The cost of attendance for the 2025-2026 academic year is below:

Students will find that this is a realistic budget for living in Philadelphia, one of the most affordable big cities in the country, and many more will be able to live below these figures.

2025-2026 8-month Student Budget:

Tuition: $78,348
General Fee: $4,108
Learning Support Fee: $1,294
Health Clinical Fee: $744

Sub-Total Tuition & Required Fees: $84,494

Room: $16,264
Board: $5,320
Books and Supplies: $2,650
Health Insurance: $4,662
Miscellaneous: $1,784
Transportation: $960

Sub-Total Living Expenses: $31,640

Total Budget: $116,134

More information about each component of the budget below:

Tuition: This is the total tuition cost of full time attendance at the Law School. Tuition and expense are adjusted annually.

General Fee: The general fee is a partial contribution toward the support of the Student Health Service, Placement Service, graduate student activities, recreational facilities, the physical development of the University, and other services not directly associated with specific courses.

Learning Support Fee: The Learning Support Fee is used to cover a broad group of technology-driven services, including library electronic research tools, course portal, photocopied materials, and ITS support.

Room & Board: The room and board allowance reflects an average off-campus shared residence on a nine month basis. For additional housing information please go to Penn Residential Service or Off-Campus Services.

Health Insurance: All full-time students are required to have health insurance coverage for both in-patient and outpatient medical care and to provide information about their insurance coverage each year. This is the estimated premium for the 12 month Penn Student Insurance Plan.

Miscellaneous: This amount includes general personal items, entertainment, laundry, telephone service, and transportation which includes normal in-city travel costs. 

Clinical Fee: The fee provides access to University Student Health Services (SHS), including unlimited nursing and doctor visits.

Penn Carey Law subsidizes the cost of joint degree and certificate programs by paying tuition to its sister schools for up to four (4) non-law courses for each JD candidate. Students who take courses for which the Law School does not give credit toward the Law degree (e.g., a fifth course, or a course for which we cannot give JD credit) will pay for those courses at the prevailing rate. The certificate and/or joint degree candidate is responsible for an administrative fee, set annually with tuition, that covers the advising and facilitating with regard to cross-curricular planning and interfacing with sister schools. If a student pursues more than one certificate, or a joint degree and a certificate, a separate fee will be incurred for each.

Pursuing a joint degree may also have an impact on how your financial aid award is structured. In some cases, grants and scholarships can be reduced based on enrollment and program changes. Before pursuing a joint degree, it is important that you consult with a financial aid counselor about your specific program of interest. To learn more about our joint degree opportunities please see Joint and Dual Degree Programs.

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. co-signer. U.S. federal student loans are not available to international students.

International students admitted to the Law School will be considered for the all merit scholarships as well, and a separate application is not required. International students seeking careers in public service can participate in our Toll Loan Forgiveness Program and will be considered for all other forms of support. Go to Public Interest Support for more information.

All applicants are considered for merit scholarships based on their admissions material. Applicants may be invited to apply for certain scholarships which may include a separate application, interview, or additional essay. We use a holistic approach when choosing merit scholars including, but not limited to, academic achievements, leadership, service, and professional or life experiences. Scholarship nominees and recipients are notified on a rolling basis between February and late April.

Levy Scholars Program

The Levy Scholars program provides Scholars unique access to faculty and the opportunity to attend exclusive programs in areas of their academic interest, emphasizing and supporting the cross-disciplinary interests of these fine students.

In 2002, the Chair of our Board of Advisors, Paul Levy L’72, decided with his wife Karen to make an incredibly generous gift to create the Levy Scholars Program. This prestigious program is all-encompassing, starting with a merit scholarship of full tuition and fees for three years of study at the Law School. It will also include establishing mentoring relationships with faculty in areas of interest to the recipients, specialized programmatic support, research assistant opportunities, and more.

The Law School’s commitment to a broad and modern legal education and our proximity to some of the nation’s finest graduate and professional schools make cross-disciplinary study one of the defining characteristics of the Law School — though it is by no means a requirement for consideration or participation in the Levy Scholars Program. Rather, it is our hope that Levy Scholars will want to avail themselves of these rich opportunities and resources by exploring joint degree or certificate programs or by taking cross-disciplinary classes at the Law School.

There is no special application to be considered for this scholarship. The Office of Admissions will select nominees for consideration from among our candidates for admission. 

The Robert and Jane Toll Public Interest Scholars Program

Founded by Robert Toll, L’66 and Jane Toll, GSE’66, The Toll Public Interest Scholars Program reinforces the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law’s commitment to service by providing substantive programming and financial support for students dedicated to pursuing public interest careers. Thanks to a groundbreaking gift from the Robert and Jane Toll Foundation, Penn Carey Law has significantly increased the number of Toll scholarships we provide for the class entering in 2021. This transformative gift comes at an unprecedented time, when lawyers working for a more just and fair system are desperately needed. This scholarship includes full tuition and summer funding for all three years of study. Read more about this program.

Silverman Scholars

This scholarship was established in 2004 by Henry Silverman L’64. Selection is primarily based on the student’s academic achievement and demonstration of leadership. The Silverman Scholars receive a full tuition scholarship for their first year at the Law School and half tuition scholarship for their second year at the Law School.

The Earl R. Franklin and Barbara Corwin Franklin Endowed Merit Scholarship

The Franklin Endowed Scholarship Fund, created in 2010 by Earl Franklin L’68 and Barbara Corwin Franklin OT’66, is offered to Law School applicants who have demonstrated top academic achievement, extraordinary leadership talent, and exemplary personal character, regardless of financial need. Recipients of the scholarship will receive full tuition support in their first year, followed by half tuition for their second year.

Owen J. Roberts Scholarship

This scholarship was established in the memory of Owen J. Roberts, a graduate and former Dean of the Law School and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Roberts Scholars will exemplify the Law School’s commitment to academic excellence, service to the community, and future contributions to the profession. Scholarships range from $5,000 to $25,000 per year and the number of awards vary from year to year.

Dean’s Scholarship

The Dean’s Scholarship provides awards ranging from $9,000 to $120,000 in tuition coverage. Selection is primarily based on academic achievement and nonacademic factors such as leadership, service, and life or work experience. We also seek accomplished individuals who will be fully engaged in the unique academic community at the Law School. The number of Dean’s Scholarships that are awarded varies from year to year.

CTIC Scholars Program

The Law School and the Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition offer a competitive scholarship to be awarded to JD students pursuing a joint degree in law and technology. Up to three students per year will receive the scholarship, which provides up to $40,000 to help offset tuition expenses for the additional year of study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Teach For America Scholarship

The University of Pennsylvania has a long standing partnership with Teach for America (TFA). All current TFA corps members and alumni are eligible for an application fee waiver. We also provide a two year deferral for students who are admitted to the program and choose to join TFA. Finally, Penn offers a merit-based $45,000 scholarship for up to three qualified alumni and exiting corps members annually.

The Potamkin Scholarship in Honor of A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.

Created in 1999 by the Potamkin Foundation, this scholarship honors the life and achievements of Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (1928-1998). He spent nearly 30 years in the federal judiciary, serving first as a judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and then as a judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. For his lifetime of service, Judge Higginbotham was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1995. The Potamkin Scholarship in Honor of A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. provides financial support to students from historically underrepresented and/or low income backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to civil rights and social justice.

 

Attending law school is a significant investment. To ensure that a University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School education is as affordable and accessible as possible, we provide generous financial assistance in the form of grants to students who demonstrate need.

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

1. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Penn’s Federal School Code is 003378.
2. The CSS Profile Application . There is a $24 fee. Need-eligible students who enroll at the Law School will receive a $24 tuition reimbursement for this fee at the time of matriculation. The Law School’s school code is 2495.
   
   Note: We strongly recommend providing your social security number (SSN) on the CSS Profile Application. Applications submitted without the SSN can experience significant processing delays.
   
   Instructions and important tips for completing this application can be found on the CollegeBoard’s website. Please review this information thoroughly before you begin. For CSS Profile support, call 866-881-1167

These forms must be received by March 1 if you are admitted before that date. If admitted after March 1, please submit these forms as soon as possible after admission.

Need Based Grants - Policy Information

Due to limited University resources, we must consider each student’s entire financial situation. Accordingly, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School requires applicants applying for scholarship and their families (except those students over the age of 30 by December 31 of the year of enrollment) to complete the parental, student and spouse (if applicable) sections of the CSS Profile financial aid application. As a graduate school applicant you are considered independent under federal guidelines and are only required to complete the student sections on the FAFSA.

The parental information will be used to determine the ability of your parents to contribute financial assistance to meet educational expenses. Your financial aid application will not be evaluated unless the required parental/spousal information is provided. This is so even though all graduate students are technically “independent” under federal guidelines. We will take an estimated parental contribution into account when awarding financial aid, but students may cover this amount in the form of an additional loan; therefore, parents are not obligated to contribute the estimated parent contribution.

Processing Applications

The Law School will review all incoming students for financial aid eligibility. Eligibility for need-based assistance is determined in accordance with the Law School’s financial aid award policies. Students receive a three-year need-based award determined by our financial need analysis. It is rare that this amount will be increased while you are in Law School. However, if there are significant changes in your or your family’s original financial standing while in Law School, you can appeal for additional funding. Any additional support will depend on available funding at that time.

Loan funds are available to students who do not qualify for a grant award or whose needs are not entirely met by the grant afforded them.

Terms of interest and repayment vary. Law School students who are eligible for need-based aid can receive funding through the Penn Carey Law institutional loan program. The Law School also refers students for the Federal Direct Student Loan, Graduate Federal PLUS Loans, and various other alternative private student loans. More information can be found on the Penn Student Registration & Financial Services website.

Your credit history will be, and will remain, very important as you seek ways to fund your legal education. It is critical that you have a strong and clean credit record. Any credit problems need to be resolved before enrollment in the Law School. To receive a free copy of your credit report visit the Annual Credit Report website.

The Law School does not award conditional scholarships. However, students must maintain their enrollment by meeting the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

At Penn Carey Law we recognize the importance of service and have strived to provide the atmosphere, support and resources necessary for our students to pursue this career goal successfully.

We have created a learning environment that’s ideal for students who seek a career in public service and encourage applicants with service backgrounds to apply here.

• We offer fee waivers to all alumni and current members of Teach for America, AmeriCorps, and the Peace Corps, as well as any current or former member of any U.S. Military Branch.
• We are also a proud participant of the Yellow Ribbon Program.

For more information about our other support programs for students pursuing public service careers, please see Toll Public Interest Center’s Funding Programs.

The Robert and Jane Toll Public Interest Scholars Program:

Created by Robert Toll L’66 and his wife Jane, the Toll Public Interest Scholars Program combines financial support with a challenging academic program for select students seeking academic training and practical experience in public interest law. This scholarship includes full tuition for all three years of study. Details about this program are available on the Scholars page of our website.

Teach For America Scholarship:

The University of Pennsylvania has a long standing partnership with Teach for America (TFA). All current TFA corps members and alumni are eligible for an application fee waiver. We also provide a two year deferral for students who are admitted to the program and choose to join TFA. Finally, Penn offers a merit-based $45,000 scholarship for up to three qualified alumni and exiting corps members annually.

Penn Carey Law supports the careers of students and alumni committed to public service through no-interest loans and a generous loan forgiveness program. The Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP) provides substantial relief from high law school debt burdens.

TolLRAP:

• Enables students to pursue public interest careers without regard to indebtedness by providing interest-free loans to help defray the costs of educational loans.
• Provides forgiveness of the loans after each year the graduate is in public interest employment.
• Bases the amount of assistance on a formula that considers the applicant’s income and annual law school debt.

Please contact the TolLRAP Counselor at TolLRAPCounselor@law.upenn.edu with any questions.

At Penn Carey Law there are no financial barriers to taking unpaid summer internships in the public sector, or pursuing public interest work anywhere in the U.S. or abroad. Funding for such work is guaranteed, and each summer about 175 students take advantage of this opportunity. 

See the Summer Funding page for more information.