Master of Science in Law: Tuition and Financing

Tuition & Fees

The following tuition rates and fees apply for the 2025-2026 academic year (note that MSL tuition is set by the trustees of the University and changes from year to year):

Full-time residential: $65,686
Part-time online: $2,346 per credit (28 credits required)

In addition to tuition, full-time residential students pay a health services fee of $828 ($414 per semester). This fee covers a variety of health, well-being, and wellness services provided by Northwestern University beyond those covered by health insurance plans.

Health Insurance

All MSL students are required to have health insurance. Domestic students may either buy the University-offered plan or secure their own qualified insurance plan and ask to waive the University insurance plan. International students are required to enroll in the University’s insurance plan.

Billing

Full-time students pay their tuition in two payments: 50% of tuition is due at the start of the fall semester and the remaining 50% is due at the start of the spring semester.

Part-time students are billed by the credit as they enroll in courses.

The Chicago Financial Aid office has compiled comprehensive information about the cost of attendance.

Financing Options

MSL Scholarships

The MSL program offers partial-tuition scholarship awards to full-time residential students, including both merit- and need-based awards. Merit scholarships usually cover 20–50% of tuition and are awarded at the time of acceptance; they are based on the information contained in the application for admission and do not require a separate application. Full-time applicants who do not receive a merit award may apply for a need-based award of up to $10,000; the application for need-based funding, which requires documentation, is made available after applicants are accepted to the program.

The MSL program also awards a limited number of partial-tuition scholarships to applicants for either the full-time or part-time MSL who have earned (or are in the process of earning) a PhD in a STEM subject. The average award is in the range of 20–30% of MSL tuition. (Note that applicants who are receiving employer funding are not eligible for PhD scholarships.)

Employer Funding

Several MSL students have used employer-provided tuition benefits to cover all or part of their MSL tuition; we encourage all applicants to explore these options. If your company does not have an established tuition assistance program, consider asking or advocating for this type of benefit.

Northwestern Employee Tuition Benefit

Benefits-eligible Northwestern employees (including post-docs) are usually able to use the Employee Reduced Tuition Benefit to cover a substantial percentage of their tuition costs. Please contact the Benefits Office for more information.

Loans

Both full-time and part-time students may be eligible for federal and private loans. Visit the Law School's Loans page for more information.

Other Financial Aid

Many MSL students seek scholarships and funding from outside entities. For example, the AccessLex Scholarship Databank is a good resource for scholarships related to legal studies. Over the years, students have found a variety of creative funding options based on their specific background and interests.