Top Law School Scholarships
While most law school scholarships come from specific universities, there are some private law school scholarships!
Law school, like many other professional degrees, is known for being extremely expensive, but potentially lucrative. Lawyers, on average, are among the highest paid professionals. This is why it is not surprising that law school remains a popular post-graduate destination for college students. While the majority of law school scholarships are awarded by specific law schools, there are some scholarships awarded by private organizations.
To learn more about how to win law school scholarships from specific law schools, as well as private organizations that aim to support law students.
How to win law school merit scholarships
As we mentioned, the majority of scholarships for law school students will be awarded by individual law schools. Here are some tips to ensure that you will be in the running for merit scholarship opportunities.
Prep for your LSAT
The LSAT is the entrance exam that law schools use in the United States. In both the law school admissions and scholarship process, the LSAT carries a lot of weight. For context, the top score possible on the LSAT is a 180.
As you are thinking about law school, you will absolutely want to spend time prepping for the LSAT and may even want to take a prep course to ensure that you are ready.
Pick the right law schools
Not all law schools award a large number of scholarships, Therefore, it is important for you to pick the right law schools that award a high percentage of students with aid. This resource from U.S. News & World Report will allow you to discover law schools that award students with strong financial aid ranging from partial scholarships to full tuition to awards that are above and beyond full tuition.
Our advice is to identify law schools where your LSAT score is about the published 75th percentile at the law school. This will give you a good idea of the schools where you are a strong candidate for merit scholarships.
Don’t forget about need based aid
Merit scholarships are only part of the equation of paying for law school. The other part of the equation is need based financial aid, which includes need based grants and student loans. This is why we recommend that every law school student applies for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. This will allow you to access federal student loans, which have more favorable terms and repayment options, as well as other types of aid like Pell Grants.
Top scholarships for law school students in 2020:
ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
- Eligibility: Students who will be first year law students
- Amount: $15,000 over three years
- Deadline: May 1st (the application opens in March)
Cabaniss Johnston Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students who are second year law students and residents of the state of Alabama
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: June 4, 2021
Thomas F. Black Jr. Memorial Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students who are entering their first year of law school and residents of the state of Rhode Island
- Amount: $25,000 (two are awarded)
- Deadline: March 2021 (application will open back up in January)
Other scholarships for J.D. candidates:
We also recommend that you check out these graduate school scholarships. While these scholarships are not specific to law school students, they are available to anyone pursuing graduate degree.
