Eligibility

  • Applicants must be Canadian citizens or residents, pursuing a JD degree or a combined JD program at the University of Toronto.
  • Only accepted students who are planning on attending University of Toronto Law School in the upcoming academic year are eligible to apply to the Faculty's Financial Aid program.
  • All applicants are required to apply to their province for government financial assistance as part of the Financial Aid program.

Funding Criteria

The central goal of the Faculty’s Financial Aid Program is to assist students with the greatest financial need. To determine which students have the greatest financial need, all students are expected to access and report personal and family resources before being considered for Faculty's financial assistance.

Students who are seeking financial assistance should plan to contribute all of their own personal resources towards meeting their educational expenses before the Law school will provide any financial aid. Bursaries are issued to assist with need over $8,000.

Educational Expenses 

  • An anticipated student budget is set by the Financial Aid Committee. This budget depends on the student's:
    • province of residence,
    • year of study and
    • living situation.
  • Additional expenses may adjust the budget. These expenses include:
    • Computer Expenses
    • Moving Expenses
    • Travel Home Expenses
    • Extraordinary Medical Expenses not covered through insurance
    • Home Ownership Expenses
    • Allowances for Students with Children

Personal Resources

Student’s personal and family contributions include the following:

Demonstrated Need

Demonstrated need is defined as the difference between Educational Expenses and Personal Resources. In order to make sure that students with the greatest need receive the greatest amount of funding, bursaries are only offered to students whose need exceeds $8,000. The amount of funding available for bursaries each year is pro-rated among all eligible students. 

In addition to bursaries, students who borrow funds (up to amount authorized in their financial aid assessment) from their Professional Line of Credit are reimbursed interest on these funds while they are in the program.

Students should use the JD Financial Aid Estimator to estimate their potential bursary. Actual bursary amount may differ due to changes in student-reported information, the Financial Aid policy, the number of students applying, or available funds.

Required Information

  • Information about student’s parents’, guardians’, spouse’s or partner’s income is required to make a financial aid assessment. Students will be deemed to receive a certain amount of financial assistance from applicable family members based on their ability to contribute even if family members do not in fact contribute to student’s education.
  • Students will need to disclose the value of all assets - investments, real estate, RRSPs, RESPs they or their partners own
  • Students will need to submit screenshots or copies of their application to the Government Financial Aid program as well as the final government funding summary.

Every effort is made by our Financial Aid Office to make sure that student records remain private and confidential.

Students' Responsibilities

  • Students are required to familiarize themselves with Policies and Procedures of the Financial Aid Program.
  • Applicants need to fill out the financial aid application form (available in May) and provide necessary supporting documentation by the due dates. The Financial Aid office will review and assess all of the application forms and will reach out to applicants if additional information is required.
  • Students are expected to provide the Financial Aid Office with accurate information about their financial situation and promptly notify the Financial Aid Office in writing within 30 days of any changes in their financial situation. These include, but are not limited to: 
    • changes in marital status
    • receipt of additional scholarships and awards
    • employment during the academic year
    • or changes of more than $1,000 in the information provided in the original financial aid application
  • All students are encouraged to apply for Professional Lines of Credit to make sure they have sufficient resources available to them.

Financial Aid Disbursement Process

  • Students submit application form and required supporting documentation by the listed deadlines.
  • Financial Aid Office contacts students if they require clarification or additional information. 
  • Students are emailed on September 25 their financial aid bursary amount and authorized Professional Line of Credit amount on which interest will be reimbursed.
  • Students are encouraged to reach out to the Financial Aid office if they have any questions or concerns about their Financial Aid allocation.
  • Students are able to request reconsideration of their financial aid package within 30 days of receiving their Financial Aid notification.
  • Bursaries are submitted to the University's Registrar's office for credit against tuition and fees by October 10th.
  • Students who took out Professional Lines of Credit submit their January or February statements to the Financial Aid office by February 16th for authorized interest reimbursement that is credited to their ACORN account.

 

Financial Aid Estimator

Financial Aid Application Form