The Bulletin - George Washington University Law School

50 THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOLate PLUS Loan is made over a ten-year period, unless the borrower chooses to extendpayments through a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan or other payment plan optionsafter graduation.Students may also apply for commercial student loans. These loans, which may be referredto as private, alternative, supplemental, or credit-based student loans, are notguaranteed by the federal government, nor are they eligible for any type of federal consolidationor federal repayment program. Commercial loan application requirements andrepayment plans vary among lenders. Commercial lenders apply a credit-scoring processto an applicant’s credit history, rating such variables as consumer debt payment history,number of credit cards and outstanding balances, and future ability to repay the loan.The Law School recommends that applicants interested in commercial loans check theircredit report well in advance of applying. Applicants with a good credit history usuallyreceive better loan terms, but should bear in mind that these terms are subject to frequentchange. Students should investigate the terms offered by these lenders and selectthe loan that best meets their needs.Detailed application instructions for the above sources of financial aid are available onthe Law School website.Master’s and Doctoral ProgramsMaster’s and doctoral students may be considered for the following sources of meritbasedaid: The Thomas Buergenthal Scholarship, the William N. Hedeman Jr. MemorialScholarship for study of environmental issues, the Momsen, Leonardos Scholarship forBrazilian Graduate Law Students for the study of U.S. constitutional law and the law ofpatents and trademarks, the Honorable Gerald J. Mossinghoff Fellowship for graduateresearch in intellectual property law, and the Randolph C. Shaw Graduate Fellowship inEnvironmental Law. Applicants who wish to be considered for any of these fellowshipsshould submit a letter of interest to the appropriate graduate admissions office at thetime application for admission is made. The application for admission as well as all supportingdocuments must be received by the relevant deadline in order for an applicant tobe considered for a fellowship.Enrollment Requirements for Loan EligibilityAll students borrowing Federal Title IV funds (i.e., Federal Direct Stafford and GraduatePLUS Loans) and/or commercial educational loans must be registered at least half timein each semester of the loan period for which funds are requested. For this purpose, halftimeenrollment is defined as 6 credit hours per semester for J.D. students and 5 credithours per semester for LL.M. students.Sources of Financial AidFinancial aid has been made available from many friends and alumni of the Law School.The scholarships include the following:Sophie B. Altman Law Scholarship David R. Berz and Sherry Kirschner BerzJanet Altman Spragens Law Scholarship Summer Fellowship in EnvironmentalThe Michael Avenatti (J.D. ’00)LawScholarshipThe William Booth (J.D. ’79) MemorialHarriet C. Beasley Scholarship Fund Law ScholarshipThe Roger N. Boyd Law Scholarship