Law School Grants

If you are trying to pursue a degree in law or attend law school and find the cost of doing so to be overwhelming, you are not alone. In fact, a majority of students aspiring to a degree in law are in need of some sort of financial assistance. Grants are made available from both public and private sources, each with its own set of qualifications, through which you can obtain funding for law school.

As a law student, the first place to go to look for funding opportunities is the law school itself. Beyond this, there are programs for grants and scholarships offered through professional law associations and organizations, as well as private sources, such as businesses and firms. Grants are most often available for ethnic minorities and women, since the legal industry has historically been dominated by white men.

The Washington College of Law offers a grant for students pursuing a JD degree (Doctor of Law), one of the few professional doctorate degrees available in any profession. The Columbia School of Law, one of the nation's top law schools, also supports qualified candidates with gift monies and grants, targeting full-time students who show financial need.

In terms of private sources, the top donator of grants and scholarships is the American Bar Association itself, following through with a mission to support and advance the legal profession by assisting students with economic need, especially minorities. Other law schools that are especially concerned with the promotion of minorities in the legal industry and providing grants to forward this cause are Cornell University and the University of Michigan.

List of Law School Grants

• Elaine Osborne Jacobsen Award for Women Working in Health Care Law — $3000 awarded each year to female law undergraduate or graduate student serving as health care advocate.

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.