Scholarship FAQs

All students admitted to the School of Law who pay their deposit by the standard April 15 deadline will be offered the PLEDGE Scholarship.

Failure to comply with the outlined enrollment deposit dates will result in the forfeiture of the offered PLEDGE scholarship.

All full-time students admitted and deposited by April 15 can expect to receive a $16,000 scholarship, bringing the direct-cost of law school tuition within new yearly federal loan limits. FlexJD students will receive a proportional $12,500 to bring their costs within their yearly federal loan limits.

Yes. All students will still be evaluated for our merit-based admission scholarships. Students may combine other admission scholarships with the PLEDGE Scholarship

Because we offer admission and award scholarships on a rolling basis, we cannot guarantee that students admitted after April 15 will be awarded the PLEDGE Scholarship. We will be able to update applicants after April 15 on the status of the PLEDGE Scholarship. In addition, students admitted after April 15 may also be eligible for merit-based scholarships.

Because we offer admission and award scholarships on a rolling basis, we cannot guarantee that students admitted from the waitlist after April 15 will be awarded the PLEDGE Scholarship. We will be able to update applicants who remain on our waitlist after April 15 with an update on the status of the PLEDGE scholarship.

All scholarship offers from the last admissions cycle are void, and deferred students are reevaluated for scholarships available in the current admissions cycle, including the PLEDGE scholarship. You do not need to send any additional information or apply to be awarded a PLEDGE scholarship for the current admissions cycle. If you have received a higher LSAT score that you believe may qualify for additional merit-based aid, please contact lawadmissions@scu.edu to discuss how to disclose your new LSAT score

Students are automatically evaluated for scholarship awards at the time of admission to the School of Law. If you have been awarded a scholarship, it is included in your admission letter.

Our scholarships are merit-based awards and calculated based on your highest LSAT/GRE score and your undergraduate GPA. While every application is considered holistically for admission, our merit scholarship calculations are standard for every applicant based on their scores. Because of this standard and in an effort to ensure the process is as fair as possible, we do not negotiate scholarship awards. We encourage you to research other opportunities for financial assistance, such as employer incentives, outside scholarships, grants, and fellowships. Please also visit our External Scholarships page for more information.

Your scholarship will not be increased. Upper-division students are eligible to apply for a limited number of supplemental endowed scholarships which provide aid to students in their second, third, and fourth years of law school.

In order to make the scholarship process as fair as possible for all incoming students, we do not match scholarship offers from other schools or negotiate scholarship terms. Our Financial Aid office is always happy to work with incoming students to devise solutions including federal aid.

Your scholarship is reflective of the program you were admitted to. If you would like to inquire about changing into a different program, please contact lawadmissions@scu.edu. Your scholarship will be reassessed if your program transfer is approved.

Scholarships are renewable on a yearly basis and in relation to your program standing. Scholarship awards are split evenly between the fall and spring semesters and can never exceed the cost of tuition. With the exception of the Law Dean’s Fellowship, scholarships cannot be used for summer classes or study abroad. For full time-students, your award is renewable for up to three years or until degree requirements are met (whichever is sooner). For Flex students, your award is renewable for up to four years or until degree requirements are met (whichever is sooner). Terms of renewal are dependent on the scholarship you were awarded (see below). Scholarships will be reassessed if students do not stay within the unit requirements for each program:
Full- time status for fall and spring semesters: 12+ units
Part-time status for fall and spring semesters: 5-11 units

Scholarships and fellowships offered by the School of Law can be applied only towards tuition for School of Law courses. School of Law scholarship funds cannot be applied towards tuition for the Leavey School of Business or any other coursework outside of the School of Law. In semesters in which the majority of your courses are taken outside of the School of Law, your scholarship may be adjusted to reflect your Law units. Your aggregate scholarship amount cannot exceed the total amount you would have been awarded based on your originally anticipated graduation date. In other words, the total dollar amount of your scholarship aid will not increase if you choose to take additional courses beyond the typical three- or four-year program.

School of Law scholarships can be applied only towards tuition at Santa Clara University School of Law. Our scholarship funds cannot be used to pay for tuition at another law school. If you enroll at another law school as a visiting student during a fall or spring semester, you will not receive (i.e., forfeit) the amount of scholarship aid that would have been paid towards your tuition had you remained at Santa Clara University School of Law that semester. Any funds that you forfeit cannot be recouped in future semesters.

You should contact the Law Admissions & Financial Aid Office if your graduation date changes from what was originally anticipated. Scholarship assistance terminates once you have completed the number of units required to graduate from the School of Law. For full time-students, your award is renewable for up to three years or until degree requirements are met (whichever is sooner). For Flex students, your award is renewable for up to four years or until degree requirements are met (whichever is sooner). Terms of renewal are dependent on the scholarship you were awarded.

No. Scholarship awards can only be applied to tuition. Fees are assessed separately from tuition. If you take a lighter course load for a semester, your scholarship will be adjusted to pay no more than your required School of Law tuition. If you are awarded supplemental or outside agency scholarships, please note that any scholarship funds that exceed required costs are considered taxable. See IRS Publication 970 for more information.

You must remain in academic good standing as determined at the conclusion of the spring semester of each academic year. You must be enrolled in the minimum number of units required for your program of study. For more information about academic policies at the school of law, please consult the Law School Bulletin.

If you are academically disqualified at any time, your scholarship will be terminated and will not be reinstated.

Your scholarship offer will terminate and we cannot guarantee that your scholarship offer will be reinstated. You will be re-evaluated for scholarship consideration prior to your new start term.

Your scholarship offer will terminate and we cannot guarantee that your scholarship offer will be reinstated if you defer or take a leave of absence.

No, all fees are mandatory. Scholarships can be used toward tuition.

As your scholarship has been awarded to you based on your academic promise, it will be renewed so long as you maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better, as determined at the conclusion of the spring semester of your first year in law school, and subject to review thereafter at the conclusion of each subsequent academic term. Renewal terms are non-negotiable. All students awarded the Emery Merit Scholarship are issued an additional scholarship letter outlining terms of renewal. Please see your scholarship letter at the end of your decision communication.

We do not round up the cumulative GPA. If, at the end of spring semester of your first year or any semester of study thereafter, your cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, your scholarship will be terminated and cannot be reinstated. This is true even if your cumulative GPA exceeds 3.0 in a subsequent semester. Grades earned during a summer session are not considered in calculating your GPA from the prior academic year.

Standing is determined at the end of the spring semester of your first year and is subject to review thereafter at the conclusion of each subsequent semester.