student handbook - Cumberland School of Law - Samford University

Financial Information
Statement of Financial Responsibility
One of a lawyer's professional obligations is full and fair financial dealing. This obligation begins the first day of law
school. Cumberland School of Law expects all students to be conscientious in the satisfaction of the financial obligations
of a legal education.
Tuition must be paid by the tuition payment deadline. If a student does not pay tuition by the tuition payment
deadline, the student's course registration is cancelled and the student is not a student in good standing with the
university.
A student who is not in good standing not attend class or receive any campus services. Students who are not in
good standing may not register for future terms, take final exams, receive enrollment verification, receive grades or
transcripts, receive academic counseling, use the student health system or use the library. Not being in good standing will
affect a student's academic progress and may result in delayed graduation. A person must have a conferred juris
doctor degree to sit for the Multi-State Bar Exam.
Students relying on federal financial aid should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid [FAFSA]. The
FAFSA may be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. Samford's federal school code is 001036. Students may be eligible
for a Stafford or a Perkins loan (federal programs.) The FAFSA is also used by private lending institutions to deter-mine
need and eligibility. Students should file the FAFSA by the stated deadline so any money awarded is available to be
disbursed on the day tuition is due. If a student is relying on private funds to pay tuition, the student should make sure
that the funds are available by the tuition payment deadline.
A student who encounters exigent circumstances in regard to the availability of tuition funds should see the Office
of Financial Aid to arrange for a bridge or temporary loan. Failure to file a FAFSA by the deadline or other instances of
poor planning are usually not considered exigent circumstances.
Basic tuition for law students during the 2008-09 academic year (June 1, 2008-May 31, 2009) is $14,778 per
semester.
All first-semester charges for first-year students are due and payable on the first day of orientation. Otherwise, all
student charges are due and payable on or before the first day of each semester. For payment schedules, go to
www.samford.edu/admin/bursar/payschedule.html.
University Financial Aid
Every student admitted to Cumberland is considered for available scholarships (except flex students). Students who do
not immediately receive a scholarship should request an information packet from the Samford University Office of
Financial Aid. Those students found most deserving by the dean and the Scholarship Committee are offered aid in the
form of merit scholarships when available. Second- and third-year students may be eligible to receive need-based, merit
or leadership scholarships. (See Awards section.)
Samford is a direct-lending institution. This means that scholarship, federal and usually private loan funds are sent
directly to the institution. Samford applies received funds to a student's account, and the overage is disbursed to the
student. Financial aid disbursement is tied directly to a student's timeliness in making financial aid arrangements. All
students should file the FAFSA as early as possible in the financial aid cycle.
A student's charges and any associated monies are managed by the Office of the Bursar. A student's financial aid
file (FAFSA, etc.) is managed by the Office of Financial Aid. Both offices are located on the first floor of Samford Hall.
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