Loyola University Chicago

You can access the application through the Paralegal Studies website: http://www.luc.edu/paralegal/apply.shtml. If you cannot complete the application in one sitting, feel free to save your information and log back in later with the user name and password that you created.

If you complete the application online, the $25 application fee will be automatically waived.

If you have a previous or different name by which you were known at a previous institution, make sure you note that name in the appropriate place on the application.

When selecting the program for which you are applying, double and triple check to make sure you've selected correctly! Applicants who have earned their Paralegal Certificate and wish to take individual courses should select Non-Degree. Applicants who have earned their Bachelors Degree and wish to complete the entire Paralegal Studies program should select Post-Baccalaureate.

SCPS offers rolling admissions so you can apply to any session. However, be sure to select the appropriate term and YEAR for consideration. Remember, SCPS offers five 8-week sessions per year: Fall I, Fall II, Spring I, Spring II, and Summer.

When listing the institutions that you have previously attended, please keep these things in mind - 1) you must list all institutions you have attended where you took courses for credit; if you audited a class, or took a class for no credit, it is not necessary to list that institution 2) if you neglect to list all institutions where you took courses for credit, that is considered academic fraud, so please be thorough and accurate in your listing of institutions.

Once all your documents are received, it takes approximately 10 business days for the application review committee to make decisions on your documents. Please be sure to give the admission committee the necessary amount of time to review your file before a session begins.

Be sure to click “Submit” after all the fields of the online application have been completed. You should receive an application confirmation email from the Graduate and Professional Enrollment Management office.

At Loyola each of your materials are scanned into your own electronic file as they are received so they are easy to track. As long as the general application is completed online, you are welcome to submit any other materials via mail or email to:

Graduate Enrollment Management
Loyola University Chicago
820 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
gradapp@luc.edu

No. Official transcripts must be requested from the university directly. When the university mails an official transcript, it will be in a sealed envelope. When Loyola receives your transcript, it must still be in the original sealed envelope for it to be considered "official" for your application file. Therefore, you may either have your university mail the official transcript to you so you can submit it (just don’t open it!), or they can send it directly to Loyola at the following address:

Graduate Enrollment Management
Loyola University Chicago
820 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Official transcripts are required for international applicants, even if they are not written in English. International applicants are also required to complete a course-by-course evaluation through www.ece.org. This will verify whether the courses you have taken are the equivalent of U.S. undergraduate courses.

You are not required to submit the “transcript request form”. The form is optional, and for your convenience if you choose to use it.

The personal statement is your opportunity to formally ‘introduce’ yourself to the admissions committee. The topics that should be addressed in the statement are as follows:

- Identify your program of interest
- Your reasons for seeking further education
- How your chosen program will help you to reach your educational, personal, and/or career goals
- Any other information that you believe to be relevant in assessing your application

If you have concerns about your previous academic record, I encourage you to address this issue in your personal statement and explain why you are now prepared to be successful in Loyola’s program.

 

The personal statement should be approximately 350-500 words (1 to 2 pages in length), typed, and double-spaced.

The letters of recommendation can either be professional, academic, or a combination of both. You want to pick two people that can genuinely speak on behalf of why you are a good candidate.

You are not required to submit the “letter of recommendation form”. The form is optional, and for your convenience if you choose to use it; however, the letter of recommendation must be on letterhead or include the contact information of the recommender. Also, please be sure the recommender includes your name as listed on your application in their letter of recommendation.

Letters of recommendation should be specifically written for the Certificate in Paralegal Studies program

There are a couple options as far as submitting your letters of recommendation. The recommender may email an attachment of the recommendation letter directly to gradapp@luc.edu, or they may mail it directly to the address listed below. If they give the letter to you, it should be sealed in an envelope, and you must submit the envelope unopened to the address listed below.

Graduate Enrollment Management
Loyola University Chicago
820 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Since you have already received your baccalaureate degree, you will not be eligible for grant assistance. However, you will be eligible to apply for the subsidized and/or unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan. Non-Degree students are not eligible to receive financial aid.

As you have already received a baccalaureate degree, you will be classified as a professional program student. Your eligibility for the Federal Stafford Student loan is $20,500 for each academic year. The Stafford loan may be either subsidized or unsubsidized, depending on your financial need.

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). List Loyola’s Title IV School Code #001710 or Loyola University Chicago, 6525 N. Sheridan Road., Chicago, IL. There is no fee to file the FAFSA. Online applications are available at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

United States citizens and eligible non-citizens can apply for federal financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Generally, you are an eligible non-citizen if you are

▪ A U.S. permanent resident and you have an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551)
▪ A conditional permanent resident (I0551C)
▪ An non-citizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service showing any one of the following designations: refugee, asylum granted, indefinite parole, humanitarian Parole, or Cuban-Haitian entrant
▪ If you are in the U.S. on an F1 or F2 Student Visa or on a J1 or J2 Exchange Visitor Visa or a G Series Visa, you are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Although you already have your baccalaureate degree, this does not qualify you to apply for financial assistance as a graduate student. For purposes of financial aid, the paralegal program is considered a professional program. Your response to FAFSA Question #23 should be 8 and to Question #24 your response should be either 6 or 7.

You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) approximately four to six weeks after mailing your FAFSA. The SAR will be sent to you via email if the FAFSA was submitted online. Immediately upon receipt, review the SAR. If corrections are needed, make them on the SAR, sign the SAR correction statement, and submit all pages to the Financial Aid Office, which will make corrections to your SAR electronically.

You will be notified if any additional materials are required. Please respond promptly to any request for more information. Make sure your (the student’s) name and social security number are printed clearly at the top of each form you submit.

The FAFSA form is year specific so it must be submitted for each academic year that you would like to be considered for federal aid. (An academic year at Loyola begins with the Fall term and continues through the end of the following Summer term.) The FAFSA cannot be filed prior to January 1 each year. Therefore, if you want to be considered for federal aid beginning in the Fall 2009, you should file the 2009-2010 FAFSA as early as January 1, 2009. Because the process takes several weeks, you are encouraged to file as early as possible.

After your application is complete, the results will be reviewed and you will be sent an award letter regarding your aid package. An application/promissory note for your Federal Stafford Loan will be sent by your lender. You must complete and return the application to your lender.

A student must be enrolled in at least 6 semester hours (3 classes) over a 16 week semester to be eligible to receive financial aid. Paralegal courses are given in 8 week sessions which operate within the 16 week semester. The 6 semester hours can be split up between the two 8 week sessions within one 16 week semester any way the student chooses.

If you have applied to start in the fall, your Federal Stafford Loan Proceeds will be disbursed in two payments: one each semester.

If this is your first loan at Loyola you will be required to attend an entrance interview. During this interview you will review your rights and responsibilities as a student loan borrower. The terms and conditions of your loan will also be discussed. You can complete this process online at www.luc.edu/depts/osfa.

When your loan proceeds are received, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will notify you at your local address to go to the Office of the Bursar to negotiate your loan check, or that funds have been transferred electronically to your account.

If loan credits result in a credit balance on a student’s account, checks for the amount of the balance are mailed by the Student Business Office to your local address. The Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Office of the Bursar work together to process refunds resulting from financial aid excess of University charges to students as early as possible within each term.

Loyola University’s Office of Student Financial Assistance has designed a website that will answer virtually any question you can think of! Please spend some time reviewing the FAQ’s or instructions on how to complete the FAFSA form: http://www.luc.edu/finaid/. If your questions are not answered by the website, feel free to contact a Loyola financial aid counselor by emailing lufinaid@luc.edu or calling 773-508-7704.