Yale Law School will cover tuition for students from families earning below poverty line

• Yale Law School will award annual scholarships that cover tuition to its lowest-income students. 
• The annual award of about $72,000 will cover tuition, health insurance, and other fees. 
• The news follows a wider movement in higher education to make graduate school programs accessible.

Yale Law School announced a scholarship program that will cover tuition to J.D. (Juris Doctor degree) students from families earning below the federal poverty line Monday. 

Eligible students will receive an annual Hurst Horizon Scholarship of approximately $72,000 for tuition, health insurance, and other fees. 

However, scholarship recipients will still be responsible for their living expenses, which the school estimates to be about $21,000 this school year, per The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. 

According to Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken, the scholarships “will free students with the greatest need from financial worry during law school and open up a world of possibilities so that they can be a powerful force for change in society.” 

“We are committed to opening our doors to the students who have the most to gain from this School and the most to give to the world, regardless of their means,” Gerken said in a statement.  

The news follows a wider movement in higher education to diversify its ranks and make graduate school programs more accessible. Medical schools, including New York University’s School of Medicine, have led the charge. 

Graduate students of all disciplines often take on debt to attend their institutions. Per Law School Transparency, a law education advocacy group, 2020 public law school graduates took on an average of $93,000 in debt, while private school graduates borrowed an average of $134,000. 

Yale Law School graduates on average borrowed about $135,000 last year, per Law School Transparency. 

“Our highest need students face significant financial hardships and lack an economic safety net to fall back on,” Miriam Ingber, associate dean of admissions and financial Aid at Yale Law School, said in a statement. “The financial burden for these students weighs heavily, and many students fear debt knowing that they are responsible for their families’ financial well-being as well as their own.” 

The law school told the Journal that about 8%-10% of its students are eligible for the awards, which will be funded through alumni donations.