Program for Visits at Other Law Schools Financial Information

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Program for Visits at Other Law Schools is available to HLS students who desire to study out of residence at another ABA accredited law school due to serious personal hardship or for academic enhancement. Interested students must petition the HLS Administrative Board through the Dean of Students Office by the deadline listed in Section IX of the HLS Handbook of Academic Policies.

Overview:

Students who are Visiting OUT (HLS students attending another non-Harvard school) will apply for aid from HLS as usual. You will be charged 10% of HLS tuition and 100% of the other school’s tuition. SFS will work with each HLS student, and the visiting institution, to make sure all required payments are made on time (see details below).

Students who are Visiting IN (students from another non-Harvard school attending HLS) will not apply for or receive any aid from HLS. All requests for aid should be made to the home school. We will complete any pertinent forms your school requires. We will also be responsible for receiving any payments from your school and assist in crediting them to your Harvard Law School Student Account.

Financial Aid for Visiting Out Students

  • Application Process

    You will apply for all of your financial aid from HLS in the same manner as you have in previous years.  Once you have been accepted into the visiting school you will also be required to submit a Consortium Agreement.

    The Consortium Agreement  informs our office of the costs associated with attending the visiting school.  You’ll need to download and complete the student section and then promptly submit it to the school you will be attending (the Visiting School). The Visiting School will then complete the necessary sections and return it to us as a PDF via SFS@law.harvard.edu

  • Your Student Account

    You will receive two bills: one from HLS and one from the Visiting School.

    • On your Harvard student account, you will be charged 10% of the current year HLS tuition (equal to $7,710 in 2024-25). Harvard will also charge you both the University Health Service Fee (UHS) and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance (SHIP). In order to waive the Health Service Fee you will need to contact the Harvard University Insurance Office. If you have appropriate medical coverage, you may also waive the Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance by going to the same web site. NOTE:  If you do not take action to waive one or both of these fees by the cancellation due date, you will be required to pay the fees in full.
      • Additionally, under Federal Student Aid regulations, an allowance for the Harvard Student Health Insurance Plan may be included in the student’s budget only for students who enroll in the plan. For students who waive this coverage, the allowance will not be given, and the total student budget will be reduced by the amount of the plan fee. This means that if you are an HLS grant recipient, your HLS grant will be reduced by the fee amount as well.
    • The Visiting School will charge you 100% of their current year tuition and possibly other fees, including health insurance. You will want to review all of your health care options and take the appropriate action to either secure or cancel the coverage of your choice. Please note, if you have financial aid, we will pay the bill due to the Visiting School from your HLS award. Using the dates listed on the consortium agreement, HLS will cut a check to your Visiting School – likely in mid-August and again in mid-December. You will need to pay the Visiting School any other charges you incur throughout the semester. If you choose the Visiting School’s health coverage, we will include this amount for HLS grant assistance if you qualify, however, only one insurance will be used in your student budget.

    You will be held to the same HLS payment deadlines as listed on your HLS student account.

  • Your Student Budget

    Your student budget will be based largely on the information received from the Visiting School on the Consortium Agreement. To this we will add the 10% HLS tuition and one health insurance fee based on your choice of insurance coverage (i.e. HLS insurance or the Visiting School’s insurance program). Additionally, a budget increase of $1500 (prorated if attending for less than a full academic year) will be added to your budget to compensate for the extra expenses related to this program of study. This increase is eligible for grant assistance, if you are found eligible for HLS grant assistance.

    To help you understand how the costs are different while in this program, please see the 2024-25 example below which uses actual 2024-25 HLS budget numbers and made-up Visiting School numbers since we cannot predict where a student may enroll.

    If a student visits another institution for less than a full academic year, the budget would be prorated to reflect the cost associated with each schools length of enrollment.

    HLS STANDARD STUDENT BUDGET 24-25 EXAMPLE VISITING SCHOOL BUDGET 24-25
    Tuition $77,100 Tuition (other school $65,545 + 10% HLS $7,710) $73,255
    UHS Fee & SHIP Fee $1,591 and $4,202 Health & Other Fees $3,985
    Books & Supplies $1,675 Books & Supplies $1,320
    Housing and Food $24,132 Housing and Food $22,340
    Transportation $1,750 Transportation $1,400
    Misc/Personal $5,550 Misc/Personal $4,050
    Visit Allowance $1,500
    Total: $116,000 Total: $107,850
  • Student Resources and Summer Work Requirement

    You will be held to the same work requirement the summer before you enroll at your Visiting School as in previous years. See the Student Resources from Income  section of this web site for details on the summer work requirement.

  • Cash Advances and Refunds

    After we pay all of your billed visiting school expenses, we will request a cash advance for any remaining credit on your HLS student account. If you are eligible to receive a cash advance, you will receive all of your Cash Advance checks via direct deposit. We require you to sign up for direct deposit, if you have not already done so, by going to your student account.

  • Other Considerations
    • Mandatory Meeting: You will need to attend a meeting with the Student Financial Services Office prior to leaving HLS at the end of your second year.
    • Graduation Requirement: In April of your last semester,  we will contact you regarding a Student Loan Repayment Session. Attendance at this online session is required for all graduating students who have borrowed during their enrollment at HLS.