ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by American Bar Association
Overview
The American Bar Association (ABA) annually funds the Legal Opportunity Scholarship to support incoming first-year law students and to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal profession. The award provides $15,000 in financial support paid over the recipient’s three years of law school to 20–25 incoming students each year. Since the program began, more than 400 students nationwide have received this scholarship.
How to apply
The application window for the 2026 ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship (for students beginning law school in fall 2026) opens on February 1, 2026. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 P.M. Central Time on April 15, 2026.
Who is eligible
To be considered for an ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship, applicants must satisfy all of the following:
- Be an entering, first-year law student for the 2026 academic year (beginning fall 2026). Applicants who have already completed any semesters or years of law school are not eligible.
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
- Part-time students are eligible only if they are beginning law school in the 2026 academic year.
- Have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. If the undergraduate degree is not yet finished at the time of application, the GPA requirement applies to the most recent completed semester.
Enrollment and disbursement conditions
Because applications are due before many applicants receive law school decisions, selected applicants may not yet be admitted at the time of selection. Prior to receiving scholarship funds, recipients will be required to provide proof of admission to and an intent to enroll at an ABA-accredited law school. If a recipient does not enroll or later withdraws from law school, they will be required to return all or a proportionate amount of scholarship funds.
“I spent years searching my neighborhood for someone to look up to, but eventually I stopped looking for that person and decided to become that person.”