Scroll down for detailed information on the following student loan programs:

• Federal Stafford Loan
• Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
• Cardozo YU Loan 
• Bar Loans
• Private Loans

William D. Ford Direct Loan Program

Federal Unsubsidized Stafford loans do not require a credit check, and include benefits such as a fixed interest rate, six month grace period, deferment options, and a variety of repayment and forgiveness options to help you succeed in repayment.

Eligible students can take out a Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan to help cover the cost of their education. The loan limit is set by the Department of Education at $20,500 per academic year. *(see below under Step 2 for more details)

You must have completed a FAFSA and received a financial aid offer email from Cardozo's Office of Student Finance before you can accept your Stafford loan.

*PLEASE NOTE* - Federal student loans can only be administered during the current academic year. Eligible students can receive federal student loans up to the last day of the academic year.

Terms

• Unsubsidized: Interest will start accruing once the loan disburses to your school account, and will accrue until the loan is paid off in full.  Subsidized Stafford loans are not available to graduate students.
• In-School Deferment: loan payments are not required as long as you maintain an enrollment status of at least "half-time" per semester.

Interest

PLEASE NOTE:  Federal student loan interest resumed starting September 1, 2023.

• Interest Rate: Stafford loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, will have a fixed interest rate of 8.08%.
• Interest Rate: Stafford loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, will have a fixed interest rate of 7.94%.
• Interest starts accruing at disbursement.
• Stafford loans disbursed during the specified dates above  will be fixed for the life of the loan (during school and repayment).
• Interest rates are scheduled to reset every July 1st based on the 10-Year Treasury Note Index plus a set add-on.

Origination Fee

• Origination Fee: A 1.057% fee is deducted by Direct Loans on any new loan disbursed on or after October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2025. Example: a $20,500 Stafford loan will net $20,284. Please keep this fee in mind while budgeting! To use Cardozo's origination fee calculator, click HERE (Please Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat).

Repayment

• Repayment: Automatic 6 month grace period following graduation. Borrowers will have several federal repayment plan options, including Income Driven Repayment, as well as loan forgiveness opportunities through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and Cardozo's LRAP.

Eligibility

Unlike the federal Graduate PLUS loan, the Stafford loan does not require a credit check.

Please note the following:

• Students are required to be enrolled in at least 6 credits per semester (half-time status) while in a degree seeking program.
• Students must meet the citizenship requirement (U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, Eligible Noncitizen).
• Students can not currently be in default on any federal student loan.
• You must have completed a FAFSA and received a financial aid award offer for the current academic year from the Office of Student Finance before you can accept your Stafford loan.

Reference

For helpful information on budgeting, loan repayment, and other important details, please visit Cardozo's Debt Management website.

ACCEPTING THE STAFFORD LOAN: 

• 2025-2026 academic year - Do not accept the Stafford loan until you have filed your 2025-2026 FAFSA and received an official 2025-2026 financial aid offer email from Cardozo's OSF.

To accept your Stafford loan, please complete the following steps:

Please Note -  Students who are pursuing the Stafford loan, may proceed by following the 2025-2026 academic year prompts. 

STEP 1: 

• Log into your Inside Track account: https://insidetrack.oci.yu.edu/
• On the top left of the page, click on the Main Menu (3 horizontal lines)
• Click on “Students”
• Scroll down to the Cardozo Financial Aid card, and click on “Financial Aid Account”
• A new browser will open, taking you to your Banner account
• Next to "Aid Year" on the top right, select "Financial Aid 2025-2026"
• If you see "Responses Required" - "Questions from the Financial Aid Office", click the "View Questions" link and complete the electronic consent. You will not be able to proceed with accepting your Stafford loan until you satisfy this requirement.
• On the top of the page, click on "Offer".
• Scroll down to the "Loans" section.
• Under "Type", you should see your Direct Unsub Stafford Loan.
• To the right, under "Take Action", select the appropriate option:
  • "Accept All" - select this option if you want to accept the full offered amount of the Stafford loan for the 2025-2026 academic year.
  • "Modify" - select this option if you want to accept less than the offered amount under either semester within the 2025-2026 academic year. If you accept less than the offered amount and would like to accept any unused offered portion of your Stafford loan at a later time, please contact Cardozo's Office of Student Finance.
  • "Decline All" - select this option if you want to decline the full offered amount of the Stafford loan for the 2025-2026 academic year. If you want to accept any portion of your original Stafford loan offer at a later time within the 2025-2026 academic year, please contact Cardozo's Office of Student Finance.
• Click "Submit".

Please use Cardozo's Student Loan Origination Fee Calculator by clicking HERE (Please Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat). 

Please Note: Eligible students can usually only receive half (1/2) of their annual Stafford loan offered amount per semester. May-Entry JD students can usually only receive on-third (1/3) of their annual Stafford loan offered amount per semester for their 1L year. For example, eligible students who are enrolled for the fall and spring semesters and are offered a $20,500 Stafford loan for the academic year, should be able to receive $10,250 per semester. When applicable, eligible students who are completing their final semester prior to graduation and/or if it is the final semester of the academic year, can receive more than half of the annual Stafford loan offered amount as long as more than half of the yearly offered amount is still available to borrow. For example, if a student who is offered a $20,500 Stafford loan for the academic year accepts $5,000 of their Stafford loan for the fall semester, they would be eligible to take out the remaining $15,500 for the spring semester. 

STEP 2: Click the hyperlinks below to sign in and complete the following requirements with the Department of Education:

Please be sure to link your Entrance Counseling and MPN to our federal school code: G02903 (Yeshvia University).

• Entrance Counseling

First time Stafford loan borrowers are required to complete the Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note. A completed Entrance Counseling satisfies the federal requirement for the Stafford and Graduate PLUS loan!

• Master Promissory Note (MPN for Unsubsidized Loans)

If you have completed a Stafford Loan MPN with Department of Education within the last 10 years, you may not be required to complete a new MPN. It is your responsibility to check with the Department of Education. Your Stafford loan cannot be officially processed until these requirements are completed! You may click the hyperlink above to proceed with signing your Stafford "Unsubsidized" MPN, or if you are still logged in to studentaid.gov, follow the prompts to complete your Stafford "Unsubsidized" MPN. 

Your Stafford loan cannot be officially processed if any of the required steps (as indicated above) are not completed!

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Student Finance: cardozostudentaid@yu.edu or 646-592-6249

William D. Ford Direct Loan Program

Students are eligible to borrow Graduate PLUS loans up to the cost of attendance less any other financial aid received. The Graduate PLUS loan has a fixed interest rate and no aggregate limits. A credit check is required in order to be eligible for this loan. The credit criteria is less stringent than with most private student loans. If you don't meet the credit requirements, you can still obtain the loan with an endorser who does meet the credit requirements. 

To help determine the amount that you may need to apply for, please refer to your financial aid offer email from Cardozo's Office of Student Finance and the Tuition and Expenses section of the website for Cardozo's estimated cost of attendance. Continuing students can view their financial aid account and cost of attendance budget on Banner Self-Service:  https://insidetrack.yu.edu/. Please use Cardozo's Student Loan Origination Fee Calculator by clicking HERE (Please Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat).

Applicants are required to accept their annual Stafford loan maximum eligibility BEFORE applying for a Graduate PLUS loan!

*PLEASE NOTE* - Federal student loans can only be administered during the current academic year. Eligible students can receive federal student loans up to the last day of the academic year.

Terms

• Unsubsidized: Interest will start accruing once the loan disburses to your school account, and will accrue until the loan is paid off in full.  
• In-School Deferment: loan payments are not required as long as you maintain an enrollment status of at least "half-time" per semester.

Interest

PLEASE NOTE:  Federal student loan interest resumed starting September 1, 2023.

• Interest Rate: Graduate PLUS loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, will have a fixed interest rate of 9.08%.
• Interest Rate: Graduate PLUS loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, will have a fixed interest rate of 8.94%.
• Interest begins accruing at disbursement.
• Graduate PLUS loans disbursed during the specified dates above will be fixed for the life of the loan (during school and repayment).
• Interest rates are scheduled to reset every July 1st based on the 10-Year Treasury Note Index plus a set add-on.

Origination Fee

• Origination Fee: A 4.228% fee is deducted by Direct Loans on any new loan disbursed on or after October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2025. Example: a $15,000 Graduate PLUS loan will net $14,365. Please keep this fee in mind while budgeting! To use Cardozo's origination fee calculator, click HERE (Please Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat).

Repayment

• Repayment: Automatic 6 month grace period following graduation. Borrowers will have several federal repayment plan options, including Income Driven Repayment, as well as loan forgiveness opportunities through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and Cardozo's LRAP.

Credit Requirement

Unlike the Stafford loan, the Graduate PLUS loan requires a credit check.  If the credit is approved by the Department of Education, it will remain valid for 180 days. To determine eligibility for the Graduate PLUS loan, your credit report cannot reflect any of the following:

• One or more debts with a total outstanding balance greater than $2,085 that are 90 or more days delinquent as of the date of the credit report, or that have been placed in collection or charged off as defined in the regulations during the two years preceding the date of the credit report.
• Debt discharged in bankruptcy during the past five years.
• Evidence of a default, foreclosure, repossession, tax lien, wage garnishment, or write-off of a Title IV debt during the past five years.

What if your credit is denied?

If your credit is denied, you will be immediately notified by Direct Loans through the online application process. You will also receive notification from the Direct Loan Servicer (via email and mail). If you would still like to pursue obtaining a Graduate PLUS loan, please choose from the following options:        

• You may try to have a credit status override completed by the servicer. Please contact the Direct Loan Servicer at 1-800-557-7394 and Equifax (their credit bureau) at 1-800-685-5000.
• You may provide documentation to the Direct Loan Servicer if you have extenuating circumstances. Your request for a Grad PLUS will be reviewed again by the servicer.
• You may have a third party endorser co-sign the Grad PLUS application with you. In this case, please contact the Direct Loan Servicer at 1-800-557-7394.
• If your credit was originally denied, and then your Grad PLUS was approved by any of the three methods above, you will be required to complete an additional PLUS Counseling by visiting HERE. Log in and click on the "Complete PLUS Counseling" link.

APPLY FOR A FEDERAL GRADUATE PLUS LOAN: 

• 2025-2026 academic year - Do no apply for a Graduate PLUS loan until you have filed your 2025-2026 FAFSA, received an official 2025-2026 financial aid offer email from Cardozo's OSF, and have accepted your 2025-2026 Stafford loan.

To apply for a Graduate PLUS loan through the Direct Loan program, please complete the following steps:

STEP 1: Click HERE to complete your Graduate PLUS Loan Application

• Click the "Log In to Start" link.
• Complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Application
• Applicants must include a dollar amount on the Graduate PLUS loan application! Select the "I would like to specify a loan amount" option, and then input the amount that you would like to borrow within the "Loan Amount Requested" box. DO NOT select the "maximum Direct PLUS Loan amount" option. To help determine the amount that you may need to apply for, please refer to your financial aid offer email and the Tuition and Expenses section of the website for Cardozo's estimated cost of attendance. Continuing students can view their financial aid account and cost of attendance budget on Banner Self-Service: https://insidetrack.yu.edu/. Please also use Cardozo's Student Loan Origination Fee Calculator by clicking HERE (Please Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat).
• Complete all of the required fields and submit the application
• Do Not Log Out of the studentaid.gov website! Proceed to Step 2!

STEP 2: If your Graduate PLUS Loan Application is approved by Direct Loans, proceed with completing your Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) while still logged on to the studentaid.gov website. Follow the prompts to complete your MPN for Direct PLUS Loans. PLEASE NOTE: If you have completed a Graduate PLUS Loan MPN with Direct Loans within the last 10 years, you may not be required to complete a new MPN. It is your responsibility to check with Direct Loans. This does not apply to any student who received a Graduate PLUS loan with an endorser. Endorsed Graduate PLUS loans require a new MPN for every new loan! 

Please be sure to link your MPN to our federal school code: G02903 (Yeshiva University).

If you've already logged out of the studentaid.gov website, you may also click HERE if you have already logged out before completing your MPN. 

• Click the "Log In To Start" link within the MPN for Direct PLUS Loans section.

STEP 3: If your Graduate PLUS Loan Application is approved, you will receive an email notification from Direct Loans containing the following subject line: "Direct PLUS Loan Application Confirmation". You are REQUIRED to forward that email to the Office of Student Finance at cardozostudentaid@yu.edu in order for your Graduate PLUS Loan to be officially processed.

**Applicants are required to accept their annual Stafford loan BEFORE applying for a Graduate PLUS loan! If you have not accepted your Stafford loan on Cardozo's website, do not proceed with completing the Graduate PLUS loan application until you have accepted your Stafford loan. Once you have accepted your Stafford loan, you can proceed with completing the Graduate PLUS loan application.      

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Student Finance: cardozostudentaid@yu.edu or 646-592-6249.

Eligibility for Cardozo's institutional YU Loan is based on financial need, academic standing, and availability of funds. J.D. students who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or complete the International J.D. Student Financial Aid Application are considered for these loans. Interested J.D. students may inquire with Student Finance: cardozostudentaid@yu.edu 

Terms:

• Interest free while the student is in school and during the 9 month grace following graduation
• Interest Rate: Fixed 5%
• Interest will start accruing once the student enters active repayment (approximately 9 months following graduation)
• Repayment may be up to 10 years

Please Note: The Cardozo YU Loan is an institutional loan, provided to eligible students by Yeshiva University. This loan is not a federal loan, and therefore would not be eligible for any federal loan repayment programs or federal forgiveness programs. This loan cannot be consolidated with federal loans or with other types of private loans.

ACCEPTING THE CARDOZO YU LOAN:

• 2025-2026 academic year - Eligible J.D. students can proceed with accepting their 2025-2026 Cardozo YU loan.

To accept the Cardozo YU loan, please complete the following steps:

STEP 1:

• Log into your Inside Track account: https://insidetrack.oci.yu.edu/
• On the top left of the page, click on the Main Menu (3 horizontal lines)
• Click on “Students”
• Scroll down to the Cardozo Financial Aid card, and click on “Financial Aid Account”
• A new browser will open, taking you to your Banner account
• Next to "Aid Year" on the top right, select "Financial Aid 2025-2026"
• On the top of the page, click on "Offer"
• Scroll down to the "Loans" section
• Under "Type", you should see your Cardozo YU Loan
• To the right, under "Take Action", select "Accept All"
• Click "Submit"

Please Note - these steps ONLY pertain to the Cardozo YU Loan. To accept / apply for a federal Stafford or Graduate PLUS loan, please be sure to follow the specified step-by-step instructions in the appropriate loan sections above. 

STEP 2:

After completing STEP 1, you will receive an email from Heartland ECSI (Yeshiva University's loan servicer) within approximately one week, which will direct you to complete your electronic promissory note and entrance counseling on Heartland ECSI's website. Please be sure to complete ALL of the required steps as directed by Heartland ECSI.

DISBURSEMENT:

If you complete Steps 1 & 2 prior to the start of the appropriate semester, the semester portion of your Cardozo YU Loan should disburse to your Cardozo tuition account on or about the beginning of that semester. If you complete Steps 1 & 2 after the semester has commenced, the semester portion of your Cardozo YU Loan should disburse to your Cardozo tuition account within approximately one week. 

Some private educational loan lenders offer Bar Exam Loans, which are designed to help cover costs pertaining to Bar Review courses, Bar application fees, and other related expenses.  Graduating J.D. and LL.M students may consider applying for a Bar Loan if these related expenses cannot be covered by other means. The Office of Student Finance recommends that interested students first review their financial aid account with our office before applying for a Bar Loan.  Approval of a Bar Loan is determined by the private loan lender, and is based on the results of a credit check. 

Important Information:

Borrow up to $15,000 (maximum amount - check with lender!)

Must be creditworthy

Disbursements are sent directly to the borrower

Please Note: a Bar Loan is not a federal loan, and therefore would not be eligible for any potential federal loan forgiveness or federal repayment options! Please contact us if you have any questions.

Lender Options: 

Please feel free to search online for various lender options. It's very important to compare the loan terms between each lender before applying! Terms to keep in mind: credit requirements, interest rates, fees, and repayment options.

Cardozo School of Law / Yeshiva University does not have a Preferred Lender List for private student loan options. Our institution is not affiliated with any private student loan lender or product.

Interested students can search for various private student loan products by using Google or any standard online search engine. 

Please contact Cardozo's Office of Student Finance for any questions: 646-592-6249 or cardozostudentaid@yu.edu