Financial Aid Application Process
The Financial Aid office at California Western is committed to providing personalized financial assistance and counseling from the start of the application process through the beginning of your career as an attorney.
Tuition and Fees
California Western operates on a trimester system. Each calendar year is divided into three trimesters. An academic year or grade level is usually two full-time trimesters. While summer trimesters are optional, there are exceptions. Spring enrollees are required to enroll in classes for four consecutive trimesters (spring, summer, fall and spring). Subject to additional requirements, students must complete 90 units to graduate.
2022-2023 Academic Year - JD Program
Full-time Student (12 – 17 units per trimester)
Tuition cost: $29,100 per trimester
Part-time Student (6 – 11 units per trimester)
Tuition cost: $21,720 per trimester
| JD Students | Full-time enrollment (12-17 units per trimester, 8-month academic year) | Part-time enrollment (6-11 units per trimester, 8-month academic year) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition[1] | $58,200 | $43,440 |
| Activity Fee | 150 | 150 |
| Books | 1,480 | 1,480 |
| Supplies | 150 | 150 |
| Room & Board[2] | 19, 120 | 19,120 |
| Transportation | 3,688 | 3,688 |
| Miscellaneous (incl. loan fees)[3] | 4,282 | 4,282 |
[1] If a student takes 1-5 units per term, tuition will be charged on a per-unit basis.
See the Business Offices’ policies and procedures for per-unit details. Federal student
loans are not available to students enrolled less than half-time.
[2] Applies to students not living with parents or relatives. Students living with
parents or relatives have a Room & Board budget of $5,000 per 8-month academic year.
Students who receive military housing assistance or who live on a military base will
be assigned a Room & Board budget of $2,800 (Board only).
[3] Miscellaneous assumes student applies for and is awarded a Federal Graduate PLUS
Loan. Without a Graduate PLUS and its associated loan fees, the Miscellaneous budget
is reduced by $1,540.
Cost of Attendance Increase
A student’s Cost of Attendance is tied to a period of enrollment (generally a two-trimester academic year). Each school must calculate a Cost of Attendance for each of its programs. California Western’s Cost of Attendance includes a generous living expense allowance, sufficient to cover educational costs for most of our students. We strongly urge students to limit borrowing to the amount of the standard Cost of Attendance or less.
- During a given period of enrollment (usually a two-trimester academic year), a student is not allowed to receive a total amount of student aid (including scholarships, grants, federal student loans, private student loans, and Federal Work-Study) that exceeds that student's Cost of Attendance.
- The Cost of Attendance includes the student's tuition and fees as charged by the school, as well as allowances for books, supplies, and living expenses such as rent, food, utilities, transportation, and an allowance for miscellaneous personal expenses.
In some cases, a student may incur allowable education expenses that are greater than the amounts included in the standard budget. In these cases, students can request for a cost of attendance increase.