Online law degrees are available through many law schools. These programs allow students to work from home or any location with an Internet connection and obtain a degree. The programs are often much less than the cost of a traditional law school. Portland Business Journal points out that, as of March 2011, a traditional law school can cost around $90,000 before graduation, but an online law degree can cost between $12,000 and $30,000 for a four year program.
Law schools often offer scholarships for students. The reasons for scholarships vary depending on the school and the type of scholarships made available. While schools might have higher tuition costs or fees, some law schools offer scholarships, which can balance out the costs. These scholarships through the school can even have full scholarships. For example, as of 2009 Northeastern University School of Law offers a full scholarship to law students who have strong scores in school and on tests and who have a background in public service such as social work or child welfare. The scholarship is renewable each year, so students can pay for the law school tuition in full through the scholarship. Before 2009, students obtained 75 percent of the tuition according to the school's website.
Traditional law schools are often more expensive than online schools and can have high costs in general. The high costs vary depending on the school, but there are some traditional law schools that are more affordable than others, even without scholarships to balance the costs. Schools like Texas Southern University or the City University of New York (see Resources) offer affordable tuition and fees, ending up around $12,000 to $13,000 per year for in state students or around $17,000 to $19,000 for out of state students, excluding the costs of dorms.
Grants are free money offered by the federal or state government, private companies or even by the school, which can help make law school affordable. Grants are often available from the school, especially for minority students or female students according to the website school-grants.org. Grants vary in requirements for students to receive them, but usually require students to write out a grant proposal for the specific grant and meet the requirements of the grant proposal. Grants are also available through the American Bar Association for students who prove a need for funding to get through law school. Students can show a need for funding by filling out a FAFSA.