Applying for Scholarships
Section 2
Scholarship Applications
Duke Law School awards three-year scholarships on the basis of academic merit, personal achievement, and need to entering first-year law students only. Many Duke Law School scholarship awards are made available by the allocation of University general funds, as well as the generosity of donors.
To apply for a scholarship, admitted students should complete the Scholarship Application Form included in the admission packet and located on the admitted students website. This form allows admitted applicants to choose whether they would like apply for a scholarship based on merit or on merit and financial need.
Applicants who have unique circumstances should complete the form to the best of their ability and attach an addendum to highlight special issues not addressed by the Scholarship Application Form.
Some scholarship candidates are selected each year to receive special recognition as named scholars. Applicants are considered for these scholarships based on their scholarship application; no separate application is necessary. The most significant scholarship offered by Duke Law School is the Samuel Fox Mordecai Scholarship. It is a merit-based scholarship that covers full tuition for three years of law school. The scholarship is designed to recognize and continue to nurture outstanding leaders. Recipients are selected based on their academic records and demonstrated accomplishments.
Admitted students are encouraged to apply for scholarship funding as early as possible. Materials submitted late in the admissions decision process will put the student at a disadvantage; as our funding is limited, we may not be able to fund late applicants.
External Scholarship Opportunities
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of external scholarship opportunities and services. The internet is a valuable tool to use in search of scholarships from organizations outside the Law School, such as non-profit, civic, and faith-based organizations. The Office of Financial Aid maintains a list of applicable external scholarship opportunities at http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/financial/extscholarship. Additionally, we recommend that you perform searches through local and state Bar Associations.