Returning Student -- Will depts. play chicken over funding?

[lauras]

I graduated in 1999 and went to law school instead of graduate school. I've worked in my field for 5 years and now that I've paid down my law school debt, I've saved enough to live on ---for about a year without working. What I wonder is, will departments assume that I have huge bushels of money (which I don't) and therefore not offer me any? And worse, will they expect me to pay them upwards of 40k per year for 7 years to get a degree?

My worst fear is that I'll be accepted somewhere but it won't include any funding and I'll have to turn it down. Does anyone out there have any insight into how the funding decisions are made? Should I supplement my applications with a statement that gently suggests I would need some kind of funding to complete a 7 year program?

[dowjonesindustrial]

The answer here probably comes down to the schools that you applied to, rather than your particular financial situation.

I would advise you to look through the "Financial Aid" section on each school's website for info.

I think most of us abide by the tenet "Do Not Pay for Your English Degree."

With any luck, you'll be accepted into a program that is more interested in your academic credentials than in saving a buck by charging you for tuition rather than doling it out to someone else free of charge.