Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships from external sources are a great way to finance your education while reducing self-help (loan and student/family contribution) dollar-for-dollar. We classify any outside scholarship that is not awarded by Yale Law School as an "outside resources." This includes private grants and scholarships, veteran’s and other military education benefits, and AmeriCorps benefits.

Outside scholarships reduce a student’s self-help dollar-for-dollar. The only exception is if the outside scholarship exceeds the entirety of the self-help portion of the financial aid award. An example of each scenario is below:

• A 1L student has demonstrated financial need of $82,300 and that need is initially met with the unit loan of $60,700 and a Yale Law Scholarship of $21,600. The student then receives a $25,000 scholarship from ABC Foundation.
  • The outside scholarship will reduce the student’s unit loan by $25,000. This will result in a new unit loan amount is $35,700. The Yale Law Scholarship is unchanged.
• A 1L student has a family contribution of $9,300 and demonstrated financial need of $82,300 and that need is initially met with the unit loan of $60,700 and a Yale Law Scholarship of $21,600. The student then receives a $70,000 scholarship from ABC Foundation.
  • The outside scholarship from ABC Foundation will reduce the student’s unit loan to $0; the family contribution will be reduced by $9,300 and the new family contribution is $0; and the Yale Law scholarship remains $21,700.

One starting place for finding outside scholarships is the database maintained by AccessLex, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting talented, purpose-driven students in their journey from aspiring lawyers to fulfilled professionals. The AccessLex database tracks many scholarships specific to law students. 

Please note that Yale Law School does not review or endorse the scholarships listed in the AccessLex database (or any other third-party source).

Special or endowed scholarships, such as those listed in the Law School Bulletin, are awarded only to students with demonstrated financial need. These scholarships do not change the recipient’s financial aid award; instead, they replace general funds with endowed funds. A student’s eligibility for specific endowed scholarships is assessed based on the FAAST form and therefore, no separate application is necessary.