ADMISSIONS  >   FINANCIAL

Expense Budgeting

The student budget at New England Law | Boston allows for a moderate standard of living suitable for a graduate student. Our students come from varied backgrounds, so actual living expenses will vary accordingly.

New England Law uses four standard expense budgets for students: two for Day Division students (living at home or on their own) and two for Evening Division students (living at home or on their own). These budgets include married or single students with dependents; but please note that these students are afforded higher allowances against income when their contribution is calculated.

2008-2009 Student Expense Budgets

• Incoming students/applicants: View your estimated expense budgets .
• Returning students: Visit the NECIN login page for your personal account. Go to the Student Accounts portal for further information on tuition and fees.

Additional Expense Budget Information

The expense budgets for incoming and returning students consist of a nine-month room, board and personal expense allowance of $16,200 (if living on your own) or $8,775 (if living with parents). The allowance is divided by nine to provide a monthly total of $1800 or $975.

The Office of Financial Aid intentionally does not break down the monthly allowance into expense sub-groups. We believe this is a personal decision best made by the individual student to accommodate his/her lifestyle. However, we do maintain that $16,200 or $8,775 is the total expense budget allowable — and should be considered carefully when deciding where to allocate funds each month.

All students at New England Law are required to be covered by health insurance, in accordance with Massachusetts state law.  Day students who show proof of coverage through a comparable plan will have the insurance fee waived and their budgets reduced by the amount of the premium, up to the cost of the New England Law plan. Most evening students have employer-sponsored health coverage. Student health insurance may be added to the budget if it is not available through your employer.

The total cost of attendance budget established by the Office of Financial Aid may include health insurance costs through the school plan, unless waived by the student on the Student Income Verification Form.  If waiving the school's plan, you will also need to complete a waiver for the Student Accounts Office.  Their waiver is available on the Aetna website.

The majority of the student budget is financed through federal and private loans that you must pay back upon graduation.  Therefore, it is important that you live within the established budget guidelines.

If your lifestyle demands elevated spending in one area, you should cut expenses in other areas to compensate.  Any adjustments made to the budget are subject to the same guidelines as the standard budget and in turn must fall under the category of educational expenses only.

As part of federal law, the Office of Financial Aid cannot provide any information to any student or certification to any lender that qualifies the student or parent for a loan or loans in excess of the amount that the student is eligible to borrow.  If the Office of Financial Aid learns of a student loan taken outside of the maximum allowable budget, the loan will be figured into the student's budget and will reduce his or her borrowing ability.

Any changes in personal circumstances (e.g. income, scholarships, benefits, additions to assets, marital status, or number of dependents) that were not originally reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid immediately. Failure to update this information could result in a request for repayment of any financial aid funds received.

There are several items (listed below) that are allowable increases and will be granted when the appropriate documentation is received by the Office of Financial Aid. Also listed below are several items that will not be considered under any circumstances as grounds for a budget increase.

Please note: When a budget increase is granted, it will most likely take the form of additional Grad PLUS/private loan funds. As a result, it will increase your loan burden upon graduation.

Items Eligible for Budget Adjustments

Computer Purchases

Student budgets may be increased to allow for the purchase and insuring of a computer as well as any hardware and software needed (including a printer), provided that all items are purchased at the same time. This $2,000 increase — available one time during the three years of study at New England Law — is required to be split into two even disbursements over the fall and spring semesters.

The following is required to be considered for this increase:

• Documentation of the cost in the form of receipts
• Approval for a loan to cover the cost of the computer

Upon request, the Office of Financial Aid may increase a student budget to allow for the cost of daycare for dependent children.  Documentation is required.

Excessive medical expenses incurred during the academic year that are not otherwise reimbursed by insurance may be considered.  Documentation is required.

The student budget will not allow for a monthly credit card payment.  You are encouraged to refrain from credit card use while in school and strongly encouraged to consider clearing your consumer debt before entering law school.

Although the budget takes transportation costs into consideration, the moderate allowance does not cover the high costs associated with car payments, insurance and parking.  In lieu of a car, we encourage you to take advantage of New England Law's close proximity to public transportation.

You may incur moving expenses as you prepare for law school.  These are not covered in the budget and should be taken into consideration before enrolling.  The budget allows a monthly housing cost.  However, any fees associated with moving (e.g. first and last month's rent, security deposits, realtor's fees) will not be considered — even if the move occurs during the three years you are enrolled at New England Law.

The costs associated with assembling and maintaining a professional wardrobe is not eligible for budget adjustments.

There is no allowance in the student budget for expenses related to taking the bar exam.  However, the Office of Financial Aid has compiled a list of lenders that offer private loans to cover such costs.