As you prepare for the start of classes, please complete the action items below, and review each item in the resources section to familiarize yourself with the services available to you at Chicago-Kent.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Admissions at (312) 906-5020 or admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu.
In preparation for the start of classes, please be sure to complete the action items listed below based on your entry term and status.
In preparation for enrollment at Chicago-Kent, please be sure to review the information in each section below.
312-906-5020
admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Suite 230
Please be sure to keep your mailing address current with our office so that you receive mailings on time. You can update your mailing address using the Change of Address Form
All required first-year books and materials for fall classes may be purchased through the law school's website (the webpage will be listed here soon). Books for the fall semester will be available in late July and book information will be emailed in July.
Students who would like to be included on the Roommate Wanted List should complete the online Roommate Wanted form and submit it to the Office of Admissions. Copies of the Roommate Wanted List will be sent to all students on the list beginning in June. Periodic updates will be sent throughout the summer as new students are added to the list. For additional information about housing, please visit our “Where to Live” link at Where to Live. If you have any questions about housing in the Chicago area, please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 312.906.5020.
The American Bar Association requires Chicago-Kent to have official copies of all transcripts for undergraduate and graduate coursework taken prior to enrolling at Chicago-Kent. This includes transcripts from each academic institution that you attended, even if you did not receive a degree from that school. In addition the transcript from your undergraduate degree-granting institution must indicate the degree that you received and the date the degree was conferred.
You have two options to satisfy the ABA transcript requirement:
Option 1 (Preferred Option): Forward a copy of your final undergraduate transcript to LSAC for inclusion with your CAS report, and ensure that your CAS report includes complete transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended.
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Option 2: Request that your undergraduate degree-granting school email an official final transcript directly to Chicago-Kent. If your CAS report is missing copies of any other undergraduate or graduate transcripts, you should submit updated copies. We cannot accept transcripts that were issued to the student.
Transcript Deadline for Summer Start Students: All transcripts for summer start students are due in the admissions office via email or via updated CAS report by Monday, June 17, 2024. If you believe you will be unable to comply with this deadline due to circumstances beyond your control, please contact the Director of Admissions (Gabriela Amador admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu) as soon as possible to discuss your situation.
Transcript Deadline for Students Entering in Fall: All transcripts for fall entering students are due in the admissions office via email or via updated CAS report by Monday, July 15, 2024. If you believe you will be unable to comply with the July 14 deadline due to circumstances beyond your control, please contact the Director of Admissions (Gabriela Amador at admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu) no later than June 30, 2023, to discuss your situation.
Please note: In accordance with guidance from the American Bar Association, the Law School's accrediting agency, students who do not have all required transcripts submitted to the law school will be administratively withdrawn from their fall courses.
In preparation for Fall Orientation, all incoming first-year students are required to read the following (summer-start students should try to read by the end of the second week of class):
*Your Brain and Law School, by Marybeth Herald (Carolina Academic Press). Drawing on the insights of cognitive psychology, this book provides invaluable advice on what learning strategies work best (and what strategies to avoid), specifically geared toward law school.
The following book is optional for fall-start students (summer-start students are required to read this book and should try to read it by the end of the second week of class):
*Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success (3rd edition), by Helene and Marshall Shapo. (Please read chapters 1–13; the remaining chapters are recommended but not required.) This book, written by two law school professors, provides a very useful framework for dealing with the fundamental elements of law study, as well as tips for dealing with the stresses of the law school experience. *This book is available electronically at no charge.
Most professors also assign material for the first class session and expect you to be ready to discuss it. Assignments for your other classes will be emailed to you in late July.
Class sections and professors for entering students are automatically assigned by the Office of Admissions. Your section assignment, course schedule, and registration information will be mailed to you in late June.
Scholarships are applied directly to your tuition account through the Office of Financial Aid. Scholarships are for tuition credit only. One-half of the scholarship is applied to the fall semester's tuition, and the other half is applied to the spring semester's tuition. Your financial aid award may be revised, if necessary, upon receipt of an outside scholarship, or upon receipt of any award that does not currently appear on your award letter. Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions with any questions about the award.
If you have been awarded a Chicago-Kent merit scholarship, the law school's scholarship policies permit you to receive a portion of that award in the summer term. Awards will be applied as follows:
For partial-tuition merit scholarship recipients
Your scholarship will be applied at the rate of $1,500 per course, and the balance of your award will be adjusted accordingly. If you do not wish to receive scholarship funds in the Summer Session, you must notify the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@kentlaw.iit.edu.
For full-tuition scholarship recipients
The full-tuition scholarship will cover the summer course tuition in full.
Students who enter the J.D. program during the 2024–25 academic year will pay a guaranteed tuition rate of $1,795 per credit hour. For complete details, please visit the Tuition and Fees section of the website.
As stated in your letter of acceptance, your second nonrefundable tuition deposit of $500 must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before Friday, June 14, 2024, in order to secure your place in the fall 2024 entering class. If you have already paid this deposit or if you submitted your full discounted deposit ($600) by the first deposit deadline, you do not need to submit an additional deposit.
It is of considerable importance that your deposit is received by June 14. If the deposit is late, you risk losing your seat in the class and any scholarship offers that may have been made. As a reminder, you must submit your tuition deposit online by logging into the Access Illinois Tech portal. Instruction on how to submit your tuition deposit can be found here. If you have any questions about the tuition deposits and deadlines, please contact the Office of Admissions at 312.906.5020.
In light of the continuing low incidence of COVID-19 cases, in addition to current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the formal end of the federal and state public-health emergency declarations, Illinois Tech will no longer require the COVID-19 vaccination for students, faculty, and staff, effective immediately. Illinois Tech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Policy, first endorsed in July 2021, is no longer in effect.
Vaccinations and boosters will continue to be strongly recommended because they remain effective in protecting the campus community, and students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to stay up to date with vaccinations and boosters.
Illinois Tech remains mask-optional on campus. Consistent with CDC guidance on when to use a mask, the university may designate one or more areas on campus as “mask-required,” including, without limitation, classrooms, laboratories, or other instructional spaces, as well as sporting events and other activities and venues such as performances, productions, or social events.
For additional information, see the law school's COVID-19 Policies and Procedures page.
312.906.5180
finaid@kentlaw.iit.edu
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Suite 230
Fall and Spring Financial Aid
In order to be considered for federal financial aid, you must complete the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and list the Chicago-Kent College school code E00773. You must meet the following eligibility requirements: be a United States citizen or permanent resident, be enrolled at least half-time, be a degree-seeking student, demonstrate reasonable academic progress toward graduation or completion, and not be in default of a federal student loan. Once your FAFSA has been received and reviewed, you will receive an email notification indicating that your 2024–25 financial aid award has been finalized and is ready for you to view and accept online in the Financial Aid Dashboard of the Access Illinois Tech portal. You will be required to accept the federal student loan offers that you would like to receive and complete the corresponding requirements including a Master Promissory Note(s) and online Loan Entrance Counseling. Full and detailed steps regarding the financial aid process are available on the Financial Aid website.
Financial Aid Information Sessions
During fall orientation, the Office of Financial Aid will host mandatory financial aid information sessions. These group sessions will cover an overview of the financial aid process, the type of aid available, and other general information about financial aid. Group sessions last approximately 45 to 60 minutes with time for questions. Students are encouraged to come into the office with any questions or concerns. If you would like to meet with a financial aid administrator, you may make an appointment by contacting the Office of Financial Aid at 312.906.5180 or finaid@kentlaw.iit.edu .
Calculating Your Refund
We urge you to complete the Refund Calculation Worksheet to determine your estimated refund per term. Only include the charges that you will pay directly to the school. Do not include personal expenses, such as off-campus housing or travel expenses. You can find your tuition charges by visiting the Student Accounting Dashboard. You may find your financial aid award information on the Financial Aid Dashboard of the Access Illinois Tech portal. When determining your total “Disbursements and Other Credits”, please include all the financial aid you expect to receive and any tuition deposits that you have already made to the school. If you expect to receive student loans be sure to subtract the origination fees that will be automatically deducted from the loan disbursements each term. If you need assistance in completing the worksheets, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 312.906.5180 or visit the office in Suite 230.
Loan Disbursement Information
Loan funds are automatically disbursed to your student account approximately 10 days prior to the start of each term if you have completed all financial aid requirements in advance. Prior to releasing your loan disbursements, we will verify that your financial aid file is complete and confirm that you have met all loan disbursement requirements. Half of the accepted loan funds, minus the loan origination fee, will be disbursed in the fall semester and the other half will be disbursed in the spring semester. For additional information about refunds, please contact the Student Accounting Office at sa@iit.edu or by telephone at 312.567.3794.
312.906.5300
helpdesk@kentlaw.iit.edu
Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Suite 540
Congratulations and welcome to Chicago-Kent College of Law and the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department! The ITS staff is delighted to be able to assist you in using technology to support your study of law at Chicago-Kent.
Chicago-Kent has undertaken as its ongoing mission an effort to integrate technology with a law school education. This mission is twofold: 1) using technology in the three to four years of law school itself to help learn concepts and complete school projects, and 2) familiarizing students with the technology that they will be faced with in the practice of law. For these reasons, Chicago-Kent requires all law students to own a computer to complete their law school education. Review the Computer Recommendations and Laptop vs Desktop documents that will help you purchase the right equipment to successfully get through law school. *Please note: you must be logged in to Access.iit.edu to be able to open the Computer Recommendations and Laptop vs Desktop documents.
ITS provides all entering first-year students with a free license of Microsoft Office for both Mac/PC which includes Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access and Microsoft Teams. They also provide licenses for antivirus and Zoom at no cost.
The law school has 27 state-of-the-art collaborative spaces including the auditorium and courtrooms. We primarily use Blackboard, Google Workspace, Zoom, Office 365, and Panopto as the primary technologies which are integrated into the learning spaces. We have customized Access.iit.edu and a Mobile app (Hawki) for your law school experience. Review the campus technology guide for more information.
During Orientation, all students will receive generalized training on the technology resources available at Chicago-Kent. This will include information on our email system, a tour of Chicago-Kent's resources available over the internet, and other technology resources that you will find useful during your academic career.
If you have any computer-related questions about the computer recommendations, our network, or technology in general, please feel free to contact Information Technology Services at 312.906.5300 or by email at helpdesk@kentlaw.iit.edu.
The academic year for entering students officially begins with Orientation Week with a full schedule of seminars, classes, and discussions. Orientation Week is not optional. The first Legal Research and Writing sessions will be held during this week in addition to other seminars, classes, and discussions.
Orientation Week includes several small group activities and some larger, casual social events to allow you to get to know your classmates, professors, and current students. A preliminary schedule for the first week will be sent in late June.
312.567.3794
sa@iit.edu
Monday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Student Accounting Office facilitates all interactions that affect the student account. The Student Accounts Office is responsible for maintaining the record of your student account, including the following:
If you have any questions regarding your student account, please contact the Student Accounting Office.
To postpone the payments on your outstanding student loans, you must print the “Enrollment Certification” form (in lieu of the In-School Deferment Form) online via the Illinois Tech Portal. View the process at this link. Please be aware that your "enrollment certification” (in-school deferment) form will not be valid until after the add/drop deadline each semester. For more information please contact the Registrar’s office by email at regq@kentlaw.iit.edu or by phone at 312.906.5080.
You are financially responsible for the payment of all education related charges and fees that become a part of your student account, when those charges are due regardless of your expected reliance on third-party resources such as financial aid, family gifts, employer reimbursement, private loans, outside scholarship, or sponsorships. Any balance due to Illinois Tech as the result of adjustments made to your estimated or confirmed financial aid or your refusal to apply for any or all of your financial aid or your inability to complete the financial aid verification become your responsibility for payment. You are responsible for supplying the Financial Aid Office with any reasonable information or documents that they may request to complete the verification process in a timely manner.
Any outstanding balance due on your student account that is not timely paid when due is subject to service charges in the amounts or at the rates established and published by Illinois Tech from time to time and you will be prevented from registering for additional courses at Illinois Tech or obtaining official documents such as diplomas or transcripts until that outstanding balance has been paid in full. Failure to pay any amount due by the due date may result in an unfavorable report with credit bureaus and collection activities against you, including litigation. If that occurs, you will be responsible for the actual expenses incurred in connection with collection of the debt, including but not limited to attorney fees and reimbursement to Illinois Tech of the fees of any collection agency, which may be based on a percentage at a maximum of 33 percent of the aggregate amount of the debt.
Students must enroll in direct deposit in order to receive a student refund. Refund cycles are processed continuously throughout the semester through an automatic process. All credit balances will be processed within 14 days from date of credit, as allowed by federal regulation, at the latest. When making arrangements for the upcoming term, do not assume your refund will be issued before the 14 day timeline. To ensure confidentiality of bank information, you should enroll yourself in direct deposit online by selecting “Create a Refund Profile” on the student portal. There is no fee for receiving your refund via direct deposit.
Students who would like to receive a refund due to an overpayment must complete an official Refund Request Form at www.iit.edu/student-accounting.
Tuition payments, with the exception of the required non-refundable advance deposits, are fully refundable if you cancel your planned enrollment at Chicago-Kent prior to the first day of class. If you withdraw from Chicago-Kent after the first day of class (excluding Orientation Week) and you are receiving financial aid, the Office of Financial Aid has to perform a calculation to determine the amount of federal financial aid funds that you are eligible to keep. Any funds that you are ineligible to retain will be refunded to the appropriate federal, state, or institutional program in accordance with the university's tuition refund and repayment policy. The university's tuition refund policy is as follows:
Withdrawal prior to the drop-add date—100 percent Reversal of Tuition Charges
Withdrawal after the drop-add date—0 percent Reversal of Tuition Charges
Note: The percentage refers to the total refund of tuition charges. For the purpose of this schedule, a week of classes is considered Monday through Sunday.
Upon written request for a reversal of tuition charges, supported by appropriate documentation, no tuition will be charged and a full refund of tuition will be made for the following circumstances: (1) if a course for which you are registered is canceled by the university; or (2) death, serious illness or injury causing incapacity, occurring before the end of the fifth week. Under other exceptional circumstances, such as withdrawal for voluntary military service, serious illness or injury, or action by the university, consideration may be given for credit for unused tuition upon written request to the Student Accounting Office. For more information about financial aid eligibility upon complete withdrawal, click here.
Payments for student accounts can be made online or by mail. For security purposes credit card payments are accepted exclusively through our online payment system.
We accept the following forms of payment for tuition:
Tuition payments are due at the end of the add/drop period each semester. Students who want to divide their payments over the course of the term need to enroll in a payment plan by the add/drop date. Due dates are published at www.iit.edu/registrar/academic-calendar.
A late fee equal to 2 percent of your outstanding balance will be assessed if payment is received after the published deadline.
Unless the Student Accounting Offices receives authorization from you, health insurance fees, parking charges, and other non-tuition related charges on your student account cannot be automatically paid with your federal loan money. This means that you could receive a Financial Aid refund and still owe money to the school. You may authorize the use of your Title IV Federal Financial Aid funds to pay additional fees that you might incur while attending Chicago-Kent. If you are eligible for aid and do not complete this form, you will receive a refund but still have a balance due for these charges. The form can be submitted electronically through your Illinois Tech Portal by logging into the Illinois Tech Portal, going to the Welcome Tab, then clicking on Title IV Authorization Form in the Student Accounting Channel. This form only has to be completed one time during your studies with the university.
312.567.7550
student.health@iit.edu
Web address: www.iit.edu/shwc
Conviser Law Center Hours: by Appointment Only
All students registered for at least one academic credit hour (including intersession classes listed on the fall schedule, but not including Incomplete make-ups) will automatically be billed for student health insurance. This applies to both Day and Evening Division students. (Please note that this is a change from the university’s prior policy, under which students were automatically enrolled in the insurance plan only if they were enrolled for 12 or more credits.) If you are enrolling during our summer term, please call or email the Student Health and Wellness Center at 312.567.7550 or student.health@iit.edu .
The cost for the 2024–2025 academic year will be $2,286 for individual coverage. For information about family coverage visit www.aetnastudenthealth.com/iit or contact the Student Health and Wellness Center at 312.567.7550.
If the student wishes to utilize private benefits and would like to opt out of the Aetna Student Health Plan, they can complete the electronic waiver form found at https://www.iit.edu/shwc/insurance/enrollment-and-waiver-process . The form MUST be completed before September 1 st and at the start of each academic year as long as you are a registered student. International Students are not able to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan.
Immunization Form
Illinois state law requires documentation of childhood vaccines when entering a secondary institution. Med + Proctor is HIPAA- and FERPA-compliant. Students who fail to submit the immunization verification form will be precluded from registering for classes. An immunization record will be required at the start of orientation and the student health office recommends turning it in early.
Students should follow instructions on how to submit immunization information online by going to the Student Health and Wellness Center webpage . If you have any questions regarding immunization, please contact the Student Health and Wellness Center at 312.567.7550.
312.906.5005
studentservices@kentlaw.iit.edu
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Suite 310
Bulletin Boards
Some announcements and notices are posted on the law school bulletin boards located outside the Registrar's Office on the east wall of the second floor, and on the electronic monitor outside the third floor cafeteria. A daily list of law school activities appears on the electronic monitor in the front lobby. Class cancellation notices are posted on the board just under the lobby monitor. You should check the bulletin boards and monitors frequently for announcements that may affect you.
Career Services bulletin boards are located in the west corridor of the third floor. Student Organization bulletin boards are located on the concourse level. General bulletin boards are located on the concourse level and in the cafeteria on the second and third floors.
Wireless access is available throughout the building and computer terminals are available in the cafeteria, the concourse, the first floor and the student lounge. Students, faculty, and staff regularly send out important information via email. We recommend that you check your Chicago-Kent e-mail account at least once per day.
Chicago-Kent ensures equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. The law school building is fully accessible and on an individual basis we provide reasonable accommodations to all students with permanent or temporary disabilities. Students are encouraged to consult with the director of the IIT Center for Disability Resources if they have a disability that may require accommodation. The number for the Office of Disability Resources is 312.567.5744 or email can be sent to disabilities@iit.edu. All information will be treated as confidential. For additional information, please visit www.iit.edu/cdr.
Illinois Institute of Technology, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), has designated the following items as directory information: student’s name, address, telephone number; parents’ names, address, telephone number; major field of study, class, enrollment status, anticipated degree date, participation in officially recognized activities, degree and awards received most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Illinois Institute of Technology, including the Chicago-Kent College of Law, may disclose any of the above listed items without the student's prior written consent, unless the Office of the Registrar is notified in writing to the contrary. All other student academic information is considered confidential and will not be released, with certain exceptions, without the student's written permission.
You can find additional information about FERPA Rights and Access to Education Records at https://www.iit.edu/registrar/students-and-alumni/ferpa, and in the Chicago-Kent Student Handbook (sections 14.4 and 14.5).
Chicago-Kent also publishes certain student information in the online Student Directory (available only to members of the Chicago-Kent community). You may also request that information published in the Student Directory not be published or released.
You will receive your locker assignment and student ID during Orientation Week.
Official notices are posted in the Record, a newsletter produced each Monday during the academic year and every other Monday during the summer. The Record is only available electronically on the Chicago-Kent web site. All important announcements concerning the student body (including scholarship and financial aid announcements), with the exception of day-to-day notices, are published in the Record. When a notice is published in the Record it is considered to have been announced to all students; the Record serves as “constructive notice.” It is your responsibility to read the Record each week. You may access the Record at www.kentlaw.iit.edu/record/.
Chicago-Kent STRONGLY recommends that first-year full-time day students not work at all since it can seriously impede academic progress during the first-year.
Full-time day division students who feel that they must work a few hours per week are encouraged to seek employment on-campus. A number of offices within the law school employ students. Most position openings are listed in the Record (Chicago-Kent's weekly online newsletter available at www.kentlaw.edu/record). If you are hired for a student employee position, you will receive a paycheck every two weeks based upon the number of hours you have worked. Your anticipated earnings are not deducted from your tuition bill nor are they reflected on your financial aid award.
The Student Handbook provides information and resources that will be useful to students throughout their studies at Chicago-Kent. Students are encouraged to begin to review and familiarize themselves with the handbook prior to orientation.
2024 Updated Information Coming Soon
Chicago-Kent is a participant in the Chicago Transit Authority's U-Pass program. The U-Pass is a discount fare card that replaces cash for all CTA fares and can be used for unlimited rides on all CTA buses and trains. The cost of the U-Pass for the 2023–2024 academic year will be $146 per semester. The passes will be active from the first day of classes through the last day of finals. To learn more about the U-Pass program please visit: www.transitchicago.com/upass/
All full-time J.D. students (determined by your official division status, not by the number of credit hours you take in a particular semester) are automatically enrolled in the U-Pass program. Students may choose to OPT OUT of the UPASS program for the semester by completing the Fall 2024 U-Pass Opt out form by September 6, 2024 (link to form will be added here soon). The form must be completed by this deadline to ensure your student account will not be billed the U-Pass fee.
NEW THIS YEAR: For part-time students, you can now elect to “Opt-In” to the Upass program if you wish. If you are an evening or part-time day student and would like a Upass, you can fill out the Fall 2024 U-Pass Opt-In form by September 6, 2024 (link to form will be added here soon). You will be charged $146 for the semester. (Note: this form is only for part-time students. If you are a full-time student, DO NOT fill this form out.)