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Tuition and Aid

Tuition and Aid

Grad for Tuition and Aid

Tuition

Students enrolled in 12 credits or more will pay a flat tuition rate for the academic year. Students granted permission to take less than 12 units in an academic year will pay a per-unit tuition rate.  Because we are a small regional school, we do our best to keep a law school dream attainable.  Students are locked into the tuition rates they were admitted to when continuously enrolled. Students who withdraw and apply for readmission will be subject to the readmission tuition rate.

Our online admissions catalog lists our most current tuition rates.  Please read that for the latest rates.

To review our Financial Policy, click here.

Tuition Installment Plans

Annual tuition and fees are due in full at the time of registration. For students needing additional flexibility in paying their tuition and fees, we provide an option for a Tuition Installment Program (TIP). Under the TIP program, students can pay the annual amount due in monthly installments. Students wishing to use the TIP plan must notify our Business Manager, Heather English, henglish@montereylaw.edu, during the Fall semester registration period.

In addition to our monthly plan, students can make three equal payments throughout the academic year.

Student Loans

We are not a Title IV school, so federal financial aid is unavailable to our students. Many of our students have had great success with the Sallie Mae:

Also, keep in mind that:

  • Our school is ½ or ⅓ the cost of most ABA law schools. 
  • We have a Guaranteed Tuition Plan, which locks students into a tuition rate when they first enroll and stay enrolled and in good financial standing.
  • In many cases, except for transfer students, your tuition and student fees includes a bar exam preparation program (which could cost thousands of dollars separately).

Our Incoming Tuition Grants

Incoming tuition grants are available for incoming first-year students who have a relationship with a member of the local bar association in the county in which the student resides.  You must meet one of the following relationship criteria:

  • Receive a Letter of Recommendation from a current bar member ($500)
  • Receive a Letter of Recommendation that verifies employment by a current bar member ($1,000)
  • Receive a Letter of Recommendation from a bar member if a family member is an employee ($1,000)
  • Receive a Letter of Recommendation from a bar member confirming familial relationship ($1,000)

*Students may only receive one of the tuition grants, not multiple ones.

Associations at each campus (after meeting one of the criteria above):

  • Monterey
    • Monterey County Bar Association
    • Santa Cruz County Bar Association
  • San Luis Obispo
    • North Santa Barbara County Bar Association
    • San Luis Obispo County Bar Association
    • San Luis Obispo Women Lawyers Association
  • Kern County
    • Kern County Bar Association
  • Sonoma County
    • Sonoma County Bar Association

External Funding Resources

Some students have had success securing funding from third-party scholarships as well.  Below is a list of additional resources for funding.  This is not a complete list nor an endorsement for these agencies.