VA Financial Aid and Benefits

Begin the process of applying for the Department of Veteran Affairs educational benefits at the VA website. Cooley can help determine if you are eligible for the Montgomery GI or Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) Post 9/11 education benefits.

Apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program

Current Tuition & Academic Expenses

Military Admissions

Cooley has admissions advisors who can help to expedite your law school application process and assist you throughout your law school experience. Contact our Admissions Office.

Cooley Designated a Yellow Ribbon School by the VA

Speak directly to the Cooley Veteran's Corps - ask us questions about Cooley, or about our student organization: Auburn Hills Veteran's Corps or Grand Rapids Veteran's Corps

We are military and recruiter friendly

• Affordable, private law school
• Trained admissions and financial aid staff to assist with process
• Accommodations for reservists/active duty
• Leaves as needed for deployments
• Flexible scheduling options for students with full-time jobs and families
• Service to Soldiers helping fellow service members
• Prior-service faculty to advise students
• Four campuses throughout Michigan
• Student Orgs for members of military
• Counseling services available through Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program
• Objective admissions policies
• Award-winning, nationally recognized ethics and professionalism program

JAG Careers

• JAG, VA and Civil Service legal opportunities available
• Approved externship placements in active duty, National Guard and Reserve JAG offices
• Dozens of distinguished alumni serving or having served as JAG officers
• Faculty advisors with prior JAG experience
• Student Orgs for students interested in JAG careers
• On-campus JAG recruiting
• Service to Soldiers pro bono experience available

Alumni Success Stories

Tom Smith graduated from Cooley in May 2006 and now has a career as a captain in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps doing exactly what he loves to do. Tom attended Cooley because of its excellent academic program and commitment to professionalism. Learn more about Tom.

Service to Soldiers:
Legal Assistance Referral Program

Cooley's pro bono program for deployed and returning military personnel which has assisted hundreds of Michigan troops with civilian legal matters since its inception.

Cooley Law School Teams With Area Lawyers To Provide Free Legal Services To Deploying Marines At Camp Grayling This Weekend

Service To Soldiers Receives Michigan State Bar Foundation Grant

Michigan's Guide to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)

Download a copy of the Michigan's Guide to Service members Civil Relief Act (pdf).

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) offers special protections to soldiers against civil actions like divorce and foreclosure while they are deployed.

Cooley and attorneys with Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP (Honigman) bring clarity to SCRA's application for Michigan's courts and, ultimately, provide another layer of support to Michigan servicemen and women.

News & Events

Wilkins Class Commencement Valedictory Speaker: Victor Flores - Sept 25, 2011
After losing 3 fellow Marines, he made a promise to pursue the most out of life....

George D. McHugh
Lieutenant Colonel
U.S. Army Pro Bono Liaison
Watch this directly on YouTube

[ More information ]

Cooley Graduate and Soldier Sworn In via Videoconference from Kuwait

Chief Judge William Murphy, Michigan Court of Appeals, administered the oath for admission to practice law in Michigan to Sgt. Christopher M. Horvath, a recent Cooley Law School graduate who is currently stationed in Kuwait.
[ MORE ]

March 2010: Citizen-Lawyer-Soldier Welcomed Home from Iraq

Army Major Miles Gengler of Grand Blanc, Mich. was welcomed home and honored for his service in Iraq by Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court at the Auburn Hills campus of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School today. [full story]

Citizen-Lawyer-Soldier to be Welcomed Home from Iraq by Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly, Federal Court Chief Judge Gerald Rosen, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense Michael McDaniel
In 2009, Chief Justice Marilyn J. Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court helped Army Major and Grand Blanc, Mich. native Miles Gengler be sworn into the State Bar of Michigan via a 6,300 mile videoconference between Michigan and Baghdad, Iraq. [full story]

Michigan Soldier in Iraq Sworn In as an Attorney Via Live Video Conference
The Long-distance ceremony for Army Major Miles Gengler of Grand Blanc is a cooperative effort of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, National Guard, and Michigan Supreme Court. [full story]

Is High-Tech Government Surveillance A Threat To Constitutional Rights?

Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers: Judge Bernard Friedman to convene federal court at Cooley’s Auburn Hills campus

Former U.S. Prosecutor Discuss The Balance Of Power In Government During Wartime In A Cooley Law Review Symposium

Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Chrysler LLC, Freedom Calls Foundation Team Up To Expand Help To U.S. Service Members Across The Country

Senior Official At U.S. Attorney’s Office To Join Cooley Law School