Scholarships

Admissions

The Sturm College of Law offers numerous scholarship opportunities for first-year students, from the full-tuition Chancellor’s Scholars Program, to other merit scholarships offered through the admissions process. Additionally, continuing students can apply for named scholarships once they are enrolled at the Sturm College of Law.

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First-Year JD Student Scholarships

  • Sturm Elevation Initiative

    Thanks to a multi-million-dollar investment by the Denver-based Sturm Family Foundation, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law is in a position to fund twenty full-tuition merit scholarships, with a first year stipend, to incoming JD students with outstanding academic credentials.

    Sturm Elevation Initiative

  • Chancellor’s Scholarship Program

    Entering first-year JD students with a demonstrated history of excellence in academics and public service are encouraged to apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program, which offers full-tuition scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in public interest law.

    Chancellor’s Scholarship Program

  • Yellow Ribbon Program

    The Sturm College of Law is a proud supporter of the Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides tuition assistance for American Military Veterans. Universities that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program make additional funds available for veterans attending an out-of-state or private university. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs matches all contributions made by an institution.

    Learn More

  • Merit Scholarships

    Entering first-year JD students are automatically considered for Merit Scholarships through the admissions process, these awards generally range from $17,250 to $41,000, with a few awards going up to full tuition.

    Merit Scholarships

Students Talking

Master's & LLM Scholarships

We are thrilled to offer various departmental scholarships that are available for Graduate Legal Studies students and are awarded by the admissions committee based on a student’s demonstrated ability. We recommend submitting all application materials as early as possible. 

All applicants are considered for merit scholarships. Admission decisions are made without regard to a student’s ability to meet the financial obligations of their individual program.

Students may also want to consider external sources of funding; explore the resources below for additional financial aid opportunities. 

tax scholarships - students talking

Tax Scholarships

We offer various merit scholarships to qualified applicants. All students are considered for these merit scholarships upon an initial application review by the admissions committee. We recommend submitting all application materials as soon as possible to be considered for the best scholarship opportunities. Students will be notified of any awards with their acceptance letters.

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Continuing JD Students

Named Scholarships

Continuing JD students are encouraged to apply for our named scholarships, which are awarded on an annual basis and range from $1,000 to $25,000.

Named Scholarships

Retaining Scholarship Eligibility

  • Scholarship Renewal Requirements

    Scholarship renewal is based on two factors: your time and academic performance in law school.

    Time
    • Merit scholarships can be renewed for a maximum of 6 semesters for full-time students; 8 semesters for part-time students. Full tuition scholarships are renewable for 90 credits; 80 if you are a dual-degree student.
       

    Juris Doctor scholarships cannot be extended beyond these timeframes and appeals for extensions beyond the original value of your scholarship are not accepted. Students that have exhausted their merit scholarship eligibility can apply for Named Scholarships in February each year for the upcoming fall.

    Academic Performance
    • Recipients of the Chancellor’s Scholarship or Robert B. Yegge Memorial Scholarships must maintain good academic standing, which the College of Law defines as a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3.
    • Recipients of all other scholarships must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
       

    Evaluation

    After grades have posted for the semester in which you reach 2L status—defined as at least 30 credits—your cumulative GPA will be reviewed. If your cumulative GPA is below the requirement for your scholarship, you will receive your scholarship in a probationary status during the next fall or spring semester in which you are enrolled.

    Your cumulative GPA will be reviewed at the conclusion of your probationary semester. If your cumulative GPA meets the requirement for your scholarship, your scholarship eligibility continues to the following fall or spring semester. Your cumulative GPA will be reviewed each semester until the conclusion of scholarship eligibility. If at any time in the future your cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0, you will receive one opportunity to appeal to the Admissions and Scholarship Committee.

    Appeal

    • If your cumulative GPA does not meet the requirement at the conclusion of your probationary semester, your scholarship will be cancelled. You will be offered the opportunity to submit one appeal. If approved, you will receive one additional semester of probation in which to raise your cumulative GPA to your scholarship’s requirement.
       

    The Admissions and Scholarship Committee will consider one appeal during your time in law school. If your cumulative GPA does not meet the requirement after the conclusion of your additional probation semester—or any time thereafter—your scholarship will be cancelled.

    Retaining Named and Endowed Scholarship Eligibility

    Named and Endowed Scholarships awarded during the competitive annual process are not typically renewable. Therefore, these Named and Endowed Scholarships will not be cancelled once awarded (but must be used in the academic term they were originally awarded for). The Admission and Scholarship Committee considers academic performance as a heavily weighted factor in making future award decisions.

  • Scholarship Retention Data

    The chart below lists the number of students who entered Denver Law with a merit scholarship in each of the last three years and the number of students who subsequently had their scholarship canceled or reduced.

    Students Matriculating in Number of Merit Scholarships Awarded Number of Scholarships Canceled after 1st Year
    Fall 2022 217 10
    Fall 2021* 202 6
    Fall 2019 158 6
    Fall 2018 144 13
    Fall 2017 129 6

    *Scholarship cancellation was temporarily paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact

 

Office of Financial Management