Justice isn't cheap: Tuition, fees and living expenses at a traditional three-year U.S. law school topped $200,000 in 2024, according to data from the Education Data Initiative (EDI). Savings, scholarships and federal student loans can only get you so far, especially after the One Big Beautiful Bill capped federal aid for law school students at $50,000, with an aggregate limit of $200,000.
The measure also drew a $257,500 ceiling on all federal student loans, excluding borrowed Parent PLUS loans. As a result, more people are looking to private lenders to help finance law school.
CNBC Select has rounded up the best lenders for law school loans, based on rates, amounts, repayment terms and more. (See our methodology for more on how we made this list.)
Compare student loan rates
Best for longer terms: College Ave
- High loan amount
- Flexible repayment terms
- Hardship protections like deferment and forbearance
- No co-signer required for U.S. students
- Offers repayment terms of up to 20 years for graduate student loans (otherwise, up to 15 years for undergraduate loans)
- Co-signers can't be released until half of the repayment term has passed
- Charges late fees
College Ave's student loan products are made available through Firstrust Bank, member FDIC, First Citizens Community Bank, member FDIC, or BTG Pactual Bank, N.A., member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply.
All rates include the auto-pay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. If a payment is returned, you will lose this benefit. Variable rates may increase after consummation. Approved interest rate will depend on the creditworthiness of the applicant(s), lowest advertised rates only available to the most creditworthy applicants and require selection of the Flat Repayment Option with the shortest available loan term
Who's this for? Need more time? College Ave has a half-dozen repayment terms for its law school loans, ranging from 5 to 20 years.
Standout benefits: Borrowers who make payments in school can choose from interest-only, interest-and-principal and flat $25 monthly installments.
Best for multi-year financing: Citizens
- No co-signer required
- International students can qualify with a U.S. co-signer
- 0.50% rate discount for autopay from a Citizens account
- Offers student loan refinancing
- Multi-year approval lets you apply once and then just have a soft credit inquiry when they need funds in the following semesters
- Co-signers can't be released until after 36 payments.
- Banking services not available in every state
Who's this for? If you don't want to have to reapply every year, Citizens' multi-year approval program helps streamline the process with just one hard inquiry. According to the bank, borrowers with multi-year approval have a 99% success rate with later requests for funds.
Standout benefits: Citizen customers can get a rate discount of up to 0.50% with autopay. Rate quotes are available online in just two minutes with no hit to your credit score. Thousands are given away monthly in the Citizens Scholarship, with a grand prize of $15,000.
Best for affordable rates: Ascent
- Considers borrowers with no credit
- High loan limit
- Co-signer release available after just 12 payments
- Up to 1% interest rate discount for autopay*
- 1% cash back rewards*
- Considers alternative requirements like the borrower’s school, program, graduation date, major, GPA, cost of attendance and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to grant approval
- Maximum fixed APR is on the high side
- Doesn't offer student loan refinancing
Disclosure: *Ascent Funding, LLC products are made available through Bank of Lake Mills or DR Bank, each Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Certain restrictions, limitations, terms and conditions may apply for Ascent's Terms and Conditions please visit AscentFunding.com/Ts&Cs. Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed above are effective as of 7/15/2026 and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount (ACH). The ACH discount consists of 0.25% on credit-based college student loans submitted prior to 6/1/2025, a 0.5% discount for on credit-based college student loans submitted on or after 6/1/2025 and a 1.00% discount on outcomes-based loans when you enroll in automatic payments. Loans subject to individual approval, restrictions and conditions apply. Loan features and information advertised are intended for college student loans and are subject to change at any time. For more information, see repayment examples or review the Ascent Student Loans Terms and Conditions. The final amount approved depends on the borrower's credit history, verifiable cost of attendance as certified by an eligible school and is subject to credit approval and verification of application information. Lowest interest rates require full principal and interest (Immediate) payments, the shortest loan term, a cosigner, and are only available for our most creditworthy applicants and cosigners with the highest average credit scores. Actual APR offered may be higher or lower than the examples above, based on the amount of time you spend in school and any grace period you have before repayment begins. Variable rates may increase after consummation.1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. For details on Ascent borrower benefits, visit AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. Ascent applicants and borrowers that agree to the AscentUP Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, as well as students associated with an Ascent parent loan application, have access to the AscentUP platform.
Who's this for? Ascent's average rates for law school loans are the lowest of any lender we reviewed, making them a no-brainer for affordability.
Standout benefits: The San Diego fintech company has both co-signer and non-cosigner loans. Applicants can get pre-approval and a rate quote without a hard credit inquiry. There's also 1% cash back on principal loan amounts at graduation and a generous nine-month grace period before payments start coming due.
Best for lengthy grace period: Earnest
- Student loan refinancing available
- Offers the option to apply with a co-signer
- Nine-month grace period
- Borrowers can skip one payment per year without penalty
- No physical branches
- Student loan refinancing not available in Mississippi
Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your financial profile. Our lowest rates are only available for the most credit qualified existing cosigned loan borrowers who receive the 0.25% Loyalty discount and requires selection of our shortest term offered, full principal and interest payment while in school, and enrollment in our 0.25% Auto Pay discount. Enrolling in Auto Pay is not required as a condition for approval. Interest rates are subject to change.
Residents of Hawaii must request a loan of at least $1,501.
You can take advantage of the Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment from a checking or savings account. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in Auto Pay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. It is important to note that the 0.25% Auto Pay discount is not available when loan payments are deferred during the interim period as a result of selecting the deferred repayment option.
To be eligible for the Loyalty Discount, applicants must have previously obtained an Earnest Private Student Loan and apply using the same email address associated with that loan. Only one Loyalty Discount may be applied per eligible Earnest Private Student Loan. Not all applicants may qualify. This offer cannot be combined with Earnest's Rate Match program. Earnest may modify or discontinue this offer at any time and without notice, however, once a Loyalty Discount is earned, it will not be taken away.
Nine-month grace period is not available for borrowers who choose our Principal and Interest Repayment plan while in school.
Earnest clients may skip a payment through a single, one-month forbearance during a 12 month period. Your first request to skip a pay can be made once you've made at least 6 months of consecutive on-time full principal and interest payments, and your loan is in good standing. The interest accrued during the skipped month will result in an increase in your remaining minimum payment. The final payoff date on your loan will be extended by the length of the skipped payment periods. Any unpaid accrued interest may capitalize (added to the principal balance) at the end of the forbearance period by adding unpaid accrued interest to the outstanding principal as permitted by law and the terms of the loan agreement. Please note that skipping a payment is not guaranteed and is at Earnest's discretion. Your monthly payment and total loan cost may increase as a result of postponing your payment and extending your term.
Who's this for? Earnest extends borrowers a nine-month break after they graduate or leave the school before payments start coming due, compared to just six with most lenders. You can also skip one payment per year without being penalized.
Standout benefits: In addition to four repayment options and ultra-flexible terms, Earnest promises a rate match guarantee against any legitimate offer from a qualified lender. Borrowers can
How much do I need for law school?
The cost of a law school education varies greatly, depending on the institution and location and whether it's private or public.
The nationwide average is about $217,480 total for all three years. According to the EDI, in-state residents pay about $25,409 less a year or about $76,227 overall.
In 2025, federal law school loans were capped at $50,000 by the One Big Beautiful Act, with an aggregate limit of $200,000. There's also a $257,500 ceiling on all federal student loans except for borrowed Parent PLUS loans).
- In 2024, the average cost of law school in the U.S., including tuition and living expenses, was about $217,480 for all three years.
- Based on tuition alone, the most expensive law school in the U.S is New York City's Columbia University at $81,292 a year.
- The least expensive law school based on tuition is the University of Puerto Rico, which runs about $9,750 annually.
- With living expenses, the most expensive law school is San Francisco's Stanford University at $47,832 a year.
- The least expensive based on cost of living is Oklahoma City University, at $12,600 a year.
FAQs
What is the best loan for law school?
When considering loans for law school, it's typically a good idea to first look into federal direct unsubsidized loans. These loans typically carry low, fixed interest rates but borrowers can also take advantage of federal benefits like income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and loan forgiveness programs.
Can you get student loans for law school?
There are a variety of lenders that cater to students entering law school. Keep in mind that you will be responsible for paying back the interest and principal along with any applicable fees.
Is it worth it to take out loans for law school?
Before applying for any new line of credit, potential borrowers should consider their personal situation, ability to repay the loan and future earning potential. Students should also try to exhaust any "free" money options that don't need to be paid back before applying for funding that does need to be paid back.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of student loan products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best graduate school student loans.
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Our methodology
To determine the best law school student loans, CNBC Select analyzed and compared private student loan funding from national banks, credit unions and online lenders. We narrowed down our ranking by only considering those that offer competitive student loan rates.
While the companies we chose in this article consistently rank as having some of the market's lower interest rates, we also compared each company on the following features:
- Broad availability: All of the companies on our list offer undergraduate and graduate private student loans, and they all offer variable and fixed interest rates to choose from
- Flexible loan terms: Each company provides a variety of financing options that borrowers can customize based on their monthly budget and how long they need to pay back their student loan. Each company also allows borrowers to start repaying their student loans while still in school, ultimately saving them money
- No early payoff penalties: The companies on our list do not charge borrowers prepayment penalties for paying off loans early
- Streamlined application process: We made sure companies offered a fast online application process
- Autopay discounts: All of the companies listed offer an autopay interest rate discount
- Private student loan protections: Each company on our list offers some type of financial hardship protection for borrowers
- Loan sizes: The above companies offer private student loans in an array of sizes, all the way up to the cost of college attendance. Each company advertises its respective loan sizes, and completing a preapproval process can give borrowers an idea of what their interest rate and monthly payment would be
- Credit requirements/eligibility: We took into consideration the minimum credit scores and income levels required if this information was available
- Customer support: Every company on our list provides customer service available via telephone, email or secure online messaging. We also opted for lenders with an online resource hub or advice center to help borrowers educate themselves about student loans in general
Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
