Institutional Grants
Cornell Law School awards over $3 million in institutional aid each year to new and returning students. We provide scholarships ranging from $7000 to $35,000to over 40% of the entering class. To be considered for an institutional award, you must complete the Need Access Report and Cornell Law School Financial Aid Application by March 15, 2009.
Outside Scholarships
Outside scholarships are scholarships offered to a student by an agency, state or civic association. Outside scholarships are paid to the student through the Cornell Law Financial Aid Office. These scholarships reduce borrowing dollar per dollar; however, on the rare occasions, they may impact institutional grants so it is important to disclose all outside scholarships. If you are interested in such scholarships, please review the list below. Please note that this is just a sampling of scholarships available to students. It is important to use your resources: college graduate school advisor, Internet, civic associations, local library and Bar associations.
American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC): Academic Year Fellowship
Award: Varies
Deadline: 6/1/2009
See Application
American Bar Association (ABA)-Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
Award: varies dependent on scholarship
Deadline: 3/1/2009
See Application
American Association of University Women Education Foundation-Women of Color
Award: $5,000-$12,000
Deadline: 1/10/2009
See Application
Earl Warren Legal Training Scholarships-African American Attorneys
Award: Civil Rights-$3,000; Shearman & Sterling- $15,000
Deadline: 4/30/2009
See Application
Harry A. Blackmun Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
Award: Varies
Deadline: 6/1/2009
Application:
Harry A. Blackmun Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
118 West Mulberry Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3600
HSF/Pfizer, Inc. Fellowship Program Hispanic Scholarship Fund Award: $10,000
Deadline: 6/30/2009
See Application
Jaycee War Memorial Fund
Award: Varies
Deadline: 3/1/2009
See Application (pdf)
John Gyles Education Fund Scholarship - Scholarship for Canadian or U.S. Citizens
Award: Varies
Deadline: 4/1/2009
Application:
P.O. Box 4808
712 Riverside Drive
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5G4
Canada
(506) 459-7460
Korean-American Scholarship Foundation: KASF Scholarships
Award: Not specified
Deadline: 6/1/2009
See Application
Mexican American Legal and Educational Defense Fund
Award: $3,000-$7,000
Deadline: 10/1/2009
See Application
Minority Corporate Counsel Association
Award: $10,000 per year
Deadline: 6/1/2009
See Application
National Black Law Students Association
Award: varies
Deadline: 11/1/2009
See Application
Databases
Columbia University Graduate school of Arts and Sciences External Funding Database
To use: Enter Law as discipline
Cornell University Fellowship Database
To use: Click on social sciences
FastWeb
To use: For this site you must create a free account.
University of Toledo Law School-Law Database
To use: Scholarships in Alphabetical order. Good resource for regional funds.
Please also check with the NAACP Defense and Educational Fund Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Japanese American Citizens League, Hawaiian Community Foundation and the Asian American Defense and Educational Fund.
We have compiled this list solely to serve as a resource for use in researching possible funding sources for your legal education. We have made a good faith effort to list programs of which we are aware. This list is not comprehensive. There may other sources to consider. Also, we are not in a position to vouch for any aspect of the listed programs or their particular funding mechanisms, and our list should not be seen as any kind of endorsement of these programs or their sponsors.
Federal Loans
Cornell Law School participates in the Federal Direct Lending Program which includes: William D. Ford subsidized loan, William D. Ford Unsubsidized loan and Perkins loan.
If you have been offered Federal Stafford loans for the 2009-2010 academic year, it is now time to accept or decline those funds.
To accept any portion of the federal funds, please complete and return the following forms by August 1, 2009: Federal Verification Worksheet http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/tuition/upload/2009-2010-Federal-Verif.pdf
Statement of Educational Purpose http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/tuition/upload/StatementofEducationalPurpose-2.pdf
Also, please complete Master Promissory note and Federal Entrance Counseling found on the Federal Direct Lending website. Master Promissory Note: https://dlenote.ed.gov/empn/StudentLoanSelector.jsp
Entrance Counseling: https://www.dl.ed.gov/borrower/EntrCounselingPage.do?cmd=initializeContext
To decline funds, please send an email to the financial aid office, financialaid@lawschool.cornell.edu , listing the loans that you would like to decline.
It is important to note that while the fall portion of the loans will be listed on your first bill as anticipated aid, the funds will not be disbursed until the third week in August. As long as they are listed, they serve as credit and you are not responsible for that portion of the bill. It is important to make payment arrangements for the remaining amount.
If you have any questions, please email the financial aid office: Financialaid@lawschool.cornell.edu .
Private or Federal Graduate PLUS Loans
Private or Graduate Plus loans allow students to round their aid packages by covering the unmet need or family contribution. Loan limits are determined by the cost of attendance, as determined by the law school, less all other aid. The Cornell Law School Financial Aid Office determines the yearly borrowing limit for each student. Lenders often have a debt ceiling that can impact the amount a student is eligible to borrow. Private loan interest rates and borrowing eligibility are based upon an applicant’s credit rating. It is therefore vital that you review your credit history before applying for these loans.
Graduate PLUS loan applicants will have their credit checked for approval only. Graduate PLUS loans have a fixed 7.9% interest rate with a 2.5% origination fee. For more information on these loans, please review the loan comparison chart. These rates may change after July, 2009.
If you are looking to take out a Graduate Plus loan to cover your unmet need or family contribution, please download the application form, http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/tuition/upload/08-09-Grad-PLUS-application.doc, and return it to the financial aid office.
Also, if you have not done so already, please complete the Graduate PLUS loan Master Promissory note found on the Federal Direct Lending website. Master Promissory Note: https://dlenote.ed.gov/empn/StudentLoanSelector.jsp
