OU Law is ranked 10th in the nation out of more than 200 law schools as a Best Value Law School.
We are committed to providing the highest quality legal education at an affordable cost to our students. Providing opportunities for scholarships and financial aid are central to that commitment.

Scholarships

At OU Law, the scholarship process takes place in several stages. Many scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students shortly after admittance to OU Law.

Incoming Student Scholarships

All OU Law applications completed by the March 15 deadline will be considered for academic scholarships. No separate scholarship application is required. The Scholarship Committee typically distributes available funds based on academic achievement, successful performance on the LSAT and other life experiences. If you are awarded a scholarship, we will notify you promptly after you have been admitted to OU Law. Admitted students can expect to be notified of a merit-based scholarship within a month of an admission decision. Contact Student Services for more information. 

The Comfort Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards at OU Law. Through a generous endowment from William T. Comfort Jr. and James T. Comfort, OU Law awards merit-based scholarships to incoming students with exemplary academic qualifications and LSAT scores. The Comfort Scholarship is awarded without regard to financial need. In addition, typically the top 10 students in each of the second- and third-year classes are considered for Comfort "Top Ten" Scholarships. Comfort Scholars are considered to be among the most outstanding group of incoming students.

The Frank and Edna Asper Elkouri Scholarship is one of our most impressive awards. Professor Frank Elkouri, a nationally noted authority on labor arbitration, joined the faculty in 1952 and remained with the College of Law for 58 years. Prior to joining the faculty, Elkouri practiced with the Oklahoma City law firm of Quinlan & Elkouri and was an attorney with the National Wage Stabilization Board in Washington, D.C., and Dallas. From 1952 until 1957, in addition to teaching, he was the advisor to the Office of the President at OU. Elkouri was appointed to a George Lynn Cross Research Professorship in 1975 and awarded the Whitney North Seymour Medal from the American Arbitration Association in 1980. Though he retired in 1985, he continued his leadership as professor emeritus at the law school through 2010. It is Frank and Edna Asper Elkouri’s desire to help defray the cost of tuition and educational expenses of a number of our most academically exceptional law students.

First-, Second-, and Third-Year Scholarships

In addition to incoming student scholarships, OU Law administers a scholarship and awards program based on a scholarship application. This application is given to all students after classes begin in the fall and again in the spring. By completing the application, students are considered for all merit, field of interest, and need-based scholarships for which they qualify. Scholarships range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The Scholarship Committee makes decisions in October and April of each year. Contact the Registrar for more information.

2L Writing Award information (Love and Salem)

3L Writing Award information (Salem)

External Scholarships

In addition to internal scholarships, OU Law receives notifications about outside scholarships and awards available to law students. To learn more about external scholarships, click the button below. 

Additionally, AccessLex, our financial counseling/educational partners, have vetted & compiled a list of numerous external scholarships in a database for us.  Click here to view & apply for those.

Contact the Registrar for more information.

Current opportunities are listed here and are updated throughout the year. Click on each scholarship heading to learn more about their specific application requirements and process.

The ABA Section on Environment, Energy & Resources has launched its 2024 law student writing competition. 

For information regarding submission requirements, eligibility, etc., please click here. Entries must be submitted by email on or before Friday, May 31, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. (central).

AccessLex, our financial counseling/educational partners, have vetted & compiled a list of numerous external scholarships in a database for us.  Click here to view & apply for those.

The American Inns of Court Warren E. Burger Prize is a writing competition designed to promote scholarship in the areas of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence. Please submit an original, unpublished, essay of 10,000 to 20,000 words on a topic of your choice addressing issues of professionalism, ethics, civility, ethics, and professionalism. The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize. The 2024 Warren E. Burger Prize will be presented during the annual American Inns of Court annual Celebration of Excellence at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, DC, in the fall of 2024. 

Submissions are due July 1, 2024. Please find more information here regarding this opportunity. 

Mattiacci Law is dedicated to empowering aspiring personal injury lawyers in their pursuit of excellence in the legal field. This is a prestigious award valued at $2,500. This scholarship aims to extend financial support to law students who have a genuine passion for becoming personal injury lawyers and are committed to making a positive impact in this area of law. Their goal is to assist future legal professionals in overcoming potential challenges they may face during their academic journey.

Eligibility and application requirements can be found here. Deadline to apply is May 30, 2024.

The $25,000 “Be Bold” Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile.

To us, boldest does not mean “best”, or “most accomplished”. Being bold means being:

  • Earnest
  • Determined
  • Moving

The scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.

Furthermore, this scholarship will be similar to the many easy scholarships available on Bold.org in that it will favor students who apply earlier—who are bold and seize the day without procrastinating.

Students at any education level, state, field of study, and GPA will be considered.

Bold.org is an independent scholarship provider that helps students, regardless of financial status, have the opportunity to pursue higher education and the career of their dreams. It's their mission to make college accessible for all students by eliminating student debt.

Please find the link to their upcoming mental heath scholarship opportunities here. 

Law students (which include J.D., L.L.M., Ph.D., and S.J.D. candidates), are invited to submit to the Committee on Animals and the Law, an article concerning any area of Animal Law. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of attorneys and other professionals practicing or otherwise involved in animal law. The winners will be chosen in accordance with the competition rules.

The first-place winner will receive $1,000 and a Certificate of Achievement. The second- place winner will receive $500 and a Certificate of Achievement. The third and fourth place winners will receive a Certificate of Recognition.

The Committee also reserves the right to offer the winners (and other entrants), at the Committee’s discretion, the opportunity to publish his/her paper in the Committee’s Laws & Paws publication. Offers to publish are purely within the discretion of the Committee. The Committee in no way guarantees entrant’s the opportunity for publication.

For additional information, please click here. Papers must be submitted no later than Friday, July 5, 2024. 

Questions? Send an email to the NYSBA Staff Liaison, Lena Faustel at lfaustel@nysba.org.

The Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (EMLF) has multiple scholarships available for the 2024-2025 academic year for law students with an interest in energy, mineral, or natural resources law. Last year, EMLF gave away over $30,000 in scholarships!  Head to emlf.org for the application and more information. 

EMLF also provides travel grants for students who are interested in attending the 45th Annual Institute, June 9-11, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia.

For additional information, visit emlf.org or contact EMLF at anna@emlf.org. 

Gerald Miller is thrilled to offer a $2,500 scholarship to support law students who aspire to become criminal defense lawyers and open their own law firm after graduation. The Aspiring Criminal Defense Lawyer Law Student Scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance and empower future legal professionals to overcome challenges they may encounter during their studies.

Eligibility and application requirements can be found here. Deadline to apply is August 31, 2024. The winner will be announced by September 20, 2024

LA Tutors awards students who showcase their creativity and make positive impacts with a $500 Innovation in Education scholarship. On an ongoing monthly basis, this scholarship is open to all currently enrolled high school and college students who showcase their creativity while helping those around them (whether that be in a creative fundraiser, inventive new app, series of blog posts on a particular theme, or another idea).

The application deadline is 11:59 pm PST on the 20th of each month.

Requirements:

  • Must be currently enrolled in high school or college
  • Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (or the equivalent)
  • Must be a citizen of, permanent resident of, or hold a valid student visa in the United States or Canada


To Enter:


There are no fees associated with this scholarship and featured past winners and their accomplishments can be found at the bottom of the web page.

The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce the thirty-first annual Brown Award. The Award honors excellence in legal writing in American law schools. Any law student currently enrolled in an accredited law school in the United States seeking a J.D. or LL.B degree is eligible to submit a paper for the Award. The amounts awarded for 2024 will be as follows:

$15,000 First Place,
$7,500 Second Place,
$5,000 Third Place,
$2,500 Finalist,
$2,500 Finalist, and
$5,000 to the Scholarship Fund selected by the Dean of
the law school in which the First-Place candidate is enrolled.

For additional information regarding application requirements, please click here. 

The submissision must be postkarked no later than May 31, 2024

A $1,000 monthly short essay scholarship awarded to a student who can share in three sentences: What drives your forward?

For more information and to apply, please click here.

The Law Offices of Daniel Kim are thrilled to announce that they are providing a $5,000 scholarship to a student dedicated to making a positive impact in their community.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Currently enrolled or accepted to a university or college for the 2024/2025 school year.
  • Maintaining good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
  • Must be a US Citizen.


Application Process:

  • Applications will undergo review by The Law Offices of Daniel Kim.
  • Selection criteria are centered on the originality and quality of the essay submission.
  • Submit applications by 5:00 PM PST on December 31st, 2024.


Winner Announcement:
The recipient will be announced on January 20, 2025.


For further details about the opportunity and award, you can visit our scholarship page here.

The Rosen Injury Aspiring Personal Injury Law Student Scholarship is offering a $2,500 opportunity to assist ambitious law students who have a strong desire to establish their law firm upon graduating. 

Eligibility and application requirements can be found here. Deadline is May 31, 2024.

Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega LLC Injury Lawyers invites students to participate in their $1,500 scholarship opportunity. Their essay contest only has a few simple requirements, which you can find here, along with other guidelines and helpful tips for participants. The deadline to apply is April 29, 2024.

Interested students should submit a thoughtful 300-500 word essay in response to the following prompt: 


Should undocumented employees be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits despite their immigration status? Discuss the pros and cons (laws currently vary by state).

Eligibility: You must be a U.S. resident or resident alien who is enrolled at a U.S. college or university. Essays must be unique (not submitted elsewhere) and written by the scholarship application signator. Only one submission per student will be considered. There’s no fee to apply.

Financial Aid

Federal student loans are available to students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. Eligible students may be able to obtain a Federal Stafford Loan. Other loan options, including the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan and Private Educational Loans, may be available to students who wish to borrow beyond the maximum of the Stafford Loan. Both the Federal Graduate PLUS and Private Loans require a credit check to be performed by the selected lender.

To determine eligibility status and initiate the financial aid process, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA becomes available on October 1 for the following fall and spring semesters. Parental information is not required on the FAFSA for OU Law students. The FAFSA can be completed by visiting fafsa.ed.gov. OU's school code is 00318400. Do not hold submission of the FAFSA because of not yet filing a federal income tax return. Instead, provide an estimate of income. To electronically sign your FAFSA, you will need your four digit federal PIN. If you do not have one, or if you do not remember your PIN, you can request a new or duplicate one by visiting pin.ed.gov.

For students who are not eligible for federal financial aid, private educational loans may be an option if the student has a sufficiently lengthy and positive credit history in the United States or can apply with a credit worthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. Eligible students can apply for a private educational loan up to the institution's cost of attendance minus any aid they have already been awarded. For additional information about these loan programs, please contact our Financial Aid Office by visiting financialaid.ou.edu.

Refer to the links below for more information about financial aid:

OU Student Financial Center - Review the Graduate and Law Students section which includes information on student loans
FAFSA
GRADPlus
AccessLex
Internal Revenue Service
A Quick Guide to FinAid