International Students

If you are an international student, you will need to provide the Admissions Office with a statement of adequate funding in the amount of the Cost of Attendance (in U.S. dollars) for each year of the three-year, full-time JD program, from your own (or your sponsor’s) funds, to cover educational and living expenses. If you indicated on your application that you will require an I-20 from GW in order to apply for an F-1 visa, details and instructions about requesting an I-20 will be emailed to you in late March.

The law school does not provide GW Law need-based grants or institutional loans to international students. You are required to have a health insurance policy.

If you are neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. permanent resident, then you are ineligible to apply for U.S. Federal Direct education loans, and should not fill out a FAFSA.  Remember, you may only receive federal student aid if you are one of the following:

• U.S. citizen
• U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain’s Island)
• U.S. permanent resident holding an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Permanent Resident Card)

If you are not in one of these categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the following designations:

• ’Refugee’
• ’Asylum Granted’
• ’Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending’
• ’Conditional Entrant’ (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
• Victims of human trafficking, T-visa (T-2, T-3, or T-4, etc.) holder
• ’Parolee’ (You must be paroled into the United States for at least one year and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose, and that you intend to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.)

Some private student (non-federal) education loan lenders allow international students to borrow if they obtain a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident as a co-signer. See the information about private student loans on our Student Loan page for details.

More Information

• Rotary International Rotary International is a global organization geared toward community services that sponsor opportunities for foreign students.
• Studyabroad.com Resource for study abroad information.
• USA Study Guide General website that aids foreign students in the calculation of costs and funding options available in the U.S.