Private Loans

Once a student selects a lender, the student will need to apply for the loan itself. If the student is approved for a loan, the lender will contact Illinois Tech requesting that we certify the loan. 

Consider your Cost of Attendance (COA). Private loans, certified by the Office of Financial Aid, are for educational purposes and are certified up to a student's COA. For reference, the COA estimates the expenses for an academic year. It is broken down into multiple components for planning purposes such as tuition and living expenses. The maximum aid - institutional, federal, state, private loan(s) and any other aid the university can offer - that can be disbursed to a student’s account is up to the COA in a given academic year. Below are the standard enrollment hours included in the cost of attendance. Students who enroll in more or less credit hours than what is listed below should contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@illinoistech.edu. 

• Undergraduate Students: Assume 12+ credit hours per semester.
• Graduate Students: Assume 9 credit hours per semester and living off campus. 

Loan Periods*: 

2025-2026 Academic Year

• 2025-2026 Academic Year: 08/18/2025 - 05/09/2026
  • Fall 2025 Semester Only: 08/18/2025 - 12/13/2025
  • Spring 2026 Semester Only: 01/12/2026 - 05/09/2026
• Summer 2026 Semester:  (Loan is separate from fall/spring loan periods and cannot be combined with a fall / spring / fall & spring loan requests)
  • Session 1 & Session 2: 05/18/2026 - 08/08/2025
  • Session 1 Only: 05/18/2026 - 07/11/2026
  • Session 2 Only: 06/15/2026 - 08/08/2026

2026-2027 Academic Year

• 2026-2027 Academic Year: 08/17/2026 - 05/08/2027
  • Fall 2026 Semester Only: 08/17/2026 - 12/12/2026
  • Spring 2027 Semester Only: 01/11/2026 - 05/08/2027

*Must be enrolled in classes for the semester in which the loan certification is requested. 

*Not all lenders will approve a loan for a past due balance. For a past due balance loan, student must ensure the lender is aware of the loan period dates in which the loan is requested.  Example: Spring 2024 Semester - loan period dates of 01/12/2026-05/09/2026.

Bar study private loans are available to law students who have recently graduated or will soon graduate from Chicago-Kent College – Conviser Law Center. These loans are offered through private lending institutions.

Private bar loans help cover post law school expenses, such as the costs of bar preparatory courses, additional bar exam registrations and living expenses while preparing for the bar exam.  When applying for a bar study private loan, only request the loan amount needed.

Various lenders offer bar loans.  Each lender can differ mainly in fees and repayment options. Please research each lender thoroughly before applying. If approved for a Bar study private loan, the disbursement will be sent via paper check to the borrower directly, not through the Law School. Please also be mindful of when to apply for a Bar Loan, as that differs among lenders as well.

Students receiving federal financial aid awards will need to either Accept or Decline their Offered awards through their Financial Aid Dashboard of within the Illinois Tech Portal. 

Depending on when the certification request is received, it can take 1-2 weeks for a certification request to be certified by our office. Upon certification of the loan, the student will receive a confirmation email to their student Hawk email within 24 hours. 

The loan will disburse to a students account within three weeks of certification, presuming courses are in session and assuming no additional information is required by the lender or the Office of Financial Aid.

Please note: should a students actual enrollment be less than what the loan was originally certified for, the students cost of attendance will be adjusted to reflect the actual enrollment and the excess funds will be returned to the lender.