As students prepare to return to school in the fall, one Ivy League law school has a new scholarship aimed at expanding access to legal education by eliminating tuition for students with financial need.
Yale Law School’s Hurst Horizon Scholarship will eliminate tuition and fees and medical care costs for law students with the greatest financial need. This is the first scholarship of its kind, creating new conversations about what law schools can do to diversify the legal profession.
Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken, the first woman to hold the role, told ABC News the scholarship was necessary. “We have so many people from low-income backgrounds who don’t go to law school to try to make a difference because of the debt that’s coming out the other side of them,” she said.
The scholarship will be awarded to all Juris Doctor students whose family income is below the federal poverty guidelines and whose assets are below $150,000. The law school told ABC News that more than 45 students this fall will be eligible for more than $70,000 a year to cover tuition, expenses and health insurance.
The goal of the program is to get lawyers to better reflect the state’s demographics and change the demographics of the legal landscape by setting the tone for other top law schools to eliminate tuition, the school says. According to the American Bar Association’s 2021 report, lawyers of color make up only 14.6% of the legal profession.
A sign outside the Yale Law School on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
Other Ivy League law schools have made similar efforts in recent years.
In May, Stanford Law School announced it was eliminating tuition for low-income students.
A spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School told ABC News that the school has increased financial aid by more than 60% over the past five years, raised $2.5 million to support its first-generation professional scholarships and is committed to increased financial support over the next five years. for more than 8 million dollars.
Meanwhile, a Harvard Law School spokesperson told ABC that the school “provides 100 percent need-based financial aid, and grant spending has doubled over the past decade.”
Gerken says the Yale Law scholarship offers much-needed benefits for the legal profession.
“If you really just think about this generation and what they’re facing, this generation has inherited problems that are impossible to solve,” Gerken said. “And it’s the job of law schools to teach them how to solve that. You can’t do that without everyone sitting around the table.”
According to the U.S. News and World Report in fall 2020 the average percentage of minority students was 28.5% among 189 law schools surveyed.
“We also still have a system where law students of color graduate with a disproportionately higher loan burden,” James G. Leipold, executive director of the National Law Association, told ABC News.
Two decades ago, Leipold said, “Much of institutional discretionary financial aid has moved from a need-based environment to a merit-based environment, to the great detriment, I think, of all colleges.”
He said the change was driven by competition for SAT and LSAT scores. Universities began giving scholarships to high-scoring people so they could rank their universities or law schools well, Leipold said.
Gerken said the idea for the Hurst Horizon Scholarship came about in 2016 during a conversation between students. Rakim H.D. Brooks, a first-generation law student who grew up in public housing in New York City, moderated a talk that evening for students who have relaunched Yale’s First Generation Professionals program, a group for students who are the first in their families to attend school .
Yale Law Dean Heather Gerken talks with Rakim H. D. Brooks at the 2019 Yale University Alumni Weekend.
During this conversation, Gerken noticed that many students saw law school debt as a family or community debt. “I realized that it’s time for legal education to change if it really wants to achieve equitable access and affordability,” she said.
Brooks, who is now president of the nonprofit Alliance for Justice, said the new scholarship, named after founding donors Soledad and Robert Hurst, will allow future law students to follow their passions.
He says it’s “quintessentially American to give the hardest working class and poor kids the best opportunities, and that’s what this scholarship will do.”
Gerken said she believes this scholarship is just the beginning of Yale’s mission to diversify the legal profession and “create a generation of lawyers and leaders who reflect our society.”
What GPA is required for Yale?

In reality, you need almost a 4.0 unweighted GPA to get into Yale. Read also : Janitorial Services, Cable Installation, and Door-by-Door and Internet Sales Industries Did Not Work Well Last Month: May 2022 IC Legal News Update.. This means almost exactly as in every class.
Is a 3.9 GPA good for Yale? The average high school GPA for accepted students at Yale University is 4.13 on a 4.0 scale. (You can calculate your high school GPA here.) This is a very competitive GPA, and Yale University clearly admits students at the top of their high school class.
What is the lowest GPA Yale will accept?
You must also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you must make up for it with a higher SAT/ACT score. On the same subject : Op-Ed: Law applies to these candidates, too – Coeur d'Alene Press. For a school as selective as Yale, you’ll need to impress them with the rest of your application as well.
What’s the lowest GPA Harvard takes?
To get into Harvard your GPA must be at least 4.0 and even then if you get into Harvard they only require a GPA of at least 4.18.
What is the lowest GPA you will accept?
Unofficially, a 2.0 is the lowest GPA accepted into a standard college, so while there is a chance that college admission is possible, it’s unlikely to be at more than a few institutions.
What is the lowest GPA to get into Yale?
Most students admitted to Yale have an unweighted GPA of 4.19 or higher. You might be thinking, “How can students have GPAs higher than a 4.0?” Some high schools grade advanced courses like APs differently, using a 5.0 scale instead of a 4.0 scale.
What is a good GPA for Yale?
Most students admitted to Yale have an unweighted GPA of 4. On the same subject : UN Report: reduce systemic racism among law enforcement – JURIST – News.19 or higher.
Can I get into Yale with a 5.0 GPA?
In reality, students will need about a 4.0 to get into Yale. There’s no denying that this is a tall order, but anyone looking to apply to—or attend—Yale is definitely up for a little challenge.
What GPA is an A at Yale?
A letter | Value |
---|---|
A | 4:00 a.m |
A – | 3.67 |
B | 3.33 |
B | 3:00 a.m |
Can I get into Yale with a 3.5 GPA?
A 3.5 GPA will be very competitive, and it is reasonable to expect admission to many colleges, but it is not the most competitive at places like Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, which on average accept students with GPAs above 4.0.
Can I get into Yale with a 5.0 GPA?
In reality, students will need about a 4.0 to get into Yale. There’s no denying that this is a tall order, but anyone looking to apply to—or attend—Yale is definitely up for a little challenge.
What is the average GPA of accepted students at Yale?
The average high school GPA of accepted freshmen at Yale University was 3.95 on a 4.0 scale, indicating that mostly A-students are accepted and eventually attend. The school ranks first in Connecticut for highest average GPA.
What weighted GPA is required for Yale?
If your school doesn’t weight GPAs, try to get as close as possible to a 4.0 in all your classes and your overall GPA. If your school weights grade point averages, aim for a weighted grade point average of 4.13 or higher to get into a competitive spot for admission to Yale.
What is the lowest GPA that Yale accepts?
How to get to Yale University
- Score at least 1510 on the SAT or 102 on the ACT.
- Maintain a GPA of at least 4.13.
What is the cheapest law school?

Ranking of the 10 most affordable law schools
- University of Georgia.
- University of Montana. …
- University of North Dakota. …
- University of the District of Columbia. …
- CUNY School of Law. Long Island City, New York. …
- Southern University Law Center. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. …
- University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. …
Are there free law schools in the US? Yale Law School has become the first law institution to waive tuition for J.D. students living below the poverty line. Yale Law School on Monday became the first and only law school in the country to offer free law school to students with the greatest financial need.
What is the cheapest online law school?
Rank | School | Average net price |
---|---|---|
#1 | American public university system | $10,995 |
#2 | University of Central Florida | 11,617 dollars |
#3 | Fort Hays State University | 12,108 dollars |
#4 | Western Carolina University | $12,965 |
Are there any legit online law schools?
University of St. Mary’s and its law school announced today that it is the first law school in the nation to be approved to offer a fully online J.D. program accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Are online law schools worth?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top 10% of lawyers earn more than $208,000. A growing number of online or hybrid J.D. programs can allow you to earn a law degree while keeping your current job. Distance learning opens up more schools for you to choose from.
Is Yale generous with financial aid?

Financial Aid Highlights. All Yale undergraduate financial aid is awarded based on financial need. Yale meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
Does Yale give a lot of money? Yale awards all financial aid based on financial need. Students who qualify for financial aid receive a need-based Yale scholarship that can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $65,000 per year.
Which Ivy League is most generous with financial aid?
#1: Harvard University Note that these are averages of students attending Ivy League institutions and do not necessarily represent what your student would pay to attend such an institution.
Which Ivy League schools give the most financial aid?
Over the period for which data is available, Yale awarded aid at the highest rate, awarding money to an average of 93 percent of students who applied, while Dartmouth awarded aid at the lowest rate, awarding money to 87 percent of those students on average. who asked.
Do Ivy Leagues give good financial aid?
The Ivy League is known for its generous financial aid. Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale actually promise to meet 100% of a family’s demonstrated financial need without using loans in their financial aid packages.
What is the average financial aid package for Yale?
Yale University’s average financial aid plan for incoming first-year students is $60,883. About 56.0% of new students receive some form of financial aid, mostly scholarships and bursaries.
How much is a full ride scholarship to Yale?
The Yale University Scholarship 2022 is a fully funded scholarship for international students. This scholarship is available for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies. A Yale scholarship can vary from a few hundred dollars to more than $70,000 a year; the average Yale need-based scholarship is more than $50,000.
Does Yale give a lot of financial aid?
According to the university, “more than 50% of Yale students receive need-based aid from Yale and 64% receive financial aid from Yale or an outside source.” The Yale Admissions website states that the average scholarship for Yale students was approximately $52,800 for tuition year 2018-2019.
What financial aid does Yale offer?
The main component of Yale undergraduate gift aid is the Yale Scholarship, a type of need-based scholarship, but the financial aid award may include other scholarships and outside scholarships. For costs not covered by scholarships and grants, students and their families have options such as on-campus employment and education loans.
Is Yale good with financial aid?
Every family’s financial situation is unique, and our staff conducts a comprehensive review of each application for assistance. A Yale financial aid award covers 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need based on the estimated cost of attendance and the calculated expected family contribution.
What percentage of students at Yale are on financial aid?
Yale University Financial Aid Statistics In addition, 59% of first-year students received need-based financial aid in Fall 2019.
What is the average financial aid at Yale?
What percentage of students receive financial aid? Yale University’s average financial aid plan for incoming first-year students is $60,883. About 56.0% of new students receive some form of financial aid, mostly scholarships and bursaries.
Which Law School gives the most scholarships?

Law school | Total number of full-time students | Total number of full-time students receiving scholarships |
---|---|---|
American University | 1025 | 773 |
Appalachian School of Law | 171 | 102 |
Arizona State University | 817 | 693 |
University of Arizona | 375 | 341 |
How can I study law in Switzerland? Law degrees in Switzerland In order to become lawyers in Switzerland, students must complete a three-year law degree (LLB). However, a subsequent two-year master’s degree in law is also required for admission to the bar and entry into practice.