Law Student Scholarships

Law student scholarships might help realize your dreams. Becoming a lawyer entails hard work and commitment. Not only do you need to complete four years of undergraduate study and three years of formal law school, you also have to deal with countless hours of self-study.

Law students know exactly just how exhausting, both financially and emotionally, law school can be, but the rewards that await them are truly worthwhile -- a prestigious career, an above average salary and the satisfaction of serving others.

However, there are some students who are deprived of the chance to pursue a career in law. While they may actually have the capabilities, dedication and potential to become lawyers, their

financial circumstances hinder them from realizing their dreams. Over the years, the cost of college education has risen greatly that not everyone can just afford it.

Luckily, law student scholarships are now offered by colleges and universities as well as other organizations that aim for the advancement of the legal field. These scholarships help students based on academic merits or financial need. Others provide financial assistance to members of underrepresented groups, for example, there are scholarships especially intended for minority law students. With the countless number of financial aids open for law students, the dream of earning a bachelor’s degree in law should not take a backseat to anything else.

So, where can you find these scholarships?

Most of these law student scholarships are offered by local and national law organizations. The American Bar Association through its ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship offers 20 scholarships to diverse law students, each with $15,000 worth of financial aid over the course of three years. These scholarships aim to promote diversity in the legal profession by providing financial assistance to minority law students.

There are also several local law firms that provide law student scholarships. Educational assistance programs funded by local law firms are often exclusively available to residents of a specific geographic area. Since most of local scholarships are funded solely by a law firm or an organization, benefits offered are typically less than what others provide. On the good side, however, the chances of winning are often better.

Yet another important source of law student scholarships is the college of law where you intend to enroll. Colleges and universities such as Yale, Northwestern, Drake and UC Berkley have a lengthy list of law scholarships where student can apply for. Yale Law School awards educational grants based solely on financial need. Although the law school does not provide any criteria-based or merit-based scholarships, majority of its students are basically eligible to apply for hundreds of scholarships from outside sources.

Contrastingly, Northwestern Law School provides scholarship based on merit and financial need. Scholarships are usually sourced from endowed funds, contributions from generous alumni, and general funds of the school. Since scholarship funds are limited, the selection process often gets overly competitive. In fact, applications received after the deadline, are only entitled to receive financial aid in the form of educational loan. They are likewise eligible for other scholarships offered by outside organizations.

Drake University has a lot of scholarships to offer. Some are merit- or need-based, while others are combined merit and need-based scholarships. Most of law student scholarships available at Drake are often funded by private organizations. Usually, eligibility criteria are set by the sponsoring organization. Scholarships for law students enrolled at Drake include the Edward and Cora Hayes Scholarship, the Dwight D. Opperman Scholarship, the Opportunity Scholarships, and the Charles "Buck" and Dora Taylor Endowed Law Scholarships, among others. Every now and then, new scholarship opportunities are opened for students enrolled in Drake University.

Law student scholarships at University of California are widely varied. Like in most other law schools, funding is sourced either from school fund or through generous contributions from alumni and external organizations. Some of the scholarships at UC Berkley are: Harry A. Blackmun Scholarship, ATLA Feesfiled Law Student Scholarship, the Alia Herrera Memorial ATLA Auxiliary Scholarship, Foundation of the State Bar of California Law School Scholarships for Public Interest, the Humane Studies Fellowship, Finlandia Foundation Trust Scholarship, and Federal Circuit Bar Association Scholarship among others. Each scholarship program has its own set of criteria in which students must qualify.

Aside from scholarships offered at law schools, there are also scholarships offered on a national scale. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation awards some of the most attractive educational assistance packages for law students. NAPABA scholarships include the Lim, Ruger, and Kim Scholarship, the NAPABA Law Foundation Scholarships, and the Anheuser-Busch NAPABA Law Foundation Presidential Scholarships. All these individual scholarship programs are available to law students enrolled in a college or school of law in the U.S.

There are also scholarships available for law students from minority groups. Scholarships falling under this category hope to increase entrants of minorities into the legal field. Minority law student scholarships include: the NBLS Nelson Mandela Scholarship, Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Award, Shearman and Sterling Scholarship Program, and Warner Norcross and Judd LLP Scholarship for Minority Students. The amount of financial assistance offered by each scholarship program varies greatly.

For students who failed to qualify in the law student scholarships, other forms of financial assistance are still available for them. For example, students coming back to school can apply for non-traditional student scholarships. There are virtually thousands of scholarships and grants open for law students.

The information displayed on this website is our own opinion only. For more information on Scholarships we absolutely recommend looking at the official US Government website http://state.gov