LSAC electronic application (with electronic submission through LSAC), available at LSAC.org.**Application Requirements and Instructions

Application Form**Please provide complete information for each question on the application in the spaces provided. You may attach additional pages (as an upload in Attachments) to complete or elaborate on this information. Please answer all questions fully and accurately. All information submitted for an application file is confidential. A copy of your law school application will be retained for a minimum period of three years. For those students who matriculate, a copy of your application will be sent to the Committee on Character and Fitness when you apply to take a state bar examination or seek admission to the bar. Please be advised that there are character, fitness and other qualifications for admission to the bar and that as an applicant, prior to matriculation, you should determine what those requirements are in the state(s) in which you intend to practice. More information is available at the National Conference of Bar Examiners: http://www.ncbex.org/.
https://aces2.lsac.org/Utilities/AppCycle/%20http:/www.ncbex.org/Please answer all required questions on the application form unless otherwise noted.

Application Fee

The application fee is $85 (nonrefundable). You must pay the application fee by debit or credit card when you submit your application through LSAC. When you pay the application fee through LSAC, you will also sign your application with the electronic signature option. Applicants may be eligible for one of the fee waiver programs described below. Please do not pay the application fee if you are requesting a fee waiver. We will not refund the application fee.

Penn Carey Law Fee Waiver Application

If submitting the application fee will cause undue financial hardship, you may request a need-based fee waiver directly from Penn Carey Law. You must submit the Penn Carey Law Fee Waiver Application directly to Penn Carey Law and be approved before you transmit the LSAC Electronic Application through LSAC. If you are granted a fee waiver for Penn Carey Law, please ignore that the application will still list the fee on the LSAC site. Your fee waiver will be applied on the payment page once you have submitted the application through LSAC. No fee waiver coupon code is needed.

The Penn Carey Law Fee Waiver Application (located on our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/how-to-apply.php) and the fee waiver supporting documentation can be emailed to contactadmissions@law.upenn.edu. The fee waiver application is not live until right before the application goes live.

LSAC Fee Waivers

If LSAC has granted you an LSAC Fee Waiver for the LSAT and Credential Assembly Service, you do not need to submit the Penn Carey Law Fee Waiver Application or notify us in any other way. Since Penn Carey Law is a participating school, candidates who receive a fee waiver from LSAC will automatically receive an application fee waiver from Penn Carey Law. No fee waiver coupon code is needed. Please ignore that the application will still list the fee on the LSAC site. When you transmit your Penn Carey Law application, you will be prompted to electronically sign your application, but you will not be prompted for payment information.

Service Recognition Fee Waivers: AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach For America, and the United States Military

In recognition of your service, all past and present members of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach For America, and the United States Military are eligible for an application fee waiver. You must request this service recognition fee waiver from Penn Carey Law before you transmit the electronic application through LSAC as we will not refund the application fee. To apply, please complete the Service Recognition Fee Waiver Application.

Once your participation in the designated service organization has been verified, you will be sent a fee waiver approval email. Please ignore that the application will still list the fee on the LSAC site. Your fee waiver will be applied on the payment page once you have submitted the application through LSAC. No fee waiver coupon code is needed. Please make sure to note your service appointment on your résumé.

Merit Fee Waivers

Merit-based fee waivers are made available through queries to the LSAC Candidate Referral Service (CRS), ETS, and GMAC. These fee waivers are sent to highly qualified applicants who have registered for CRS, and will appear automatically in the application checkout at LSAC. For merit-based fee waiver consideration, please make sure you have opted-in for the CRS; registered with the Credential Assembly Service; have at least one approved standardized test score on file, and have a processed undergraduate degree-school transcript at LSAC. Our fee waiver emails are sent periodically throughout the application cycle, starting in early September and continuing through February.

If you are granted a fee waiver for Penn Carey Law, please ignore that the application will still list the fee on the LSAC site. Your fee waiver will be applied on the payment page once you have submitted the application through LSAC. No fee waiver coupon code is needed.

Test Administration and LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

Every applicant must take an approved standardized test, either the LSAT, GRE, or GMAT, and must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through LSAC. You may register for the LSAT and/or the Credential Assembly Service online at LSAC.org or by phone at 215.968.1001. For the GRE and GMAT, you must arrange for an official test score report to be released to Penn Carey Law; we will not accept test taker copies of score reports. You may register for the GRE here; Penn Carey Law's school code for GRE score reporting is 4122. You may register for the GMAT here; Penn Carey Law's school code for GMAT score reporting is G56-RV-81. Please make sure that you look for the Law School name and not just the University; they are two different recipients.

We will accept approved standardized test scores from any test administration taken within the last five years prior to the current application cycle, i.e., June 2020 or thereafter for the LSAT and within five years of your score posting for the GRE and/or GMAT. Please note that your GRE and/or GMAT standardized test score must be valid through the completion of your application file so therefore please take into consideration when your score will no longer be valid. We cannot control the timeframe in which your file will be completed. Standardized tests taken before June 2020 do not need to be reported. In view of our March 15 deadline to complete your file and the length of time needed for processing your application materials, we suggest approved standardized tests should be taken no later than December 2025, but we will accept approved standardized test scores for any tests administered by February 28, 2026. We will not accept any standardized tests taken after February 28, 2026 for the initial review of your application file.

All valid and reportable LSAT test scores, taken June 1, 2020 or thereafter, are considered as part of your application. Please report the highest LSAT score obtained on the application form in the Standardized Test section. We do not require that all GRE and/or GMAT test scores, taken within the last five years prior to your file being completed, be reported and submitted as part of your application. If an applicant has taken the LSAT and has a reportable LSAT score, an applicant may choose whether or not to share GRE and/or GMAT test results. If you would like your GRE and/or GMAT test scores to be considered in addition to your LSAT score(s) then please fill out the GRE/GMAT Standardized Test section of the application form. At its discretion, the Admissions Committee may evaluate your application based on the highest score. If there are circumstances that you believe affected your performance on a test, we encourage you to attach an additional statement with your application (see Optional Essays) explaining those circumstances. In addition, if you choose to retake an approved standardized test, up through February 28, 2026, after submitting your application, you must notify us in writing if you would like your application to be held from committee review until the new test score is received. We will not automatically hold your file from review for receipt of a future test score if you just list on the application that you are taking a future test.

Each applicant must also register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and arrange to have all transcripts sent to LSAC from each college or university attended. When we receive your application, we will automatically request your CAS report, and LSAC will transmit it electronically to us. The CAS report includes your LSAT score(s) and LSAT writing sample(s) if you have taken the LSAT, copies of your academic transcript(s), an undergraduate academic summary, letters of recommendation, and other information. Please note that your CAS report will NOT be released by LSAC until all required transcripts have been received and processed by LSAC. Once we receive your initial CAS report, we will automatically receive CAS update reports (e.g. new transcripts, new LSAT scores, new letters of recommendation etc.) from LSAC.

Penn Carey Law requires that any international transcripts be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service for applicants who completed any post-secondary work outside the US (including its territories) or Canada. You must use this service for the evaluation of your international transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the international work through a study-abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a US or Canadian institution, the program was no longer than one year in length, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the Credential Assembly Service registration fee. An International Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your CAS report.

To use the Credential Assembly Service, log in to your online LSAC account and follow the instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each institution and send it promptly to them. More time is usually required to receive international transcripts.

Applicants are reminded to monitor their LSAC account to ensure that the account is current so that their CAS report will be released to us on a timely basis. CAS reports are released to Penn Carey Law when all transcripts, at least two letters of recommendation, and an LSAT score and LSAT writing sample (unless only applying with GRE and/or GMAT scores) are received. In addition, all applicable fees must be paid to LSAC in order for a CAS report to be released.
**Recommendation Forms and Letters

Penn Carey Law requires that you submit your letters through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.**Your CAS report will not be released to Penn Carey Law until at least two letters of recommendation are on file with LSAC and assigned to Penn Carey Law. This service is included with your Credential Assembly Service registration. You must use the letter of recommendation form available online through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service for each letter submitted to LSAC. Please do not send letters directly to Penn Carey Law, unless directed by the Admissions office.

Letters of recommendation from individuals who can comment on your intellectual capacity and analytical and written communication skills are extremely useful in a rigorous selection process. Therefore, we require two letters of recommendation from individuals who have served as recent academic instructors or advisors. However, if you have been out of school for several years and obtaining academic references will present a hardship, letters from employers or others who have worked closely with you are sufficient. Note that we will accept up to four letters of recommendation; however, your application is deemed complete with two letters of recommendation. We do not hold applications from going out to review for letters of recommendation beyond the required two. Therefore, please make sure your recommenders get your letters of recommendation in to LSAC in a timely fashion.

Character and Fitness Verification

The Admissions Committee requires that every applicant answer questions pertaining to character and fitness. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you must provide an explanation in the space provided on the Application for Admission. We caution you to err on the side of full disclosure as any discrepancies will be investigated and may be reported to LSAC's Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process Subcommittee.

Personal Statement

The Admissions Committee requires that every applicant submit an original example of written expression. The purpose of this personal statement is to provide you with an opportunity to submit information that you deem important to your candidacy. You may wish to describe your experiences and interests - intellectual, personal and/or professional - and how you will contribute to the Penn Carey Law community and/or the legal profession. Please try to limit your statement to two pages, double-spaced, as a suggested length. In addition, mark as "Personal Statement" and include your name and LSAC account number on each page.

Optional Essays

If you wish, you may write an additional essay on any of the following topics. These optional essays allow you an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with additional relevant information that you were not able to include in your personal statement. Please include the essay with your application by electronically attaching it to your application before submission through LSAC. You are welcome to submit as many or as few optional essays as you choose. Include your name and LSAC account number on each page. Please limit any optional essay to one page, double-spaced and title it appropriately. Any optional essay(s) you choose to submit should respond to one or more of the following prompts:

These are the core strengths that make Penn Carey Law the best place to receive a rigorous, collaborative, and engaging legal education: genuine integration with associated disciplines; transformative, forward-looking faculty scholarship; highly-regarded experiential learning through clinics and our pro bono pledge; innovative, hands-on global engagement; and a manifest commitment to professional development and collegiality. These qualities define Penn Carey Law. What defines you? How do your goals and values match Penn Carey Law's core strengths?
Penn Carey Law is committed to achieving an expansive and welcoming law school community that brings a broad range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives to our classrooms. Tell us about how you will contribute to our Penn Carey Law community.
Describe a significant challenge you have faced. What have you learned from this challenge?
What is your motivation for pursuing a JD degree?
What strength or quality do you have that most people might not recognize?
If you do not think that your academic record or standardized test scores accurately reflect your ability to succeed in law school, please tell us why.

Applying for Joint-Degree Programs

Penn Carey Law leads in cross-disciplinary education of law students. Every year, a number of our applicants and students apply to more than 20 formal joint-degree programs, either contemporaneously with the Penn Carey Law application or in the first or second year of their law study. Additionally, on an ad hoc basis, students have successfully combined graduate study outside of these formal programs in other graduate and professional schools at the University of Pennsylvania. If you are interested in supplementing your legal education with study at other programs/schools at the University, we encourage you to discuss that interest with their Admissions Department. Note that you must apply individually to each program; admissions decisions are made by each program independently. You will find a list of most of our available formal joint-degree programs on the Application for Admission. Additionally, detailed information regarding each program may be found on our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/crossdisciplinary/jointdegree/. If you are applying to another graduate program, or intend to, please provide the information requested in the Application Data section of the Application Questions.

Exception: If you are applying for the three year JD/MBA program, please do not apply through LSAC. Instead, you must apply exclusively through Wharton at http://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/. In the Wharton application, you will find a Law School application supplement in the Program Specific Information section. Please reference the Instructions and Guidelines for JD/MBA Applicants in the Program Information section of the Wharton application for further important information. You may only apply to one of these degree programs per application cycle: either the JD or the three year JD/MBA. Once you have submitted an application for either the JD or the JD/MBA degree program, you cannot switch to the other degree program. You can still apply Early Decision Round 1 or Round 2 for the JD program with the three year JD/MBA application through Wharton.

Application Status/Questions

The Penn Carey Law Office of Admissions is committed to serving our applicants as efficiently and effectively as we can during the application process. We will notify you of the date upon which we receive your application in an email acknowledgment. Please be advised that it may take approximately 2 to 8 weeks from the date that we receive an application, depending on when in the cycle the application is submitted, to process and evaluate the file for completeness. At that time, we will inform you of any missing required documents if we have received the LSAC CAS report. Please note that we will not evaluate the file for completeness until we receive the CAS report. We will also notify you of the date upon which your application is complete. Once your file is complete, it is put in the queue for the Admissions Committee and files are evaluated on a rolling basis. It is difficult to predict how long your file may be in the review process as your file will be evaluated by several members of the Admissions Committee.

Applicants will be able to check the status of their application at any time using the Application Status Checker, Penn Carey Law's online status checker. To access the online status checker, you can go to our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/how-to-apply.php. Please be sure that you have allowed adequate time for your application to be processed, completed, and evaluated before contacting the Office of Admissions to check on the status of your decision. Again, you can always check on the status of your application by accessing the online status checker. Also, if you contact the Office of Admissions, please understand that due to the large volume of applications and supporting documents that we receive, we may not be able to immediately verify whether a specific item has been received and filed with your application. Please keep checking the Application Status Checker to verify receipt of required application documents.
**Email Notification

Please note that an email address is required.**We communicate via email with applicants regarding the status of their application; thus, it is imperative that you provide an email address on your application and it remains current throughout the admissions process. You will be notified by email when your application is received, again when your application file is completed, and possibly at other times to update you on the status of your application.

Please promptly notify us of any changes to your email address or any changes to your other contact information. Applicants should be aware of their email service provider's procedures for spam filtering that may affect delivery of any email communications sent from the Penn Carey Law Office of Admissions. Steps should be taken to ensure that messages can be delivered promptly.

Reapplication

Applicants who are denied admission may reapply to Penn Carey Law in a subsequent year. It should be noted, however, that candidates are unlikely to be admitted unless there is some significant change since their previous application. Previous applicants who wish to reapply must:

Submit the current application, a new personal statement, and résumé
Submit the $85 application fee
Register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service if registration is no longer current, and pay for an additional report
Send updated transcript(s) to LSAC for all academic work - undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional - completed since the last application
While not required, we strongly suggest that you submit two new letters of recommendation to replace or supplement previously submitted letters

**TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID

Tuition and Fees (2024-2025)**Tuition $74,688

Learning Support Fee $1,234

General Fee $3,954

Health Clinical Fee $716
**Sub-Total Tuition and Fees: $80,592

Living Expenses (2024-2025)**Room and Board $20,520

Books and Supplies $2,600

Health Insurance $4,412

Miscellaneous $1,784

Transportation $944

**Sub-Total Living Expenses: $30,260

Cost of Attendance $110,852**The General Fee is a partial contribution toward the support of the Student Health Service, graduate student activities, recreational facilities, the physical development of the University, and other services not directly associated with specific courses. The Trustees reserve the right at any time to amend the regulations concerning tuition, fees, and method of payment and to make such changes applicable to students currently enrolled in the University as well as to new students. Tuition and fees are adjusted annually. The living expenses estimate will vary according to personal lifestyles.

Applying for Financial Aid

Admissions decisions at Penn Carey Law consider the full context of each applicant's life experiences, which may include socio-economic factors, to ensure a holistic evaluation. Moreover, an applicant's financial circumstance does not negatively influence our admissions decision-making. The need-based financial aid evaluation is conducted only after an admissions decision is rendered. It is the policy of Penn Carey Law, insofar as possible, to assist deserving students with their legal education by reducing the burden of financial pressures. Financial assistance is available to qualifying applicants in the form of need-based aid (grants), merit scholarships, public interest scholarships, the Toll Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program, and federal and private student loans.

If you are interested in applying for need-based aid, complete the requisite financial aid forms, described below. We recommend that you submit the above forms promptly after admission and before March 1. If admitted after March 1, please submit these forms as soon as possible after admission.

Need-Based Aid

To be considered for need-based financial assistance (grants) at Penn Carey Law, we use the financial information that you provide for yourself, your parent(s), and if applicable, your spouse. Applicants for need-based financial aid are required to submit two applications:

the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is available online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Penn Carey Law's FAFSA school code is 003378.
the CSS Profile Application at http://student.collegeboard.org/profile. There is a $25 fee. Need-eligible students who enroll at Penn Carey Law will receive a $25 tuition reimbursement for this fee at the time of matriculation. Note: We strongly encourage you to provide your social security number (SSN) on the CSS Profile Application and the application for admission form. Applications submitted without the SSN can experience significant processing delays. Penn Carey Law's CSS Profile school code is 2495.

These forms must be received by March 1, if admitted before that date. Due to limited University resources, we must consider each admitted student's entire financial situation. Accordingly, Penn Carey Law requires applicants applying for need-based grants and their families (except those students age 30 and over by December 31 of the year of enrollment) to complete the parental, student, and spousal (if applicable) sections of the CSS Profile application. FAFSA applicants applying to graduate school are considered independent under federal guidelines and are only required to complete the student sections of the FAFSA application.

If you have any questions regarding the financial aid applications or evaluation process, please contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at 215.898.7743 or send an email to finaid@law.upenn.edu. Additional information about our need-based grant program can be found on our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/financing/.

Merit Scholarship Programs

Penn Carey Law awards merit scholarships to a select number of students using a holistic approach that includes, but not limited to, academic achievements, leadership, service, and professional and life experiences. Most scholarships do not require a separate application, though if nominated, admitted students may be asked to interview and/or submit additional essays. Scholarship nominees and recipients are notified on a rolling basis between late January and late April.

Admitted students interested in the Toll Public Interest Scholarship are required to submit a separate application. Notice of this separate application will be emailed to admitted students throughout the spring.

Penn Carey Law offers a wide range of merit scholarship opportunities that provide generous funding and unique program benefits. You can read more about all of our scholarship programs on our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/financing/.

Students must remain in good academic standing and be enrolled as a full-time student to retain their Law School scholarship. Good academic standing requirements can be found at https://www.law.upenn.edu/academics/jd-requirements.php.

Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP)

Penn Carey Law is committed to promoting the pursuit of public interest careers, and TolLRAP offers generous repayment assistance, on an annual basis, to Penn Carey Law graduates working in public sector careers. A full description of TolLRAP can be found on our website at https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/financing/.Loans

Various federal and private loans are available to help students fund their education at Penn (repayment terms and interest vary). Students can borrow through the Federal Direct, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS, and other student loan programs. Application and program details can be found at https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/loan-types.

Please note, if you are applying for loans only, you need only submit the FAFSA. The CSS Profile application is only required for students who are applying for need-based grants.

International Students

International students may apply for need-based aid (grants) and loans from private student loan lenders. Please note that student loans for international students require a U.S. cosigner. U.S. federal student loans are not available to international students. More information on private student loans can be found on Penn's website at https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/loan-types.

International students admitted to Penn will also be considered for the merit scholarships described above. International students are eligible to participate in our Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP).