General Information

How do I settle my tuition bill?

Fall, 2008 semester tuition is due on August 14, 2006 for continuing students and on September 15, 2006 for new students. The Student Accounts Office mails tuition bills to students’ permanent addresses about six weeks before the payment deadline. Your tuition bill will list your charges (tuition, fees and medical insurance) and will list any scholarships and Federal Direct Loans as pending credits. If an amount is still owed after the pending credits are deducted from the charges, students must provide proof of other aid (such as an approved private loan) or send a payment for the balance by the deadline.

Spring Semester Tuition Bills

Spring, 2009 semester tuition is due December 14, 2008 for continuing students and January 29, 2009 for new students. Although tuition and fees are the same for both fall and spring semesters, students should take note of the following when settling their bills for spring semester:

  • The BU Medical Insurance is included in the fall semester charges. Therefore, students who purchased the BU Medical Insurance will notice that their spring semester bill is less than the fall semester bill.

If you do not settle your bill by the appropriate deadline, you will be assessed a minimum late fee of $150. Additional loan fees will be added at the beginning of each month until your account is settled. Please note that you must meet the above payment deadlines even if you have not registered for classes.

Applying financial aid toward your bill

Scholarships, Federal Direct Loans and some private loans will appear as pending credits on your tuition bill. Students whose scholarships or federal loans do not appear on their bills should contact the Law Financial Aid Office. Half of the scholarship and federal loans are applied toward each semester. The 1.5% fee for Direct Loans is deducted from each disbursement.

In order to use a private loan toward the tuition deadline, the loan must be approved by the lender and certified by the University. Some private loans are not printed on the tuition bill, even if the loan is approved and the University has certified the application. The private loan amount anticipated for the semester should be written in the deductions box on the invoice. Please keep in mind that private loans are divided into two equal disbursements to be applied to fall and spring semesters.

Back to Top

How do I request a refund of a credit balance?

All financial aid, including scholarships and loans, will be sent to the school and credited to your student account.

If your total financial aid for the semester will exceed the amount needed to settle your bill with the University, you are entitled to use that money toward your living expenses. The amount of financial aid left on your account after your tuition, fees and medical insurance are paid, is known as a “credit balance.”

You may apply for a refund of your credit balance up to 10 days before the beginning of each semester.

You must meet the following criteria in order to apply for a refund:

  1. All loan funds have been received and are posted to your student account
  2. If a private loan is being used to pay a portion of tuition, you must endorse the loan check at the Student Accounts Office. Loan funds receive through EFT will automatically be credited to your student account.
  3. All tuition payments contracted through a monthly payment plan for the semester have been posted to your student account.

All refund requests should be placed with the Law Financial Aid Office, either in person or by phone. You may request that the check be mailed to you or held for pick up at the Student Accounts Office. Processing time for refund requests is 7 to 11 business days from the time you place the request. Submitting a request through the Student Accounts Office will result in possibly significant delays in processing your refund.

Students who receive private loans that are disbursed via check and are not needed to pay tuition or fees may pick up the original loan check at the Student Accounts Office beginning on the first day of classes. It is not necessary to endorse the check over to the University and apply for a refund if your private loan is only for living expenses.

Tip - Have sufficient funds to cover immediate expenses at the start of school, such as August and September rent, apartment deposits, realtor fees, books, etc. It can take up to 11 business days for the University to release financial aid funds!

Back to Top

How do I include the cost of a computer in my budget? Higher rent? BU medical insurance?

Additions to the Student Budget

There are some additional expenses that can be added to your budget upon your written request. These additional expenses include the cost of the BU student medical insurance, child care expenses, medical costs not covered by insurance, actual rent and the cost of a computer. There are limitations on these increases. Students should contact the Law Financial Aid Office for instructions. Documentation, including receipts, will be required.

Back to Top

How do I re-apply for Federal Direct Stafford Loans? Graduate PLUS Loans? Private Loans?

If you will be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) over more than one academic year, you must re-apply for any loans that you wish to receive - federal and private.

Stafford and Graduate PLUS borrowers must complete the FAFSA and Loan Request Forms for each type of loan. The Loan Request forms are available on this section of the website. Promissory notes and Entrance Counseling requirements do transfer from year to year and do not need to be done again.

Private loan borrowers should contact their lender to re-apply and can usually apply online.

What happens if I take a leave of absence or withdraw?

If the leave of absence or withdrawal begins prior to the first day of classes for the fall or spring semester, tuition and fee charges will be reversed and all financial aid will be canceled.

If you withdraw after the first day of classes you will be responsible for at least a percentage of your tuition. Fees are non-refundable after the first day of classes. Please contact Student Accounting Services or the BU Law Registrar for a tuition refund schedule.

Adjustments to your financial aid

If you withdraw after the first day of classes, your financial aid will be adjusted as follows:

  • School of Law Scholarship: You will retain a portion of your scholarship that is equal to the percentage of tuition you are charged. For example, a student who is charged 30 percent of tuition would be allowed to keep 30 percent of the scholarship award.
  • Federal Direct Loans: Federal regulations determine the amount of federal loans that may be retained based on the number of days of the semester that you were enrolled. The Office of Financial Assistance will determine the amount of your federal loans to be refunded and wire transfer that amount to the Department of Education.
  • Private Loans: You may retain the amount of your private loan that fits within your new Student Budget, which will be adjusted to reflect any changes in your tuition.

If the adjustment of your scholarship or loans results in a balance due on your student account, a bill will be sent to your permanent address. Failure to pay the balance promptly may result in additional collection costs. You will not be able to re-enroll at the university until the balance is paid.

Loan Repayment

If you borrowed Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan funds at BU Law, you must complete an Exit Counseling Session if you withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University. The session provides information on repayment and deferment options for your federal loans. An Exit Counseling booklet will be mailed to your permanent address or you may complete the session online.

The University will notify your lenders of the date that your leave of absence or withdrawal became effective. Your loans will enter the grace period on this date. You will be required to begin repayment of the loans at the expiration of the grace period.

Returning from a Leave of Absence

When returning from a leave of absence, you must reapply for financial aid. If you are returning in August, please submit your financial aid forms by May 1. If you are returning in January, please submit your forms by October 1.

Please note that BU Law cannot register you for classes and will not award any financial aid if you owe a prior balance to the university.

If you return to BU Law, you may request an in-school deferment to postpone payments on your loans until you complete the program.

Back to Top