Returning to school as an older student or pursuing a degree as an older student takes guts. To help keep up that motivation among older students they are offered scholarships to support the cost of their education. In this blog post, I have curated a list of law school scholarships for older students who wish to pursue a career in law to get free funding.
An older student or a mature student is an individual that begins their undergraduate degree after 21 years old. There are many reasons that could make one an older student but the common reasons would be lack of finance to start their education early, dropping out due to lack of finance, lack of motivation to pursue a degree, or completing a degree in a discipline and coming back for a second degree to pursue a new career.
Whatever the reason may be as long as you qualify as an older student, there are scholarship opportunities out there just waiting for you to find and get them irrespective of the field you wish to study. But this blog post concentrates on just the law school scholarships for older students, so if you wish to pursue a career in the legal profession as an older student, the scholarships curated here can support the cost of your law studies.
Do you know what is awesome about this? You are not just limited to applying for scholarships for older students, you can also apply for other general scholarships that are not age specific. What this means is that you can apply for law school scholarships for older students and still qualify to apply for one of the full-ride law school scholarships and for the law school scholarships for minorities if you are one.
In another case, you can apply for the scholarships curated here and still be eligible to apply for a scholarship with a specific age gap that you fall into like the scholarships for women over 30. I am putting all of these out here so that you can know that there are so many scholarship opportunities for you as a mature student and it isn’t just for younger students or higher school graduates alone as you may have thought before reading this article.
If you were unable to complete law school due to lack of funds or motivation and had to drop out or you couldn’t start at all these law scholarships curated here will be of great value to you. When you apply and get the funding, it can be applied towards your tuition for law school thereby making the cost of your education cheaper.
With this funding, you can rest assured of pursuing your dream as a world-class attorney at a law school that suits you best. Without any further ado, let’s dive into the main topic.
Table of Contents
Law School Scholarships for Older Students
Law school scholarships for older students come from a variety of sources including universities and colleges, state and federal government, law associations and organizations, and law firms. From my research, there are no law school scholarships for older students so I curated this list from law school scholarships that are not age specific and from general scholarships for older students.
Yes, they still pass as law school scholarships for older students, and without any further ado, let’s get into them.
- Northern Michigan University (NMU) Senior Citizen Scholarship
- Western Kentucky University (WKU) Senior Citizen’s Scholarship
- The University of North Dakota (UND) Law School Scholarships
- Russell Alexander Law Scholarship
- Texas A&M University School of Law Scholarships & Non-resident Tuition Waivers
- Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program
- Executive Women International (EWI) Adult Students in Scholastic Transition (ASIST)
- First – Scholars Fund
- Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant
- Kline School of Law Public Interest Law Scholarship Program
1. Northern Michigan University (NMU) Senior Citizen Scholarship
The NMU Senior Citizen Scholarship is one of the scholarships for older students who wish to pursue an on-campus degree program at NMU. You have to be 62 years or older to be eligible for this award. It is not tied to a specific discipline or program of study so even if it is law you wish to study at NMU you can still qualify for the award.
And talking about the scholarship award, it is a full-tuition scholarship but it does not cover books or fees. If you are 62 years or older and want to attend law school, consider NMU so that you can qualify for the Senior Citizen Scholarship award and never worry about the cost of tuition for three years of law school.
2. Western Kentucky University (WKU) Senior Citizen’s Scholarship
Here is another scholarship just like the one above, it is tied to a specific academic program at WKU but senior citizens who wish to return or start law school are eligible for the award. However, only Kentucky residents who are 65 years or older are eligible and it is for an undergraduate or graduate program which includes law.
3. The University of North Dakota (UND) Law School Scholarships
At UND, you will find a wide range of scholarships, endowments, grants, and awards that are designed to support your law education at UND Law School. They are more than 20 of these scholarships but the good thing is none of them are age specific which makes older students qualify for them.
In fact, older students would qualify more for such scholarships because at the time you apply for law school, you should be above 21 years old. Each of the scholarships has its specific requirements but the downside is that you cannot apply for any of them instead you will automatically be considered for one of the awards through your application for admission into UND Law School.
Follow the link below to learn more about each of the scholarships and then draft your admission application to fit into one or more of the scholarships. This is a rare tip to qualify for scholarships that do not require a separate application.
4. Russell Alexander Law Scholarship
The Russell Alexander Law Scholarship was established in 2017 by the Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers. It is awarded annually to support students – irrespective of their age – who want to pursue a legal career in Canada or are already enrolled in a law degree program. In addition to the criteria, you must have an average of 80% or higher to be eligible for the award.
The scholarship value is $2,500 in total where $2,000 is directed towards tuition and $500 is directed towards school supplies of your choice such as textbooks and notebooks. This is an example of one of the law scholarships that I mentioned earlier that are not age specific which makes everyone in all age brackets eligible to apply including older students.
5. Texas A&M University School of Law Scholarships & Non-resident Tuition Waivers
Here is another law school scholarship that older students can apply for since it is not age-specific, and besides, by the time you are applying for law school, you are already an older student.
Texas A&M University School of Law is a leader in preparing students for law school ranked at No. 29 in Best Law Schools by US News & World Report. Texas A&M School of Law provides merit-based scholarships to all J.D. applicants upon admission therefore no separate application is required.
The scholarship is renewable for two more years but only if the recipient maintains the criteria for renewal. The funding is only directed towards tuition and fees and is available for use during the fall and spring terms only. Non-residents are also eligible for the merit-based scholarship but it comes as an exemption from paying non-resident tuition and related fees for the semester(s) in which the scholarship is awarded.
6. Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program
If you are an older student who wishes to attend one of the best law schools in the world and has financial need, then tap into Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program.
Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program is a scholarship program established by Yale Law School of Yale University, and it is offered every year. This is a full-tuition scholarship that covers the total cost of tuition, offered to J.D. students that demonstrate financial need. The aim of the program is to offer J.D. students who cannot afford a world-class J.D. program an opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich academic experience that Yale Law School offers.
Applicants are considered if they are from families whose income is up to 200% of the federal poverty guideline, their family’s assets are below $150,000, and the student is in good academic standing. The Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program is a need-based type of scholarship that means you or your family’s financial documents will be required as part of the application.
7. Executive Women International (EWI) Adult Students in Scholastic Transition (ASIST)
Adults who are facing economic, social, or physical challenges but want to improve their situation by getting a degree are welcome to apply for the EWI ASIST scholarship. The value is between $2,000 to $10,000 and can be used at any institution for any program.
You can leverage this award as an adult who wants to attend law school. Apply for this scholarship, qualify for the funding, and apply it towards your law school education. It is only for women and it is offered yearly.
8. First – Scholars Fund
Older students who are the first in their families to attend college or attend law school are eligible to apply for the First—Scholars Fund but it is tenable only at Georgia School of Law. There is no separate application for the scholarship, rather applicants are assessed through the personal statement they submitted when applying for a place at the University of Georgia School of Law.
The personal statement will be screened to seek those who commit to service, community building, and problem-solving. The award is a partial scholarship applied to the student’s tuition fee from the first year and will continue for 3 more years. There will also be a stipend for the 3 years of law school to support students’ career development, professional attire, travel, and bar preparation expenses.
9. Jeannette Rankin National Scholar Grant
This grant provides unrestricted non-tuition funding and support for women and nonbinary students across the US who are 35 years or older. As an older student, you can apply for this scholarship and direct the funding towards your law school education at an accredited law school in the US.
The fund is distributed directly to recipients and is renewable for up to 5 years.
10. Kline School of Law Public Interest Law Scholarship Program
Older students returning to pursue a career in public interest law can apply for the above-named scholarship program to get the funding they need to support their education.
Kline School of Law is the law school of Drexel University and provides scholarships to 5 students each year who are selected by the faculty committee. The scholarship award is up to a full-tuition thus you won’t have to worry about tuition while studying for a public interest program at Kline School of Law.
Aside from the monetary funding, scholarship recipients will also receive a personal public interest lawyer mentor, and invitation to participate in a Public Interest Colloquium, public interest research opportunities, and selection priority for co-ops and clinics. Those interested in this award are required to attach the scholarship addendum to their law school application.
Conclusion
In addition to exploring the scholarships provided here and others that are recommended, you should also look into federal financial aid. According to Forbes, there is no age limit to receiving federal financial aid, including federal grants or student loans. As long as you complete the FAFSA and renew it yearly, you are on track to qualify for federal financial aid and you can use the funding for your law school education.
One of the perks of scholarships for mature or older students is that they are not competitive compared to scholarships for high school graduates. And the reason for this is that many people don’t know they exist and there are way more high school graduates applying for college than older students returning to school, therefore, the majority of such scholarships go to waste annually.
This ultimately increases your chances of securing a scholarship as an older student without going through the stress of beating any competitors.
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