How Do You Receive Law Scholarships for Law School?
If your goal is to become a lawyer, you may be wondering how to pay for law school. Luckily there are a few law school scholarships that may help you with your investment of time and money.
In order to receive a law scholarship, you must show good academic performance, financial need and LSAT scores. Other criteria may also be submitting a well written essay and acceptance letter to law school.
The cost of attending (COA) law school includes fixed expenses like tuition and fees. Then there are extras like food, housing, books and travel. Many people enter law school after earning a bachelor’s degree. Law school then takes three years and awards a Juris Doctor or JD degree.
Once you graduate with a JD degree and pass the Bar Exam, one option may be to practice law. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many lawyers today earn earn a median annual salary of $122,960. That’s something to keep in mind when you weigh the pros and cons of each type of aid.
What is the Average Cost of Law School and Average Amount of Financial Aid Received?
The cost of law school will vary depending on where you study. Tuition and fees for instance, differ across institutions. Housing, books and travel may reflect the cost of living in a state and region.
According to the NCES, the average cost of law school is $8,698 per year at a public school. The cost is even higher, $42,227 per year if you earn your degree at a private school.
As these are only norms, you’ll find a range of more expensive law schools. And ones that may be more affordable to you budget and keep your debt down.
This is pretty important. The NCES found that 75% of students who completed a professional doctorate (such as a law degree) had student loans. They also report the average total loan balance was about $186,600 per borrower.
What are the Most Common Ways to Help Pay for Law School?
Student loans, grants, and scholarships are three of the most common ways to pay for law school. Some students may also get part time employment through the federal work study program. This tends to be in their second and third years of law school.
First year students are expected to focus fully on schoolwork. Also, there is an ABA mandated limit on the number of hours full time law students are permitted to work. Here are some more information about popular sources of funding.
Law Scholarships and Grants
Both law scholarships and grants typically do not have to repay back unlike student loans. But you may need to sign a contract and agree to any terms.
To apply for either a law scholarship or a grant, you need to first qualify. There are ones for certain groups (minority, women) attending law school. And for students who want to practice a specific kind of law.
Apart from your law major, eligibility may also depend on your GPA and test scores. Providers may also want to see your level of financial need and any efforts you make to serve your community.
MileMark Media Legal Scholarship offers an annual $1,000 law scholarship to incoming and current law students. To apply, eligible applicants must have a 3.0 GPA and submit an essay of 500 words or less.
Federal Student Aid
The federal government also offers financial aid. Federal Pell Grants are one kind, and these go to low income undergrads and some post bachelor’s students.
Bear in mind though that 12 terms is the max any student can receive Pell Grants. So, if you’ve maxed out on the grants, you may need to think about a student loan.
Federal student loans are another type of aid available through the government. Unlike a grant which you do not repay, a student loan is money you borrow and pay back with interest.
There are three types of federal student loans for graduate students. One is a direct subsidized loan which is not based on financial need. The second is a direct PLUS loan. Also called grad PLUS loan when referring to professional students.
Grad PLUS loans pay education expenses not covered by other financial aid. And, while eligibility doesn’t depend on financial need, you must pass a credit check.
Last are Direct Consolidation loans. These allow you to meld all your eligible federal student loans into a one loan with a single provider.
How Do You Complete the FAFSA?
To find out if you qualify for a grad PLUS loan, you must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This gives the government a picture of your unmet financial need. Unmet need is the difference between two things. Your Estimated Financial Contribution or EFC and the cost of attendance (COA) of college.
As an undergrad, your EFC reflects your parental income. But as a grad or professional student, your status is “independent”. It also explains why lenders look at your credit report before giving the OK on a loan request.
That said, law school policies about independence vary and some do ask for family info. Above all when you apply for institutional grants, loans and law scholarships. Then, armed with this info, the financial department is able to figure out how much aid to award you and what type of aid you are eligible for.
Private Student Loans
Another option if you want to borrow money to pay for law school is to take out a private student loan. Private student loans often help qualified students who are not eligible for federal loans.
These loans tend to be available through lenders such as banks. If this is your preferred form of aid, make sure your provider is credible and has a solid reputation. Then you might shop around for competitive interest rates, grace periods and repayment plans.
List of Law Scholarships
There are awards worth below. Check out our list of law scholarships.
Our firm hopes to make meaningful contributions to the legal profession by helping students pursue a career in law. Through the Salvi & Maher, LLP Scholarship, our legal practice presents current and prospective law students with the chance to win $1,000 to supplement their educational expenses.
While we appreciate the difference young leaders can make across the legal profession, we also greatly understand the costs of education. By providing this scholarship opportunity, we aim to assist law students in reaching their full potential.
As a dedicated Maryland criminal defense attorney, Kush Arora focuses his practice on representing individuals who have been accused of a variety of offenses, from misdemeanors to felonies. The work of a criminal defense attorney is as tough as it is important. That is because the presumption of innocence, what many of us know as the right to be considered innocent until proven otherwise, is the cornerstone of our justice system. As such, it requires sound legal counsel for all those accused.
Attorney Arora takes his role and responsibilities seriously within the Maryland criminal justice system. He also values the need for students to recognize whether they believe the laws that govern are just or unjust, and why. These traits are valuable in all citizens, not just criminal justice professionals. Attorney Arora is dedicated to providing financial support and academic recognition to those who will pursue or support reasoned legal reform in the future.
Whether those goals are met with a law degree and practice, by pursuing a degree in another field that works within the criminal justice system, or through civic participation, Attorney Arora understands that the success of the criminal justice system depends on the success of the bright young individuals who are pursuing their academic dreams. To help students achieve their goals and further bolster the system he so proudly serves, Attorney Arora has established the Kush Arora Federal Justice Reform Scholarship. This scholarship will award $500 to a deserving student who has demonstrated a thoughtful, well-reasoned view of whether certain laws and criminal justice policies are just or unjust.
Sheryl R. Rentz and her legal team operate out of our office in Montgomery County, PA to help clients resolve their legal family matters. For many years, we have handled cases involving all types of domestic relations issues, including alimony, annulment, bankruptcy, child custody and support, divorce, mediation, property division, and more. We also have the extensive knowledge and resources needed to take on high profile divorce cases, which generally involve a large amount of assets and sophisticated financial considerations.
The accident and injury law office of Terry Bryant is proud to announce the availability of a $2,500 scholarship to be awarded to a student who has been accepted to or is currently enrolled in an ABA- or AALS-accredited law school.
We believe that attorneys can be agents of change and advocates for those who deserve a voice. We’ve centered our practice around this philosophy, and we’re hopeful that tomorrow’s lawyers will continue this mission.
Students must be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or law program within the United States. High school seniors who will be enrolled in college before the application deadline of June 1, 2023 are encouraged to apply. Candidates must also have a minimum GPA of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Keyser Law, P.A. created the Christopher W. Keyser Scholarship to provide financial support to students working towards a career in the legal field. Our law firm strives to positively change people’s lives by advocating for them during their most important and significant challenges. Great students will someday make great advocates, and we hope this scholarship program supports that endeavor. Students interested in applying for our schoalrship must meet certain criteria and submit an essay.
GAR Disability Advocates ™ is a specialized advocacy firm located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Each year, they fulfill the goal to help more students who are passionate about law pursue a degree by sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship, awarded to one law student, to be put toward their law school costs.
