Financial Policy

Monterey College of Law (MCL) is an independent, nonprofit educational institution where student tuition and fees support the faculty, staff, services, and other expenses for its programs. This page contains a summary of some important financial policies. For additional financial information, see the Tuition and Fee Schedule, the information about Tuition Payment Programs, Student Loans, and Grants, Scholarships, and the Student Handbook.

Tuition and Fees

MCL knows that investing in a legal education is a major commitment, and law students want to be able to understand the full cost of their law degree. MCL sets tuition and fee rates considering anticipated future costs of delivering the law school’s educational programs and related services. These costs change over time in response to economic, accreditation, legal, contractual, regulatory, and other factors, and MCL strives to provide notice of changes as soon as possible. Once tuition and fee rates for a specific academic year are published, students can rely upon those rates when planning. The law school cannot guarantee tuition or fee costs for future years of study. When planning, students should budget for annual increases during the term of their anticipated enrollment. It is anticipated but not promised that these annual increases will be within the range of 0% to 8% per year. 

Tuition rates, not fees, for students attending prior to September 7, 2026, were set at initial enrollment and will not increase as long as the student remains continuously enrolled in good standing at MCL in the student’s prior program and complies with all payment and other policies.

Tuition and fee rates, as revised from time to time, are published on the Tuition and Fee Schedule. 

Student Fees are set annually and will vary from year to year. Many student fees are included in the annual Consolidated Student Fee, due in the fall billing cycle, for all new or continuing students, while others are required in specific situations. 

Annual tuition and fees are due in full at the time of registration. Please make checks payable to “Monterey College of Law”. The law school also accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card. To assure approval, please confirm your credit card limit will cover the amount you plan to charge. For security reasons, the Law Schools do not accept cash payments. Please plan a proper payment method in advance. 

For students who need additional flexibility in paying their tuition and fees, external private student loans may be available to qualified borrowers, and MCL offers several payment options, including a tuition installment program (TIP) available to approved applicants. Students can contact the Manager of Student Finance at finance@montereylaw.edu for more information about these programs and other financial questions.

Tuition Refunds

To be eligible for a refund, a student must notify the Dean and the Registrar of intention to withdraw from the law school immediately and complete all required forms and processes. The refund amount is calculated using a formula that decreases as the semester progresses. See below for more information. 

Fee Refunds

Fees are not refundable or proratable for any reason.

The annual Consolidated Student Fee covers the average program cost of many valuable non-credit activities and services for students, such as student counseling and advising services, bar exam review and support programs, learning platforms, Zoom, library and research resources, online tools for learning enhancement and course materials, and events, such as webinars, mixers, and more. The Consolidated Student Fee is due in full for each year or partial year of study from all enrolled students, and no prorating or refund of this fee or other fees is permitted. 

There is a separate student fee for early admission (0L), visiting, and auditing students which is due at the beginning of each semester for which they enroll and is also not proratable or refundable under any circumstances. See the Schedule of Tuition and Fees for more information.

Tuition Credit Policy

The annual flat-tuition rate is based on taking 12 or more units during the academic year, which includes the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Students who enroll on a flat tuition schedule for 12 units or more during an academic year (including combined Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters) are only eligible for a prorated credit if they submit timely add/drop forms and are approved by the Dean to drop to fewer than 12 enrolled units for the combined Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. For example, if you register for 9 units in Fall Semester, 9 in Spring Semester, and 4 units for the Summer Semester but are approved to drop all Summer Semester courses, there is no prorated tuition credit because you will have completed more than 12 semester units (in this example, 18 units during the Fall and Spring) during the academic year. Students approved to drop for an entire term must submit a Leave of Absence form so the institution can monitor non-attendance and return requirements. 

Students paying tuition and fees via tuition installment or other payment plans, and students with an outstanding unpaid balance, may continue to owe payments in accord with those financial obligations even when courses are dropped or the student is no longer enrolled.

Students who submit timely add/drop forms and are approved to enroll in fewer than 12 units in an academic year may be eligible for a prorated credit of tuition charges. To be eligible for a tuition credit, a student must notify the Dean and the Registrar by filing a timely add/drop form and submitting a written notice (by email) of their intention to reduce the number of enrolled units or withdraw from the academic program. The amount of tuition credit is determined as of the date of receipt of written notice of withdrawal and is calculated as: 

• Withdrawal before the start of instruction: 100% Tuition Credit 
• Withdrawal during the first 60% of instruction: Pro Rata Tuition Credit 

Pro Rata Tuition is calculated using this formula: 

(Total hours of instruction offered - Total hours elapsed) * (Total Tuition Cost/Total hours of instruction offered) 

Withdrawal after completion of 60% of instruction: No credit 

60% of instruction is completed in the ninth week of classes during the Fall and Spring semesters and in the sixth week of classes during the Summer Semester. 

Student fees are not refundable. 

Students attending the Law Schools under certain government education benefits programs may be subject to a different refund policy.