Financing your Education

You may apply for and receive a combination of financial aid (scholarships & loans) up to the maximum cost of attendance for your program.

 

Merit Scholarships

To make the process as seamless as possible, all admitted students are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. The merit scholarships awarded to incoming students are guaranteed for three years in our full-time program or four years in our part-time program, as long as you remain in good academic standing.

  • Merit Scholarship awards are made to the most qualified applicants based on their records of achievement, aptitude for the study of law, and general background.
  • Interested students should submit their admission application by the priority deadline.
  • Scholarships are renewed annually, provided the student remains in good academic standing.

Duquesne Kline Law does not award scholarships that are conditional on law school academic performance; therefore, we do not post an ABA "conditional scholarship retention worksheet."

ABA Standard 509 requires law schools to post conditional scholarship retention data. The ABA defines a conditional scholarship as follows: "A conditional scholarship is any financial aid award, the retention of which is dependent upon the student maintaining a minimum grade point average or class standing, other than that ordinarily required to remain in good academic standing."

Donor and Endowed Scholarships

Our law alumni association and other supporters have developed scholarship funds to support students.

  • The Honorable Donetta Ambrose Scholarship
  • Selma and Edward Goldberg Memorial Scholarship
  • The Susan Yohe Scholarship Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition Scholarship

AccessLex Scholarship Databank

Search the AccessLex Scholarship Databank for over 800 vetted and carefully curated scholarship opportunities specifically for law school students.

 

Sources of Financial Aid

Loans
Financial assistance – including Federal Direct Loans and private educational loans - is processed centrally through the Duquesne University Financial Aid Office. Financial Aid staff will assist students in understanding the financing options available to help fund the costs of a legal education, and are available to answer any questions or concerns about the financial aid process.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and contained several provisions impacting federal student aid, including the elimination of the Grad PLUS  loan program and the establishment of annual and lifetime borrowing limits. Students enrolling on or after July 1, 2026 will be impacted by these changes. For more information about OBBBA and Federal Student Aid, please visit StudentAid.gov

Students in professional programs, including law school, may be eligible to borrow up to $50,000 per year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with an aggregate limit of $200,000. Additionally, there is a lifetime borrowing cap of $257,500 on federal student loans, which includes undergraduate degree loans. 

Federal Loan Borrowing Eligibility:

  • U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • Currently enrolled at the University or in the process of applying for admission.

    Applicants should not wait until admission to submit their financial aid application.

Submit the FAFSA: To apply for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at StudentAid.gov by the May 31 priority deadline. Be sure to list Duquesne University with the school code 003258. 

Note that law students are considered to be independent for the purposes of federal loans and do not include parental information on their FAFSA.

Alternative Educational Loans
Private (alternative) loans may be an effective method of financing unmet costs of education that exceed federal loan borrowing limits. These loans require a separate, credit-based application through the lender and generally carry higher interest rates than Federal Direct Loans. Rates may depend on the borrower’s and/or co-signer’s credit rating.

Students are encouraged to get a copy of their credit report and resolve any issues as early as possible. The University also recommends that students apply with a co-signer to secure the best possible interest rate.

Duquesne University does not endorse any specific financial institution, but a list of lenders our students have used in the past can be found at ELMSelect. Students are not limited to these lenders and are free to choose any financial institution to borrow an alternative educational loan.

A limited number of Library Assistant positions are available for selected students. Recipients work as law library aides or administration aides for a maximum of 340 hours during the academic year. Accepted students may submit a cover letter and resume to Charles Sprowls at sprowlsc@duq.edu.
The Public Interest Law Fellowships and McGinley Public Service Fellowships provide financial support for law students who spend their summers working in public interest.
The William B. Billock Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) seeks to ease the debt burden incurred by graduates employed at qualifying public interest law entities. Individuals who work as public interest law or government attorneys or serve as staff for tax-exempt organizations and who earn less than $69,000 per year are eligible to apply for consideration.

Responsible Financing

MAX by AccessLex is available for all Duquesne Kline Law Students. Max is a multi-faceted personal finance program designed exclusively for law students by AccessLex Institute. This research and outcomes-based program combines interactive online lessons, webinars, in-person workshops, one-on-one counseling, and more to leverage the strengths of law students and address their weaknesses. MAX also includes scholarship incentives for participating students.

As part of Orientation, admitted students have access to a "Smart Borrowing Strategies Seminar" by student loan expert, Dr. Jeffrey E. Hanson. Further, admitted students are introduced to programming and services through the schools partnership with Max by AccessLex. Further, once each semester Dr. Jeffrey Hanson provides two days of individual student loan advising sessions.

All of these services are in addition to those provided by the University's Financial Aid Office.