Scholarships

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 in fall 2027.
  
  This opportunity, made possible by Donald Sturm, LLB’58, and the Sturm Family Foundation, is a continued display of their long-standing commitment to the University of Denver.
  
  Sturm started his legal education at the University of Denver Law School in 1955, graduated in 1958 and has been a long-time supporter and visionary leader of the University of Denver. He and his wife, Susan, made a significant contribution in 2004, which resulted in renaming the school as the Sturm College of Law. Sturm’s support enables the law school to continue providing an exceptional legal education at the nation’s most ascendant law school.
  
  The Sturm Family Foundation was established in 1990 by Donald and Susan Sturm. Their children, Stephen Sturm and Emily Sturm, are currently co-managing directors. The mission of the Sturm Family Foundation is to support nonprofits that provide valuable and impactful services and programs to their local communities. The Foundation seeks to further the public good in a way that holds true to its family's values while supporting a diverse array of organizations.

  Eligibility:

  • First-year students
  • Automatic consideration
  • Preference towards first generation college students
  • Financial need
  • LSAT score of 160 or above
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.60 or above
  • Limited availability

  Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for more details.

• Chancellor's Scholarship Program

  The Chancellor’s Scholarship Program awards a limited number of full-tuition scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in public interest law.

  Scholarship recipients typically have an exemplary academic record and demonstrate, through their academic or professional history, significant public service activities prior to coming to law school.

  The Chancellor’s Scholarship Application for the Fall 2027 admissions cycle is open and can be completed here. You must complete your Chancellors Scholarship Application and Admissions Application by January 15th to be considered for the scholarship.

  All applications must be submitted through DocuSign. If you experience issues with DocuSign, please contact the Financial Management Office at law-financialmanagement@du.edu or 303-871-6557. You must sign and submit the document with the required attachments before your Chancellor's Scholarship application is complete. Upon submission, you can download a completed copy of the application for your records. 

  Eligibility and Application Process

  Eligibility:

  • First-time JD student
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.6 or higher
  • LSAT score of 161 or higher
     

  Application Process:

  • Apply for JD admission by January 15th  
  • Gather your materials:
    • An essay of no more than 1,000 words that describes your experience, emphasizing your public interest involvement;
    • A resume that lists all previous public interest involvement along with work experience and other activities; and
    • One letter of recommendations from a person familiar with your past or present public interest activities.
  • Complete the Chancellor’s Scholarship Application here by January 15th.
     

  Program Requirements

  Chancellor’s Scholars must demonstrate their commitment to the public interest throughout their time at Denver Law.  As a condition of the scholarship, students are required to complete 300 hours of public service work, whether legal or non-legal, prior to graduation.

  To learn more about this requirement, including examples of possible work, please contact Associate Dean Alexi Freeman at alexi.freeman@du.edu.

  Chancellor's Scholars Student Organization

  The Chancellor’s Scholars student organization is the student-run service and social arm of the scholarship program. Through the organization, the Scholars network with each other through social events and a formal mentoring program that matches first year scholars with their second- and third-year counterparts. The Scholars run themselves like other organizations on campus, hosting events and speakers, while organizing service opportunities in the community.

• Yellow Ribbon Program
  

  The Sturm College of Law is proud to support American Military Veterans through the Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides matching funds for tuition expenses. Starting in the Fall 2023 semester, the Sturm College of Law will cover tuition costs for eligible veterans over the GI Bill cap, making us a fully-funded Yellow Ribbon institution. 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. If you are 100% GI Bill eligible, then the Yellow Ribbon Program and the Sturm College of Law will cover your full tuition and fees. More information on VA benefits can be found at benefits.va.gov/gibill.
  
  Since 2016, DU’s community of student veterans, dependents, active-duty service members, and reservists has steadily grown to close to 500 individuals. And we are proud that DU routinely ranks as a top-100 school for veterans and active-duty service members. This is in large part thanks to our Veterans and Military Resource department, which is dedicated to connecting the veteran community at DU, providing student and career mentorship, as well as support resources and much more.
  
  Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for more details.

  GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

• Merit Scholarships

  All admitted students are automatically considered for merit scholarships. Students who are selected as recipients of a merit scholarship are notified of their award through the admission email. We do not offer a scholarship negotiation or appeal process. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, which includes your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. Scholarship funds are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you should apply early to ensure that funds are available.

  Eligibility:

  • First-year students
  • Automatic consideration
  • Based on undergraduate GPA and LSAT score

  These awards pay for College of Law tuition only and are renewable for up to 6 semesters for full-time students and 8 semesters for part-time students. Information about scholarship retention is available at Retaining Scholarship Eligibility.

  Available Scholarships for the 2026 – 2027 Academic Year

  	Annual Award Amount*
  Scholarship Name	Full-Time Student	Part-Time Student
  Crimson & Gold Scholarship	$26,000	$19,500
  Dean's Scholarship	$34,000	$25,500
  Provost's Scholarship	$45,000	$33,750

  *The part-time student annual amount is less due to the fact that it is renewed for an additional year. The total value of the scholarship is the same for full and part-time students. Example based on the Dean’s Scholarship: A full-time student would receive 3 awards of $34,000 (or $102,000). A part-time student would receive 4 annual awards of $25,500 (also $102,000).

  Merit scholarships are funded from various sources, including: University funds and gift or endowed scholarship funds. The dollar amount awarded from scholarship funds will not change from year to year but the source of funding may change. Students who are selected to receive a named scholarship will be asked to write a thank you letter to the donor and to attend our annual scholarship reception.

Private Scholarship Opportunities

AccessLex Institute maintains the AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank, a free, comprehensive, and continuously updated database of over 800 scholarships specifically relevant to law students and law school applicants. This tool allows users to search by eligibility criteria, geographic preference, practice area interest, and more.

Visit here to learn how receiving a private scholarship may affect your aid.

AccessLex Private Scholarship Databank

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.