How to Find Law School Scholarships
How to Find Law School Scholarships
The education costs for some careers come with a steep price tag, and law school is one of them. In nearly every state, becoming a lawyer requires law school, which means an additional three years of educational expenses.
Note: There are four states (California, Vermont, Washington, and Virginia) that do not require law school, and three (New York, Maine, and Wyoming) that require some law school, prior to taking the bar. To help you save money (and time!) we’ve compiled a list of tips and helpful resources to simplify the search for law school scholarships.
Law School Scholarships from Your University
If you’re eyeing a particular law school, start your scholarship search there. Many law schools offer need-based and merit-based scholarships to their students. There are also school-specific scholarship opportunities available for those desiring to practice a particular area of law, such as serving low-income populations. If you know where you would like to go to law school, contact your university to find out about their internal grant and scholarship programs.
Some are very generous, including full-ride scholarships. Don’t miss an opportunity to decrease your out-of-pocket expenses. Below are some examples of the scholarship pages you may find on the websites for various law schools.
- University of Texas at Austin, School of Law
- University of Virginia, School of Law
- Boston University School of Law
Law School Scholarships from Professional Organizations and Law Firms
Professional organizations, like the American Bar Association, are also a great place to look for law school scholarships. Though you may be required to join, this is the professional organization for your chosen career, and likely, well worth the student membership rate for access to their scholarship opportunities (not to mention job listings, discounts on study materials, and networking events).
Don’t forget to check with the state bar association as well as local legal organizations, for additional scholarship opportunities.
Many law firms also offer scholarships for law school. A quick search for “law firm scholarships” will bring up pages of scholarships sponsored by law firms all across the country. If you’re looking for more targeted results, trying adding your region (e.g., “law firm scholarships las vegas”) to your search criteria.
Law School Scholarships for Minorities and Minority Legal Causes
Many organizations committed to diversity and social issues offer scholarships for those who qualify. Some opportunities are based on ethnicity or gender, while others are reserved for those who are committed to serving certain causes, such as civil rights issues. Here are a few places to look for diversity scholarships:
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
- Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
- Law School Admission Council Diversity Scholarships
- Hispanic National Bar Association
Law School Tuition from Your Employer
Discuss your educational goals with your manager or Human Resources department. Your employer may have a tuition assistance program, or may offer to help you with college costs. If your employer offers to help you with college costs, they may require a contractual agreement (it may include conditions for the tuition assistance, such as a requirement for you to work for the company for X number of years, etc.).
Use a Scholarship Matching Tool
If you’re studying for the LSAT, you know how valuable your time is! Scholarship matching tools, like our site, StudentScholarshipSearch.com, can save you tons of time by combing through scholarship data and serving up customized results based on your profile.
Other popular scholarship search sites include:
More Articles
