FAFSA   |   Need Access

To determine a student's financial need, the Brooklyn Law School Office of Financial Aid analyzes the student's financial resources and expenses. The primary instruments used to obtain this information are the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Need Access Application, the student's and his or her parents' most recently filed federal income tax return forms (with all schedules attached), and the School's financial aid record concerning the student. The student's unmet financial need is the difference between the estimated total cost of attending BLS, and what the student and his or her family are able to pay toward that cost.

The Office of Financial Aid then computes an “expected family contribution," the portion of these expenses that can be met through the student's total resources. Resources are calculated by evaluating the data on the FAFSA, Need-Access, and information derived from the most recently filed students’/spouses’/parents’ federal income tax returns.

In order to determine eligibility for federal financial aid programs (Federal Work-Study, Perkins and the Federal Stafford Loan Programs), the Office of Financial Aid is required by federal law to use the expected family contribution computed from the FAFSA.

Student’s Independency Status and Parents’ Information
For purposes of Federal Stafford Loans and other federally sponsored aid programs, the federal government treats all graduate and professional students as independent, with the exception of certain health fields, which means they do not have to submit parental information on the FAFSA.

For purposes of being considered for Brooklyn Law School's need-based grants and loans, all students, regardless of age, must provide their parents' income and asset information on the Need-Access application. The Scholarship Committee normally will not review the need-based aid application of any student who has failed to submit the required parental information.

Academic Year Expense Budgets
In order to determine financial need for institutional funds, the Office of Financial Aid derives the student's personal cost of living by determining the projected weekly costs of room, board, transportation and other reasonable expenses. Where appropriate, adjustments are made regarding marital status, dependent children and the annual cost-of-living increase. After the student's total cost of living for an academic year is computed, the annual cost of education–comprised of tuition and fee charges and the estimated cost of books, materials and supplies–is calculated. The student's cost of living is added to his or her cost of education, to determine the student's cost of attendance, otherwise known as the student budget.

Each year, BLS develops standard student expense budgets that reflect the average expenses incurred by students in specific categories.