To receive a law school scholarships, you need to be a new and first year (1L) law student in a Juris Doctor degree program. Many schools consider admitted students for merit scholarships while need based awards require you to fill out a FAFSA.
If you got this far, you likely took your LSATs already. The LSAT is accepted for admission purposes by many ABA accredited law schools. A high LSAT score may help you qualify for full funding for a three year Juris Doctor program. The highest possible score of the test is 180.
Schools generally use these scores as a metric for acceptance and the amount of scholarship money they offer you. As a college student, an impressive GPA plus high test scores may help you when it comes to getting graduate scholarships for law.
Once you earn your JD degree and pass the Bar Exam, one option may be to pursue a career at a law firm. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many lawyers today earn a median annual salary of $135,740 per year.
How To Apply for a Law Scholarship?
Besides your test scores, each scholarship program comes with a set of criteria to meet. These awards could be for women, minority groups and specific law majors. But in most cases are for U.S. citizens.
Eligible law school students who qualify have to fill out a scholarship application form. It is wise to follow the directions and apply by or before the application deadline.
Along with the form, you might need to supply transcripts, resume, and explain your goals. Some providers seek a very strong community service background too. If there is an essay, be clear and use the directions as a guide.
10 Scholarships for Law Students You Can Apply for in 2024
Are you wondering what scholarships are available for graduate students attending law school? You’re in luck because we have hundreds of law school awards. These awards may help you pay for law degree and reduce your school debt by the time you graduate. Check out these ten scholarships that you can apply for now!
Anhelo Dream Project Scholarship
Legal Opportunity Scholarship
Earl Warren Scholarship
Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship
MALDEF Law School Scholarship
Attorney Ken Nugent Legal Scholarship
ABA Academic Merit Scholarship
LimNexus Scholarship
La Raza Foundation Scholarship
Warner Norcross & Judd Law School and Paralegal Scholarship
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF LAW SCHOOL?
The cost of law school may vary depending on where you study. Tuition and fees differ across institutions and whether you are in state vs out of state. Additional college expenses such as housing, books, and transportation contribute to the cost of law school.
According to the NCES, the average tuition cost of a graduate degree is $11,617 per yea at a public school. If you choose a private school, you are likely to pay more at $26,551 per year at a nonprofit college. The difference between tuition and fees at private schools and public schools is huge: around $14,900.
The NCES also found that 75% of students who completed a professional doctorate such as a law degree had student loans. They also report the average total loan balance was about $145,500 per borrower.
Are There Full Ride Scholarships to Law School?
Full ride law scholarships are more common. These pay tuition and mandatory fees for all three years. Most schools make them available to first year students who may qualify.
For example, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School awards full tuition through the Toll Public Interest Scholars program. You also a receive a stipend to fund unpaid public sector internships. Eligible scholars must be in good academic standing, commit to work in public interest and the community.
Which Law Schools Offer Scholarships?
University of Chicago, New York University, and University of Virginia provide scholarships for admitted law students. Other major universities in the United States with Juris Doctor programs offer scholarships for graduate students studying law. Here are two prestigious law schools and their scholarships to check out.
University of Chicago
University of Chicago School of Law offers a Juris Doctor as well as a Joint JD /MBA program. In the first year of the JD, your courses may teach you about contracts, torts, property, criminal law and civil procedures. As you get into the upper level courses, you may study equality, civil rights, health law and taxation.
Every admitted student is automatically considered for scholarships. One to try for is the Tony Patiño Fellowship. Each year there are 1 to 2 Fellows, chosen on the basis of merit. Eligible students must exhibit leadership, academic success and initiative. Each recipient receives at least $10,000 per year for their studies and takes part in Fellowship events as a side benefit.
University of Virginia
University School of Law offers a JD that includes core courses in the first year. Second year law students focus on patent and administrative law, the federal courts and independent research. Year three is research focused and explores areas like trusts and estates. Students also have access to study abroad, dual degree options and externships.
You may qualify for graduate scholarships as a new law student such as the Karsh Dillard Scholarships. A Karsh Dillard Scholar receives a sufficient amount to cover full tuition and fees for three years of their legal education. Awardee must be in good academic standing in order to receive the scholarship.
Do Law Schools Give Merit Scholarships?
Yes, some law schools give merit scholarships. University of Pennsylvania and UCL
A are some universities where you may receive merit based awards. Sometimes, there is no separate application and eligible graduates may be automatically considered when applying for admission.
Many law schools look at your LSAT scores, undergraduate GPA, community service and school activities. The admissions office typically reviews eligible applicants for merit based aid. You may also request more financial aid based on admissions and scholarship offers from other schools.
University of Pennsylvania
Penn Law has a full time program leading to the JD. Penn Law also offers an LLM and other law graduate degrees. The JD course plan includes externships, pro bono duties, and senior research and writing project.
To help those who qualify, the school offers merit scholarships such as the Dean’s Scholarship. These awards range from $9,000 to $120,000 in tuition coverage. In addition to academic achievements, eligible students must show leadership, service, and personal or work experience.
University of California Los Angeles
UCLA School of Law offers two distinct merit scholarships. These scholarship opportunities use criteria such as grades, LSAT scores and leadership.
One is the the Distinguished Scholars Program. It is a binding merit based full tuition scholarship program. And, only for a few exceptionally qualified applicants.
Recipients of the award who are CA residents get full resident tuition and fees for three academic years. As long as they remain in good standing. Non CA residents will be awarded full non-resident tuition and fees for L 1. Then, full California resident tuition and fees for L 2 and 3.
Are There Scholarships for Minority Law Students?
Law school scholarships for minority law students and women help nurture diversity in the field. Such awards also provide valuable financial help to under served law graduate students towards their goals.
Doctorate degrees in legal professions and studies hold a 23% share of all degrees earned at this level. Recent NCES data shows a 50 /50 split in the number of men and women who attained law degrees. The numbers vary for various minority groups below.
Black – 23%
Hispanic – 33%
Asian – 13%
Pacific Islander – 24%
American Indian – 36%
Two or More Races – 26%
Law Scholarships for African American Students
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc is one provider of law scholarships for African American law students. NAACP is the legal organization that fights for racial justice through litigation, advocacy and public education. One of the programs they run is the Earl Warren Scholarship.
This is an annual award that goes to rising law students committed to racial justice. Eligible applicants tend to show potential as civil rights and public interest attorneys. To qualify, you must be a first or second year full time law student at an ABA accredited school.
Earl Warren Scholarship awards are $10,000 per year for three years or for a total of $30,000. Along with the award there are two opportunities for an LDF internship, externship, or guided research project and an invitation to LDF’s Civil Rights Training Institute.
African American law students might also find scholarships that are location specific. The James W. Stoudt Memorial Scholarship Fund of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is one example. It provides 3 scholarships of $3,000 each to support minority law students at a few partner schools.
Scholarships for Hispanic Law Students
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) may be a good resource for Hispanic students. MALDEF supports law students who seek to further advance the civil rights of the Latino community in the United States.
In the past years, MALDEF awarded from 5 to 15 law school scholarships of $2,000 each to deserving Hispanic law students throughout the nation.
The program is open to eligible law students currently enrolled full time at an ABA accredited school. Other criteria they look at are grades, financial need and outside school activities. Above all, eligible applicant must show dedication to advancing Latino civil rights in their careers.
MCCA or the Minority Corporate Counsel Association offers law scholarships for Hispanic women. They offer the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. It helps law students pay for tuition, books and fees. Eligible fellows receive $10,000 a year for three years to help defray the cost of a JD degree. They also receive a one time award of $10,000 to assist with 1L expenses.
Law School Scholarships for Women
Female law students may find law school scholarships through the AAUW or American Association of University Women. They offer several fellowships and grants each year.
BARBRI, a provider of legal exam prep courses, offers One Lawyer Can Change the World Scholarship. It is for eligible incoming first year law students for fall semester. To apply, you need to write an essay about “How you hope to use your law degree to change our world”. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 and $5,000 for second place. There are also 8 runners up who take away $1,000 each.
Law Scholarships for Immigrants and Children of Immigrants
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program is an annual award. It honors immigrants and children of immigrants who are in pursuit of a graduate degree. This year, due to COVID 19 they’ve expanded their criteria to include online law degree programs too.
To be eligible, you must be an eligible New American graduate student who is 30 years or younger by the application deadline. You may either be a naturalized US citizen, green card holder, adopted immigrant, DACA recipient, refugee and asylee. You must plan to start or continue in an eligible program full time in the United States. Each Fellow receives up to $90,000 in financial support over two years.
List of Law School Scholarships
Check out our list of scholarships for law school worth .
The Goostree Law Group gladly offers financial assistance to college and university students twice a year through our Bright Futures Scholarship. This award opportunity is provided to students with demonstrated financial need who exhibit leadership, determination, and passion in their academic studies and personal lives.
The Goostree Law Group Bright Futures Scholarship provides one student each semester with the opportunity to receive $2,500. The award may be used toward the student’s educational expenses, including tuition and books.
As an attorney who is also certified as a critical care nurse, Laura Hatton understands how this compassionate approach can benefit people in other situations as well.
Our firm hopes to foster this attitude for those who are pursuing similar careers, and we have established a scholarship program that provides assistance to students who are pursuing a degree in nursing or pharmacy. Each semester, we provide an award of $1,000 to a student in order to help them pursue their goals.
At Lutz, Shafranski, Gorman, Mahoney & Lazzaro, P.A. we know safe driving literally saves lives. That’s why we are passionate about encouraging safety on the roads. Driving has always had its risks, but now with the invention of smartphones and other electronic devices, we are more at risk than ever. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) data states that in 2019, distracted driving was a reported factor in 8.5% of fatal motor vehicle crashes. In 2018, 25% of the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes were young adults aged 20–29.
Statistics like these show us how important it is to remain alert while driving, especially for young adults who are more at risk. That is why we have decided to offer a $1,000 Yellow Light Scholarship to help encourage citizens to learn from their experiences on the road and to promote awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
Like many things, when it comes to driving, the more you drive the more you experience. We are interested in hearing about a time when you had a learning experience while on the road. What could you have done differently? What did you learn and how has it affected your driving since? We want to hear your story.
At The Hatton Law Firm PLLC, our team understands the difficulties that many families face and the issues that affect parents as they work to provide for their children’s needs. Our experience representing clients who have suffered serious injuries has given us an appreciation of the sacrifices that parents regularly make to better the lives of their children.
We also know the importance of a college education, especially for those who come from low-income households and who are looking to pursue opportunities and improve the lives of themselves and their families. To help people in these situations, we have created The Hatton Law Firm Aspire Higher Scholarship, which provides $1,000 each semester to a college student from a low-income family. The deadline to apply for our Fall 2023 scholarship is October 17, 2023. Please review the eligibility requirements for our scholarship below. If you have any questions about the scholarship, please contact us at [email protected].
David Benowitz, a founding partner of Price Benowitz LLP, has served as a high-profile criminal defense attorney for over 20 years. As a criminal defense attorney, David Benowitz has immense respect for public servants in our community.
Attorney Benowitz’s passion for public service and desire to encourage those considering entering this arena inspired him to create the Recognizing Public Servants Scholarship. Through this scholarship, attorney David Benowitz would like to give students the opportunity to share their thoughts on the vital role played by public servants in our communities.
Students are asked to compose a 750-1,000 word essay discussing the importance of public servants and public service in our society, focusing on the crucial role of public defenders within our legal system. Showcase your understanding of why public servants, especially public defenders, are essential pillars of justice and equitable access to the law. The scholarship will award $1,000 to the student who expresses their thoughts with insight and creativity on the importance of public servants and their work.
It is a great feeling to be a part of a team working towards a common goal. Working for a good company instills essential values and develops people socially and professionally. At Silberman & Lam LLP, we advocate for the everyday employee. Our firm works on cases primarily regarding Workers’ Compensation law, and we are very familiar with seeing employees being taken advantage of by their employers. Often, people are uninformed of their rights as employees, and managers or executives can exploit their labor and time.
That is why we created the Rise Above Scholarship to hear from students across the nation about any similar experience that shaped them. As a workers’ compensation firm, we hope this scholarship will create helpful discussions between students to instill confidence as an employee. We ask people to share a time when they felt like they were being taken advantage of as an employee, intern, or group member. How did this experience affect your professional relationships with those involved? Has your experience helped you look for future or current employment red flags? How did a negative, professional situation turn out to be a positive one in the long run, and how did you learn from it?z
At the Law Office of Jae Lee, we regularly represent clients in matters related to immigration. As a first-generation immigrant himself, Attorney Jae Lee understands the struggles that many families face and the difficulties they may encounter as they work to establish lives in the United States. Fortunately, there are many opportunities available for immigrants, and by pursuing education and job opportunities, they can not only support themselves and their families, but they can integrate into American society, participate in the community, and live happy, successful lives.
To ensure that immigrants can pursue educational opportunities, our firm has created a scholarship program that provides assistance to first or second generation immigrants from low-income families. We award one student with a scholarship of $1,000 each semester, which may be used to help pay for tuition or other educational expenses, such as books, supplies, or room and board.
Recovering from an injury after an accident can be long and difficult. At Bence Law, we fight to compensate those wrongly injured in an accident. That’s why we understand and emphasize the struggles of injury recovery. Overcoming these challenges takes the victim’s high level of determination and courage. That is why we are proud to bring back our Sport Injury Scholarship for another year.
We are looking for incoming college students or graduates who have overcome a physical injury for this scholarship. In 750-1000 words, tell us about when you were injured during a physical or other recreational activity and how you overcame that injury. The deadline is February 28, 2024. One student will receive an award of $1,000.
The Richmond Defense Firm strives to serve and defend the citizens of the Richmond area and has developed a strong connection with the people and places of eastern Virginia.
It takes time, effort, and patience to build a nurturing relationship with one’s community. In today’s world, there are so many opportunities to live a transient life, to move from place to place and never settle down. Many of us seek a sense of community, but there’s usually a small group of people really working to build that sense of unity in the place that we call “home.”
As day-to-day life becomes increasingly digital and experiences become increasingly “remote,” discussion about what it takes to build healthy communities becomes more and more important. We are proud to sponsor the Strong Roots Scholarship and Essay Contest as a way to promote discussion about the meaning of community in the digital age and as a way to sponsor educational opportunities for individuals who are dedicated to building strong communities where passions and careers can take root.
This essay contest and the associated $500 scholarship is open to individuals throughout the country who are enrolled in any accredited post-secondary institution during the school year.*
At Groth & Associates, Attorneys at Law, we believe people deserve a second chance. Life naturally has many ups and downs. We make mistakes but learn from them and alter our lives for the better. We all make mistakes, and as a criminal defense firm, we believe we all deserve the opportunity to learn from our actions and change for the better. As Maya Angelou once said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
To support those who are determined to learn from their mistakes, we are excited to announce the 2023 Back and Better Scholarship. Through the Back and Better Scholarship, students are encouraged to answer the following prompt for the opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship: In 750-1,000 words, tell us about a time you received a second chance – how did you respond to this opportunity, and what valuable lesson did you learn?
