Financial Aid

You Can Afford a Paralegal Career

Paralegal education is likely to be one of the most significant investments you will make for the future. While few families find tuition inexpensive, the actual cost of attending can be substantially less for the large number of students who qualify each year for financial assistance. About 70% of students received some form of financial assistance last year, either through a financing plan or direct student aid. Baton Rouge College’s students had the lowest default rate in the USA during the year 2001, in that, no other college or university’s was lower. BRC’s student default rate was zero percent (0.00%) that year.

When calculating the cost of a paralegal education, you should include the time that will be involved in your training. Are all the courses you are taking job-related? The sooner you can be prepared for the job market, the lower the cost of education. We want to give you the knowledge and skills needed to allow you to start earning a salary as quickly as possible. We designed our Paralegal Programs to enable serious students to learn the job entry skills needed to work as a paralegal as quickly as possible.

Students may enroll in up to 19 semester credit hours each semester. Students may request special permission to take more than 19 semester credit hours. That request must be approved in writing by the President of the College.

Net Price Calculator is an estimate of the cost of your education at Baton Rouge College. It will estimate your financial assistance based on the information you provide. Please click here to go to the calculator.

While considering any school, you should analyze what you will learn and what you need to know to do the job. What are the qualifications of the instructors, the administrator, the length of time the school has been teaching paralegal students, the work experience of the teachers, class size, and how long it will take you to complete the program requirements?

Talk to the financial aid officer about your options. This is a confidential and individual approach due to individual differences and needs. We want to help you gain the aid needed to complete paralegal school.

Because cost of attendance can be confusing, Baton Rouge College holds informational sessions at each site to assist each prospective student. When calculating cost without a counselor, most students over-estimate the tuition cost. There are several ways to keep the cost of attending school down, and BRC will show you how to do that while answering questions about the paralegal programs offered. The purpose of these open houses is for you to see the classroom you will be attending and to meet some of your future classmates.

The important thing to consider when calculating cost is the out-of-pocket expense to you. Can you get a full Pell Grant when you take 12 credits or more? Does the college charge for credits beyond 12 credits each semester? Some “university colleges” only allow a partial payment in Pell Grant funds per semester rather than the full amount offered by most schools, including BRC. Non-credit, continuing education or university colleges programs offer no or limited Pell Grant assistance, and therefore all cost is out-of-pocket and the credits will not transfer to a degree program at the university offering the courses.

Federal Financial aid is available to those who qualify. As an eligible BRC student, you may apply for and be awarded assistance through the following sources for any paralegal/legal assistant program offered at BRC . All BRC courses roll forward to the AAS Degree.

Federal assistance for the student who attends full time (12 credits per semester or more):

• Pell Grant (maximum per award year) $5550/2011-2012 Award Year
• Subsidized Loan (maximum per award year) $3500
• Un-Subsidized Loan (maximum per award year) $6000 [for independent students only] and $2000 [for dependent students]

What is the cost of tuition for the Paralegal AAS Degree Program?

This depends on the student’s prior transferable education. If the student has 15 transferable semester General Education credit hours from another college or university, the student may pay the minimum tuition for the AAS Degree.

Books and materials used in seminars vary in cost. Some books and materials can be printed from the website at no cost while others may be purchased at a set price, depending on your schedule. Books are listed by the semester with the course listing.   The Book Fee each semester is $250. (Subject to change with book prices.)

In what other ways can you pay for your schooling?

Baton Rouge College accepts the following payment methods: Cash, Credit/Debit Card, Check, Cashier’s Check, or Money Order; BRC accepts both Visa and Mastercard.

Please click the link to download Credit Card Authorization Form 2010 (PDF format) and fax it to 225-308-4582 or mail to:
Baton Rouge College
1771  N. Lobdell Blvd., Suite 307
Baton Rouge, LA 70806

If you have trouble accessing this form, for assistant please call BRC’s office at 225-292-5464.