Aside from taking out student loans or borrowing money from family, scholarships for law school offer another way to fund an expensive legal education.
Many law schools offer merit scholarships. For example, the New York University School of Law has the Furman Academic Scholars Program that awards scholarships to promising law students who wish to teach and the Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholarships for those who plan to pursue public service.
The University of Texas–Austin School of Law offers a full range of need- and merit-based scholarships, such as the Equal Justice Scholarship, intended for students who plan to serve low-income individuals or groups following graduation.
Duke Law School has the Mordecai Scholarship, which is a full-tuition award typically given to four to eight students each year.
You should investigate fully the funds available to you, whether merit- or need-based, from any law schools to which you’ve been accepted. Look into any additional application requirements as well as formal processes to be considered for scholarship funds provided by schools.
[Understand the cost and payoff of law school before getting a J.D.]
Beyond law schools, there are many other resources for scholarships and grants. Given the significant cost of a legal education, it is in your interest to assess the landscape of available funds, determine your eligibility and apply.
Even though scholarships that aren’t funded by law schools will not fully finance your tuition, they can help to offset some of your costs. You can use websites such as ScholarshipOwl, Scholarships.com, AdmissionsDean and Discover Law to find and apply for scholarships for which you are eligible.
Here’s what to know about scholarships and grants that aren’t provided directly by law schools.
General Scholarships From Organizations and Law Firms
Many private and nonprofit organizations, such as BARBRI, UpCounsel, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation, provide grants to offset law school costs.
The American Bar Association provides access to scholarship funds sponsored by various ABA specialty entities for law school students who do not have the means to finance their education without assistance.
Law firms also provide scholarship money. Many larger firms, some smaller firms and even solo practitioners offer grants to law students. Recipients of these grants are often expected to work for the firm during summers and possibly on a part-time basis during the school year.
If you are granted this free money, you have the added benefit of employment and networking opportunities.
Law firms, like other grantors, consider financial need when deciding upon recipients, but they tend to take academic credentials into consideration more than other organizations that provide grants to students. In addition, many law firms’ scholarships are specifically designated for diverse students and those who have contributed to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
[Learn how to go to law school for free.]
Home Country and State Scholarships
Some grants come from country or state-specific organizations. Eligibility for these funds may depend on factors such as residence. For example, the Rhode Island Bar Foundation’s Thomas F. Black, Jr. Memorial Scholarship offers $20,000 to Rhode Island residents who will be entering their first year of full-time law school.
The Alabama Law Foundation offers the $5,000 Cabaniss Johnston Scholarship to second-year law students who are Alabama residents.
Other scholarship funds are awarded based on ties and commitment to a particular community, often related to country of origin. Examples include funds from the Serbian Bar Association of America, the Vietnamese American Bar Association and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Specialty Scholarships for Diversity
As noted above, many law firms — such as Sidley Austin, Akin Gump and Cooley — provide substantial scholarship funds to diverse law students. Some of the law firms’ funds for diverse candidates are designated for students at specific schools. For example, the Morgan Lewis Diversity Scholarship is granted only to students at the University of California–Berkeley School of Law.
Aside from law firms, other organizations provide scholarship funds to diverse students. One of the better-known ones is the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund. This scholarship grants $15,000 of financial aid to 20 incoming diverse students over the course of their three years in law school.
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association has the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship, which provides $10,000 scholarships for incoming diverse 1Ls.
Many other organizations offer scholarship awards in varying amounts to students who fall into specific diverse categories.
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, for example, supports 30 new Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate studies in the U.S. with up to $25,000 in stipends as well as 50 percent of tuition and fees for one to two years.
The Don H. Liu Scholars Program awards $15,000 scholarships to Asian-American law students attending a school in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania or the District of Columbia and who plan to practice in the New York City area private sector.
If you are a member of an underrepresented minority group, you should take the time to research the landscape of scholarship funds available to you from law firms and other organizations that have shown a demonstrable interest in advancing the diversity pipeline in the legal profession.
[See the U.S. News law school diversity index.]
Specialty Scholarships for Disabilities
Some scholarships that aren’t funded by law schools are specifically designated for students with a demonstrable disability. The George H. Nofer Scholarship for Law and Public Policy, for example, provides up to three awards of up to $5,000 each annually to students “with a pre-lingual bilateral hearing loss in the moderately-severe to profound range,” according to the program’s website.
The National Federation of the Blind annually offers blind college students who plan to pursue advanced studies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico the opportunity to win scholarship funds ranging from $3,000 to $12,000.
Before enrolling in law school, make sure to plan ahead and determine how you will pay for your education. Part of this effort should involve thoroughly researching and applying to scholarships that aren’t funded by schools for which you may be eligible.
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How to Offset Law School Costs With Outside Scholarships originally appeared on usnews.com
