<p>I am currently a student at a community college and have a Federal Stafford Loan (Subsidized).
I am considering attending law school next fall but the institution is not accredited by the American Bar Association but is accredited by the State of California. I know I won’t be able to borrow a Stafford Loan for this institution.</p>
<p>My question is will I still be able to use an in-school defferment while attending this law school or will I begin repayment already?</p>
<p>The school is Lincoln Law School of San Jose for you reference.</p>
<p>The school is a part-time evening program designed for working students but I am considering attending because I would be able to begin after I obtain my Associate’s Degree this Spring and not have to worry about my Bachleor’s.</p>
<p>I wish I could answer your specific questions regarding loans but I am curious about your choice to attend a non accredited law school without the benefit of a bachelors degree.</p>
<p>I know that California allows you to sit for the bar exam even if you haven’t graduated from an accredited law school but I would urge you to consider other options including finishing your bachelors first. The practice of law is not to be taken on without the proper preparation. Law school is grueling - I know first hand having gone to the evening division of a Boston law school. I could have chosen to go to an unaccredited school that was less expensive and much much closer to home but it wasn’t a good value or have provided me with the tools that I need now. I am now an attorney with one of the most well known and well respected corporations in the world.</p>
<p>There must be accredited law schools with evening divisions - like Loyola - that would meet your needs.</p>
<p>It’s not the fact that this school is an evening program that attracts me I can attend during the day if need be in fact I prefer that, it’s the fact that I will be able to bypass the university after community college and go straight to law school. This school is half the cost of the average law program.</p>
<p>You see if I go on to get my Bachelor’s that is two more years of loan debt I will build up, and the more prestigious law schools I will qualify to attend for having obtained my Bachelor’s would pile on the debt twice as fast as Lincoln Law would on top the extra two years of undergrad debt.</p>
<p>My parent’s can’t afford to contribute to my education save helping me buy a few books and school supplies. So after all the grants and scholarships are exhausted I must borrow the difference to meet the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>I can’t answer your question, but please think long and hard before you head to an unaccredited law school. I don’t know anything about this particular school, but make sure you take a good look at their placement statistics and their bar exam pass rate. One of the reasons the bar exam pass rate in California is so low is because the pass rates at the unaccredited schools tend not to be very good. None of the firms I worked for would consider hiring anyone from those unaccredited schools. I’d rather have more debt and better job prospects.</p>
<p>Sometimes there are other ways to pay for law school. My old boss has a wife who had her undergrad degree and was working in hospital administration. Her employer was reimbursing for law school for every class as long as she earned a B or higher. She did have to lay out the funds, but then she was reimbursed after her grades came out. I don’t believe it was dollar for dollar, but enough so that she could afford to attend. </p>
<p>Also, I know someone else who was a social worker and her employer also paid for law school. She went through law school slowly, but she completed her degree.</p>
<p>freaky - Believe me I understand. Paying for school yourself is tough.</p>
<p>I just think that it is not a good value equation as you will be put at a huge disadvantage when it comes time to look for a job. It will be harder to pay off those loans if you aren’t able to find a good job. Perhaps you are thinking of going into practice on your own immediately but that is a very risky proposition as well as you try to learn how to apply what you’ve learned in school and grow a business.</p>
<p>The idea of having an employer pay is great but in this economy lots of companies have eliminated that benefit and there were relatively few that would consider paying for law school unless a specific course was very appropriate to your position. I know I only got 2 courses paid for.</p>
<p>Are there any opportunities for scholarships or merit aid? </p>
<p>Sometimes what seems easiest in the short term is a mistake in the long run. Don’t sell yourself short - an education is invaluable. I really wish you well as you make these decisions.</p>
<p>You would only be eligible to take the bar of the state the school is located in - would not be able to take other state exams. (Then the degree is less useful.) It is hard enough for grads of acrredited law schools to get jobs. Where are the grads of unaccredited school finding offers? Wouldn’t lack of a BA limit even govt opportunities?</p>