Entrance into law school requires a bachelor's degree, a high Law School Admissions Test score, and a plan to pay tuition for the three years. Tuition rates vary between whether the school is a public or private institution and if the student is local or from out of state. Because tuition fees are subject to change at any time, the most up-to-date figures can always be found on an individual school's website. When budgeting for law school plan for tuition to increase annually by at least $1,000, according to George Washington University Law School.
Typical costs:
Full-time tuition at public law schools[1] ran $4,711-$35,502 per year for in-state students during 2006-2007 and $15,570.
Private law schools charged $8,700-$41,200 in tuition during 2006-2007, bringing the three-year price tag somewhere around $25,000-$124,000. Brigham Young University was ranked the least expensive private law school by US News.com at $8,700 per year. Howard University wass second least-expensive at $18,870 a year. Columbia University was pegged as the most expensive, at ,024[2] .
Room and board during 2006-2007 ran from $5,000 - $20,000, depending on the city, according to USNews.com. The most expensive campus housing was found in New York, North Carolina, California, New Jersey and Illinois. Most school websites like the Seton Hall University School of Law offer budgets for annual living expenses that include books, health insurance, rent, food and transportation.
Books can cost $1,000-$2,250 per year.
Health Insurance varies by school and is available for students at $800-$1,900 annually.
Tuition insurance is available through many schools, and is important if students need to withdraw for medical reasons.
Discounts:
Financial aid is available for qualified students. Check the school website for up-to-date information.
Shopping for law school:
An online list of US law schools[3] is maintained by HG.org.
The American Bar Association offers an online list of approved law schools[4] both alphabetically and separated by private and public.
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