Named Scholarships

Application Requirements || Frequently Asked Questions || List of All Named Scholarships

Named Scholarships are available to current JD students only. New and prospective students should review our first-year scholarship opportunities. Students in the LLM or Master’s programs should contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for information on scholarship opportunities.

Applications for named awards are collected two times per year: September and February. We currently collect applications for about 55 scholarships each year. Most scholarships are awarded in the Spring Semester (about 50) and a much smaller number of awards are made in the Fall (2-3).

Scholarship award criteria are determined by each donor, read through the scholarship descriptions to see if you qualify. Total scholarship awards (which can consist of multiple Named Scholarships) vary in amount from year to year, last year total awards ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with most in the $2,000 to $4,000 range.

Application Requirements:

• You must apply online for each scholarship in which you are interested; we cannot take emailed or paper applications.
• Attach a current resume.
• Attach a personal statement that describes how you meet the criteria for the scholarship for which you are applying.
• Some scholarships require additional documents, read the scholarship description to determine if additional documents are necessary.
• Scholarships that require that you have “financial need” can only be awarded to students who file their FAFSA and demonstrate financial need.

Please note: Applications and application documents may be shared with donors or their representatives.

Fall Semester Applications

• Fall Semester applications must be submitted by October 15th.
• Awards will be made in November for the Spring Semester; scholarship recipients will be notified by email if selected for a scholarship.

Spring Semester Applications

• Spring Semester applications must be submitted by February 17th.
• Awards will be made in May. Some awards may be awarded later in the summer. Scholarship recipients will be notified by email if selected for a scholarship

All Named Scholarship recipients are required to submit a thank you letter, photo and biographical paragraph to the Office of Alumni and Development. Recipients are also expected to attend a reception honoring the donors of Named Scholarships.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I write in my statement?
The key thing is to address the criteria in the scholarship description and let the Committee know a little bit about yourself and your plans in, and after, law school.

If the scholarship is for students with an interest in business law – you need to specifically highlight your interest in business law. Some possibilities to articulate are what drew you to that type of law, what you have done that demonstrates your interest in that type of law (internships, volunteer work, etc.), what you hope to do in that area of law.

The scholarship description just says “academic merit and financial need,” so what do I say in my statement?
Your transcript will show your GPA, and we get your financial need information from the FAFSA, but you can still talk about what academic accomplishments you are proud of and if you have unusual circumstances, such as a lot of medical bills which affect your financial need.

I don’t have a 3.9 GPA, should I even bother applying if the scholarship says “academic merit?”
Academic merit is relative. If five people apply for a scholarship and the highest GPA is 3.2, that person would have the most academic merit of the group. Another thing to remember is that most scholarships have other criteria. If you are deeply passionate about health law, and you articulate that passion in your statement, you may get a scholarship for health lawyers even if you have a lower GPA. As a general guideline, students receiving scholarships that require “academic merit,” usually have a GPA above 3.0.

Can I get more than one scholarship? What if I already have a scholarship?
Yes, you can get more than one Named Scholarship, and you can get Named Scholarships even if you were offered a scholarship when you started law school.

Can scholarships be used to cover books or living expenses?
No. Scholarships will only pay for Denver Law tuition.