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Columbia University Law School Financial Aid & Grants
New York City, NY · ABA 509 disclosure, 2025 cycle · 54.0% of students receive grant aid
Mixed. No single band dominates.
Grant award distribution
The 509 requires schools to report where grant recipients fall across four bands. These are shares of students who received aid, not shares of all students.
| Band | Share of grant recipients | Share of all students |
|---|---|---|
| Half tuition or less | 36.0% | 19.4%derived: band share × coverage rate |
| Above half, below full | 13.0% | 7.0%derived: band share × coverage rate |
| Full tuition | 5.0% | 2.7%derived: band share × coverage rate |
| Above full tuition | 0.0% | 0.0%derived: band share × coverage rate |
| All grant recipients | 54.0% | 100% |
Award size
| 25th percentile grant | $20,000 |
|---|---|
| Median grant (50th percentile) | $32,000 |
| 75th percentile grant | $48,000 |
| Median grant as share of annual tuition | 37%in-state tuition $85,368 |
These are percentiles among grant recipients, not minimums and maximums. A 25th-percentile grant of $20,000 means a quarter of recipients received that much or less — the least award could be considerably lower.
What tuition looks like after the median grant
| Annual in-state tuition | $85,368 |
|---|---|
| Median grant per year | −$32,000 |
| Remaining tuition after median aid | $53,368 |
This is an optimistic floor rather than a real figure. The median grant only covers students who received aid — 46.0%of students received none — and it assumes the same award holds for all three years. Fees and housing are not included; add them from this school’s cost of attendance page.
Conditional scholarships
Columbia University does not award condition-based scholarships. An award contingent on maintaining a GPA or class rank is not the same as one that cannot be withdrawn, and not every school offers the latter kind.
Tuition guarantee
Columbia University does not report a tuition guarantee. Published tuition for 2025-26 is $85,368 per year, and there is no reported commitment to hold it steady across your three years.
Grant aid comparison within New York
| School | Receive aid | Median grant | 25th–75th | Full tuition+ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | 54.0% | $32,000 | $20,000–$48,000 | 5.0% | — |
| Brooklyn Law School | 91.0% | $34,000 | $25,000–$48,000 | 5.0% | $2,000 |
| Cornell University | 91.0% | $30,000 | $28,000–$45,000 | 2.0% | $2,000 |
| Fordham University | 87.0% | $35,000 | $25,000–$43,000 | none | $3,000 |
Where this school ranks
| By grant aid coverage | #180 of 196 |
|---|---|
| By median grant amount | #46 of 196 |
| Aid profile | Mixed — No single band dominates |
Check what you could get here
The figures above are this school's overall reported averages. To see where your scores land against its admitted class — which grant band you would fall into, and what three years would cost you after aid — use the Columbia University Law School scholarship calculator.
Related pages
- The Columbia University Law School ABA 509 report — every figure from the disclosure, section by section
- Columbia University — full admissions data
- All schools by grant aid coverage
- All schools by median grant amount
- Schools awarding full tuition
- Schools where aid stops at half tuition
- Conditional scholarship retention rates
- Columbia University — total cost of attendance
- Law schools in New York
Source: Columbia University Law School ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosure, 2025 reporting cycle. Grant figures describe full-time students in the most recently reported cohort, in dollars per year. Percentile shares of all students are derived from the band share and coverage rate and are not themselves disclosed. None of these figures is a financial aid offer; actual awards depend on your circumstances, the school’s policy and its aid budget that year. Not financial advice.