Outside Scholarships

Applications for scholarships are available in the Office of Financial Aid. Students are encouraged to investigate scholarships from outside sources including libraries, employers, and civic organizations. Additional scholarship information is available at www.finaid.org.

Thomas F. Black Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Rhode Island Bar Foundation is offering a one-year, non-renewable award for full-time students who are Rhode Island residents entering their first year of law school in September 2009. Scholarship awards are exclusively for tuition and related expenses for those students in programs leading to the award of the L.L.B. or J.D. Each scholarship award will be made on the basis of demonstrated financial need, superior academic performance, community and public service and demonstrated contacts with and commitment to the State of Rhode Island. This year the Foundation intends to make two awards of $15,000 each. Applications must be received by March 20, 2009.

American Bar Association Legal Opportunity Scholarship

The ABA Scholarship Fund is intended to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to apply to law school and to provide financial assistance to the scholarship recipients. The fund will award $5000 annually to each recipient attending an ABA-accredited law school. Twenty awards will be made to entering first-year students and may be renewable for two additional years, resulting in financial assistance totaling $15,000 during each student's time in law school. Applications can be downloaded from the ABA website. Completed scholarship applications must be received no later than March 2, 2009.

National Federation of the Blind Scholarship

The annual National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program is solely for legally blind students; scholarships range from $3000 to $12000 and include additional gifts for each winner. By completing one scholarship application, eligible students apply for all 30 awards offered in the program. Applications will be available online; the submission deadline is March 31, 2009.

2008 Students for Change Essay Writing Contest

NLS Publishing is sponsoring the 2008 Students for Change Essay Contest. The top three essay winners will receive a $1000 scholarship towards tuition for Fall 2009. Students wishing to enter the contest are required to submit a 1000 to 2000 word essay describing "what the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president, means to you and your family". Students are encouraged to discuss this historic event with family members and include these discussions in their essay. Up to three photos may also be submitted. Essays will be reviewed by a group of judges selected by NLS Publishing and will be selected based upon: organization, content, quality of writing and originality. All entries must be accompanied by an Offical Entry Form and can be submitted via email, mail or file upload. Essays must be postmarked/received no later than January 20, 2009 before midnight.

Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
Scholarship Program for Law Students

The Puerto Rican Bar Association is offering scholarships for up to $2000 to Latino students in their first or second year of law school. Students working towards their LLM are not eligible for this award. Recipients are selected based on financial need and academic promise. Postmark deadline is February 28, 2009.

Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest

This $5000 cash award is given to the author of the winning essay for the 2009 topic, Pollution Preemption: Federal Preemption of State Tort Law and Environmental Protection. Any student currently enrolled may submit an essay; the essay may not be prepared as part of paid legal work outside of law school. The intent-to-enter submission deadline is January 30, 2009; the essay contest deadline is March 31, 2009.