Scholarships

Admissions

The Sturm College of Law offers numerous scholarship opportunities for first-year students, from the full-tuition Chancellor’s Scholars Program, to other merit scholarships offered through the admissions process. Additionally, continuing students can apply for named scholarships once they are enrolled at the Sturm College of Law.

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First-Year JD Student Scholarships

  • Sturm Elevation Initiative

    Thanks to a multi-million-dollar investment by the Denver-based Sturm Family Foundation, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law is in a position to fund twenty full-tuition merit scholarships, with a first year stipend, to incoming JD students with outstanding academic credentials.

    Sturm Elevation Initiative

  • Chancellor’s Scholarship Program

    Entering first-year JD students with a demonstrated history of excellence in academics and public service are encouraged to apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program, which offers full-tuition scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in public interest law.

    Chancellor’s Scholarship Program

  • Yellow Ribbon Program

    The Sturm College of Law is a proud supporter of the Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides tuition assistance for American Military Veterans. Universities that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program make additional funds available for veterans attending an out-of-state or private university. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs matches all contributions made by an institution.

    Learn More

  • Merit Scholarships

    Entering first-year JD students are automatically considered for Merit Scholarships through the admissions process, these awards generally range from $15,750 to $38,000, with a few awards going up to full tuition.

    Merit Scholarships

Students Talking

Master's & LLM Scholarships

We are thrilled to offer various departmental scholarships that are available for Graduate Legal Studies students and are awarded by the admissions committee based on a student’s demonstrated ability. We recommend submitting all application materials as early as possible. 

All applicants are considered for merit scholarships. Admission decisions are made without regard to a student’s ability to meet the financial obligations of their individual program.

Students may also want to consider external sources of funding; explore the resources below for additional financial aid opportunities. 

tax scholarships - students talking

Tax Scholarships

We offer various merit scholarships to qualified applicants. All students are considered for these merit scholarships upon an initial application review by the admissions committee. We recommend submitting all application materials as soon as possible to be considered for the best scholarship opportunities. Students will be notified of any awards with their acceptance letters. 

Explore Tax Scholarships

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Continuing JD Students

Named Scholarships

Continuing JD students are encouraged to apply for our named scholarships, which are awarded on an annual basis and range from $1,000 to $25,000.

Named Scholarships

Retaining Scholarship Eligibility

 
  • Scholarship Renewal Requirements
    • Merit scholarships, except full-tuition awards, are renewable for up to 6 semesters for full-time students and up to 8 semesters for part-time students.
    • Full-tuition scholarships are renewable for up to 90 credits, except for dual-degree students for whom they are renewed for up to 80 credits.
    • Students starting in August 2019 or later:
      • If receiving the Chancellor's or Yegge Scholarships, must maintain good academic standing, defined as a 2.3 cumulative GPA.
      • If receiving the Sturm, Provost's, Dean's, and Crimson & Gold Scholarships, must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in order to retain scholarship funding (unless otherwise indicated in your admission letter/email).
        • At Denver Law, classes are graded on a curve. Based on last year’s grades, obtaining a 3.0 means that you are roughly in the top 85% of your class after the first year.
    • Students starting before August 2019:
      • Students receiving scholarships must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in order to retain scholarship funding.
        • At Denver Law, classes are graded on a curve. Based on last year’s grades, obtaining a 3.0 means that you are roughly in the top 85% of your class after the first year.
  • Scholarship Probation and Cancellation

    For students who start at Denver Law in August 2019 or later, the Office of Financial Management will verify GPAs after the end of the first academic year, and every fall and spring semester thereafter. If, after the first 2 semesters, your cumulative GPA falls below the required GPA indicated in your admission letter/email, you will receive 1 semester of probationary scholarship eligibility. If you are receiving a Chancellor or Yegge Scholarship, and your cumulative GPA falls below a 2.3, you will receive 1 semester of probationary scholarship eligibility.

    For students who started at Denver Law in August 2018, the Office of Financial Management will verify GPAs after the end of the first academic year, and every fall and spring semester thereafter. If, after the first 2 semesters, your cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0, you will receive 1 semester of probationary scholarship eligibility. For students who started at Denver Law before August 2018, the Office of Financial Management will verify GPAs after the each fall and spring semester. If your cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0 after 1 semester, you will receive 1 semester of probationary scholarship eligibility.

    During the probationary semester, you will retain your scholarship and must raise your cumulative GPA to the requirement listed above. If you are successful in raising your GPA, you would continue to be eligible for your scholarship, so long as you maintain that cumulative GPA. You have only 1 semester of probation, so if your cumulative GPA drops below the requirement a second time, your scholarship will be canceled.

    If you do not raise your cumulative GPA as required during the probationary period, your scholarship will be canceled. Once canceled, the scholarship will not be reinstated, even if you raise your cumulative GPA above the requirement in a later term.

    The Office of Financial Management will notify you via email if your scholarship is placed on probation or canceled. Notifications are sent after grades become available for the fall and spring semesters, typically in late-January and late-June.

    In some cases, a scholarship may be canceled after it has already disbursed to your student account. In this case, you will be left with a balance on your account for which you are responsible. You can cover this balance with your own funds or by borrowing additional funding through student loans.

  • Extenuating Circumstances

    Scholarship Cancellation
    If your scholarship is canceled and you have extenuating circumstances surrounding your inability to obtain the necessary cumulative GPA, you may appeal the cancellation to the Scholarship Committee in writing.

    Appeals must be received by the deadline established by the Office of Financial Management; deadlines are included in the emailed notification of scholarship cancellation.

    Each appeal is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Scholarship Committee. Appeal decisions are emailed to students within 3 weeks of the appeal submission deadline. Appeal decisions are final.

    Scholarship Duration
    In certain circumstances, students may appeal, in writing, to the Scholarship Committee to have their scholarship eligibility extended beyond the 6 or 8 semester limit.

    If approved, the appeal would not increase the total amount of the scholarship but would allow a student to receive the scholarship amount over an additional semester or semesters.

  • Scholarship Retention Data

    The chart below lists the number of students who entered Denver Law with a merit scholarship in each of the last three years and the number of students who subsequently had their scholarship canceled or reduced.

    Students Matriculating in Number of Merit Scholarships Awarded Number of Scholarships Canceled after 1st Year
    Fall 2019 158 6
    Fall 2018 144 13
    Fall 2017 129 6

Contact

 

Office of Financial Management