Special Scholarships for Entering J.D. Students

Southwestern Law School maintains several scholarship programs for entering J.D. students (both first-year and transfer). Applicants who are admitted to the J.D. program are automatically considered for these scholarships and do not need to apply separately or request special consideration for them. All the following scholarships are merit-based and are awarded based on the strength of an applicant’s application file overall, not on financial need.

For inquiries regarding these merit-based scholarships, please contact the Southwestern Law School Admissions Office. For inquiries regarding aid available based on financial need, please contact the Southwestern Law School Financial Aid Office.

NOTE: A student may not receive scholarship funds from Southwestern in excess of current tuition. Exceptions may be made in rare circumstances.

  1. Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship for Entering First-Year J.D. Students / Conditional Scholarship Information

    The Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship is Southwestern’s most generous scholarship program, providing funds toward tuition that can be renewed for each year of a student’s program. Awards can be as high as full tuition for the duration of the normal length of a student’s program.

    Initial Eligibility

    The Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded only to entering first-year J.D. students. Awards and scholarship amounts are based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider. For detailed information about eligibility please review the Wildman/Schumacher Eligibility PDF (in sidebar).

    Annual Renewal

    Wildman/Schumacher Scholarships are renewable scholarships, meaning that the scholarship recipient is able to receive a set annual award upon meeting the renewal criteria each year. Currently, the primary renewal criterion for entering students is to maintain a minimum 3.0 law school GPA following their first academic year. Full renewal criteria, examples, and details can be found in the Wildman/Schumacher Eligibility PDF (in sidebar).

    This chart details the renewal rates for the three most recent classes as they moved on to their second year.

      2019-2020* 2020-2021 2021-2022
    Awarded 176 204 222
    Kept 114 97 119
    Lost 62 107 103
    % Kept 64.77 47.55 53.60
    % Lost 35.23 52.45 46.40

    *Due to the pandemic, Southwestern decided to allow all students (with the exception of 1Ls not in good academic standing after the spring 2020 semester) to keep their conditional scholarships at the end of spring 2020 and assess continued eligibility following fall 2020 (or, for SCALE students, following Period 5). Following fall 2020, 114 (64.77%) of the entering 2019 Wildman/Schumacher scholarship recipients kept their scholarships, and 62 (35.23%) lost their scholarships.

     

  2. Southwestern Admissions Scholarship

    The Southwestern Admissions Scholarship provides funds toward tuition for a student’s first academic year at Southwestern. The award is not renewable for subsequent years. The Southwestern Admissions Scholarship can range in amount from a few thousand dollars to full tuition for the first year of a student’s program.

    Eligibility

    The Southwestern Admissions Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded only to entering first-year J.D. students. Awards and scholarship amounts are based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider.

     

  3. Southwestern Admissions Scholarship for First-Generation Law Students

    The Southwestern Admissions Scholarship for First-Generation Law Students is available to entering students who are the first in their family to attend post-secondary education and is meant to recognize the significant achievement of these students and the particular obstacles they have overcome to reach the goal of entering law school. This scholarship provides funds toward tuition for a student’s first academic year at Southwestern. The award is not renewable for subsequent years.

    Eligibility

    The Southwestern Admissions Scholarship for First-Generation Law Students is a merit-based scholarship awarded only to entering first-year J.D. students who are the first in their family to attend postsecondary education. Awards and scholarship amounts are based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider.

     

  4. Dean Arthur J. Abbott Housing Scholarship

    The Dean Arthur J. Abbott Housing Scholarship is available to entering students choosing to live in Southwestern’s on-campus student apartments, The Residences at 7th. The scholarship provides partial funds toward rental rates at The Residences and is awarded for a student’s first academic year only, meaning it is not renewable for subsequent years.

    NOTE ON INCOME TAXATION OF HOUSING SCHOLARSHIPS: Recipients are advised that housing scholarships constitute taxable income for federal and state income tax purposes.

    Eligibility

    The Dean Arthur J. Abbott Housing Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded only to entering first-year J.D. students. Awarding is based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider. The recipient must also choose to lease an apartment at Southwestern’s on-campus student apartments, The Residences at 7th, and meet all criteria for on-campus housing, including completing the application, paying the application fee, posting the security deposit for damage to the apartment, and meeting credit criteria for rent not covered by the scholarship.

     

  5. First-Year Book Scholarship

    The First-Year Book Scholarship provides funds to cover the cost of required books and other required printed materials during the first year of a student’s academic program at Southwestern.

    The award is not renewable for subsequent years. The exact value of the First-Year Book Scholarship depends upon the cost of required printed materials, which varies by year and depends on prices set by publishers, printers, booksellers, and the titles selected by a student’s particular professors. However, estimated values are as follows:

    Program Estimated Cost of Required Printed Materials for the 2022-2023 Academic Year
    Traditional Day (3 years) $1,800.00
    Part-time Programs (4 years) $1,000.00
    SCALE (2 years) $2,800.00

    Eligibility

    The First-Year Book Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded only to entering first-year J.D. students. Awarding is based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider.

    Redemption Terms

    The First-Year Book Scholarship may only be redeemed through the Southwestern Law School Bookstore. As each academic year approaches, Southwestern's Financial Aid Office will provide a list of First-Year Book Scholarship recipients to the bookstore. Once the bookstore has the required books and printed materials in stock, and has received the list of recipients from the Financial Aid Office, recipients may then arrange to redeem their scholarship for their books and materials. Recipients cannot be reimbursed for books or materials purchased outside the Southwestern Law School Bookstore. In the event a recipient chooses not to attend Southwestern after receiving their books or materials, the books or materials must be returned.

     

  6. Academic Achievement Scholarship for Entering Transfer J.D. Students

    Southwestern awards a select number of scholarships for students who transfer into the J.D. program.  Criteria include strong performance at their prior law school, strong undergraduate grade point average and Law School Admission Test scores, leadership potential and other outstanding personal accomplishments, and other factors. Awards are renewable for students who meet the continuing academic performance requirements.

    Based upon a review of the information submitted in their admissions application files, all admitted transfer J.D. applicants are considered for Academic Achievement Scholarships. Admitted applicants do not need to submit a separate application for Academic Achievement Scholarship consideration. For detailed information about eligibility and renewal terms, please review the Academic Achievement Scholarship Eligibility PDF (in sidebar).

  7. Southwestern Change-Maker Scholarship for Entering First-Year J.D. Students

    The Southwestern Change-Maker Scholarship provides funds toward tuition that can be renewed for each year of a student’s program. Awards can be as high as full tuition for the duration of the normal length of a student’s program.

    Initial Eligibility

    The Southwestern Change-Maker Scholarship is a merit-based award granted only to entering first-year J.D. students. Awarding decisions are based on undergraduate grades, LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, and other factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider. For detailed information about eligibility please review the Southwestern Change-Maker Eligibility PDF (in the sidebar).  

    Annual Renewal

    The Southwestern Change-Maker Scholarship is a renewable scholarship, meaning that the scholarship recipient is able to receive a set annual award upon meeting the renewal criteria each year. Currently, the primary renewal criterion for entering students is to maintain a minimum 2.330 law school GPA following their first academic year.  Full renewal criteria, examples, and details can be found in the Southwestern Change-Maker Eligibility PDF (in the sidebar).