Why You Should Apply for These Law School Scholarships

David

October 30, 2014

Getting into law school is an exciting time as you are embarking upon your long journey to becoming an attorney. However, law school can be quite expensive. Given the high cost of tuition, current and incoming law students should take thoughtful measures to manage or lower the cost of their education. Don’t make the mistake of jumping into hundreds of thousands of dollars of non-dischargeable debt without considerable thought about your career goals and prospects. Law school scholarships are definitely something you need to think about.

How much does law school cost?

Below is a list of the cost of tuition, fees, and other expenses at law school based on the top law schools in the US and sampling a moderately priced lifestyle for one academic year.

Expenses	Cost
Tuition	$54,000
University Administrative and Activities Fee	$2,250
Room and Board	$20,000
Books and Supplies	$1,500
Health Insurance and Hospitalization Coverage	$2,100
TOTAL per academic year	$79,850

Table 1.0 shows the estimated breakdown of cost of attendance in top law schools in the US

Additional expenses, that are not included in the table above, are moving expenses, loan fees, and credit card debt.

Scholarships for Law Students

To help you reduce the cost of attending law school, you can take advantage of the following types of law school scholarships:

Merit-based scholarships are given to selected students who demonstrate academic excellence, personal achievement, intellectual ambition, and other non-academic factors including leadership, service, and life experiences.

Specialty or criteria-based scholarships are given to students based upon specific criteria, such as country of origin, state of birth, and career specialty interests. For example, these law school scholarships may be awarded to an incoming first year law student who intends to study a specific kind of law.

Named scholarships or awards are sponsored by a specific organization or person, usually of high ranking or authority. This type of law school scholarship entails very specific criteria and may require an essay from the student or recommendation from a faculty member who will prove that he or she is deserving of the award. Check out this list from Harvard to see a wide range of totally random criteria for scholarships based on the wishes of those who donated money to create them.

Partnership scholarships are awarded by a named ministry that the student is affiliated with or has participated in. Financial support is typically given as the student enters law school, and may include renewal requirements.