Lowest rate shown includes the auto debit discount. Only the most credit-worthy applicants may receive the lowest rate.
Fixed rates: 7.01% – 15.26% APR footnote 1
Get predictable monthly payments with a rate that doesn’t change over time. Variable rates: 8.13% - 17.72% APR footnote 1
Your variable interest rate can rise or fall as the market index changes, so your Bar Study Loan payments may vary over time.
Deferred repayment
Make no scheduled payments while you're in school at least half-time and in grace (nine months after leaving school). footnote 1
You can request to make lower, interest-only payments for the first two or four years of the repayment period. footnote 2 After that, you'll make principal and interest payments for the rest of the loan's repayment term.
Last year, 49% of Bar Study Loan applicants who apply without a cosigner were approved. footnote 6
You can apply to release your cosigner from the loan after you graduate, make 12 on-time principal and interest payments, and meet certain credit requirements. footnote 7
A Sallie Mae® Law School Loan can help you get the money you need to continue your education. Choose a fixed or variable rate type and a repayment option that works best for you.
Give some details about yourself and your school.
During the application process you can decide whether you want to receive funds in one disbursement or two.
You can decide which date in the future you would like us to send you the funds.
A bar study loan is a loan that allows law school students to pay for bar study classes, cost of living, the bar exam itself, and other expenses accrued during your time spent studying for the bar.
Bar study loans differ from federal and private student loans because they do not have to be disbursed to your school. To get a bar study loan, you also need to be at least in your final year of law school and plan to sit for the bar exam within 12 months.
A bar study loan can be used for things like:
If you have extra money from your loan, consider getting a jump start on paying back your loan. This could help you reduce your interest payments over time.
To obtain a bar study loan, the following students are eligible:
If a borrower does not pass the bar exam, they will still be required to pay back their loan with interest. Missing payments may result in your account falling into delinquency or default.
International students or non-U.S. citizens can qualify for a bar exam loan with a creditworthy, U.S. citizen/permanent resident cosigner. They may need to present U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Service (USCIS) documents to verify their identity.
No, you do not need to have a position at a law firm to be eligible for a bar study loan. You must be in your final year of law school from an ABA-accredited institution or have graduated within the last 12 months to qualify.
footnote Borrow responsibly
We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.
footnote Bar Study Loans are intended to cover expenses not included in your school's cost of attendance.
footnote Bar Study Loans are for students who are enrolled at least half-time in their final year of study at a participating ABA-accredited law school or have graduated from one within the last 12 months. Students should be sitting for the bar exam no later than 12 months after graduation. This loan is subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and enrollment verification. Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., graduate from, or attend school in the U.S., apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident), and provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000.
footnote 1. Advertised APRs for Bar Study Loan assume a $15,000 loan disbursed at the time of the student's graduation from school. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when the funds are sent to you. Once principal and interest repayment begins, any Unpaid Interest will be added to Current Principal, increasing the Total Loan Cost. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment.
footnote 2. Requests must be received in writing. Interest Only payments will not extend the loan term, but they will increase the Total Loan Cost. Plus, monthly payments following the Interest Only ones will be higher than they would have been otherwise.
footnote 3. The borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae to receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction benefit. This benefit applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment.
footnote 4. Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note—first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.
footnote 5. Borrowers and cosigners with an available FICO® Score and a Sallie Mae-serviced loan with a current balance greater than $0, may receive their score monthly after the first loan disbursement. The FICO® Score provided to you is the FICO® Score 8 based on TransUnion data. FICO® Scores and associated educational content are provided solely for your own non-commercial personal review, use and benefit. This benefit may change or end in the future. FICO® is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.
footnote 6. Based on a rolling 12-month period from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.
footnote 7. Only the borrower may apply for cosigner release. To do so, they must first meet the age of majority in their state and provide proof of graduation (or completion of certification program), income, and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (if their status has changed since they applied). In the last 12 months, the borrower can’t have been past due on any loans serviced by Sallie Mae for 30 or more days or enrolled in any hardship forbearances or modified repayment programs. In addition, the borrower must have paid ahead or made 12 on-time principal and interest payments on each loan requested for release. The loan can’t be past due when the cosigner release application is processed. The borrower must also demonstrate the ability to assume full responsibility of the loan(s) individually and pass a credit review when the cosigner release application is processed that demonstrates a satisfactory credit history including but not limited to no: bankruptcy, foreclosure, student loan(s) in default or 90-day delinquencies in the last 24 months. Requirements are subject to change.
footnote Sallie Mae loans are made by Sallie Mae Bank.
footnote Information advertised valid as of 9/10/2024.
footnote SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION.