Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition
The following tuition rates and fees apply for the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Full-time: $60,731 with 50% billed at the start of the fall semester and the remaining 50% billed at the start of the spring semester.
- Part-time: $2,169 per credit for a total of 28 credits.
Additional Mandatory Fees
Resdential students have a $798 health services fee. This fee contributes to the provision of a variety of health, well-being, and wellness services provided by Northwestern outside of those covered by health insurance plans.
All MSL students are required to have health insurance. The University offers an insurance plan for all students. Domestic students may either buy the University's 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 insurance plan.
The Chicago Financial Aid office has compiled comprehensive information about the costs of attendance, including living expenses, transportation, and so on.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
MSL Scholarships
The MSL program offers partial-tuition scholarship awards to full-time residential students based on a combination of merit and need. Scholarships generally range from $2,500 to $15,000, with the average award in the $7,500 to $12,500 range.
The MSL program offers a limited number of competitive scholarships for PhD applicants, with the average award in the range of 20-30% of MSL tuition. PhD scholarships can be applied to part-time or full-time study in the MSL program. Applicants for PhD scholarships must have earned or be working toward a PhD in a STEM field. Applicants with other doctorate-level degrees who have compelling circumstances are welcome to apply for PhD scholarships. Applicants who are receiving tuition assistance from an employer tuition benefit are not eligible for PhD scholarships.
Students interested in these scholarships should go through the regular admissions and scholarship application processes. These scholarships are competitive, and early application is highly encouraged.
Scholarship awards are announced approximately two weeks prior to the deposit deadline.
Loans
Both full-time and part-time students may be eligible to apply 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, often applying for scholarships that match their individual profiles. Here are several resources to assist in the financial aid search:
100 Great Scholarships for Master's Degree Programs
Access Scholarships
FastWeb
FinAid
Scholarships.com
Student Scholarship Search
AccessLex Law Scholarship Databank