Scholarships

Each year, OCU Law awards more than $1 million in scholarships to admitted students. All applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships. No separate application is required.

2022-23

2022-23

While most awards are based on academic excellence and a strong LSAT performance, additional factors such as leadership, service, diversity, work experience and financial need are considered.

Sumners Scholarship

We are one of only two law schools in the country to offer the prestigious Sumners Scholarship, awarded to high-achieving students who have a demonstrable commitment to leadership and service. The scholarship includes full tuition, full fees, and a stipend for book and living expenses.

Application Deadline: February 20

To receive consideration, students must be admitted to the law school and should complete and submit the Sumners Scholarship application by February 20. If you are interested in applying for a Sumners Scholarship, you must complete the SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION. Once on the website, click “Create New Account” to complete the registration process and create your login credentials. The access code for the application is OCU34SS49.

Finalists for this scholarship will be invited to the law school to interview with the Sumners Foundation Board of Trustees in March.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a resident, student, or graduate of a college or university in one of the following states: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado, or New Mexico.

Selection Criteria And Process

Selection is based on academic proficiency, extracurricular achievement, and a demonstrated capacity for public service. All applications are welcome and will be reviewed in February by members of the administration and faculty. Approximately twenty applicants are selected for interviews with Trustees of the Sumners Foundation in April.

Renewal

Sumners Scholarships are renewable awards. Recipients of these awards must be enrolled in the full-time program and maintain a cumulative GPA average in the top one-third of their class and complete continued and ongoing attendance in Sumners Foundation events.

Dean’s Scholarship

The Dean’s Scholarship provides full tuition and fees to select incoming students who have demonstrated academic excellence, achieved a strong LSAT performance, and have a record of leadership and community service.  To qualify, students must have a 160 or higher on the LSAT and a 3.5 cumulative GPA.  Students must have a completed application meeting the LSAT and GPA requirements by February 1.

This scholarship is renewable throughout a recipient’s time in law school so long as the recipient remains in academic and disciplinary good standing with a law school GPA of 2.0 or above.

Full-Time and Part-Time Merit Scholarships

Merit Scholarships provide financial assistance to incoming, enrolled law students who have demonstrated academic excellence at the undergraduate level with a strong performance on the LSAT. These scholarships are renewable throughout a recipient’s time in law school so long as the recipient remains in academic and disciplinary good standing with a law school GPA of 2.0 or above.

Robert H. Henry Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to students who are pursuing a degree in law and have shown an interest or connection to Native American communities and law. Preference is given to enrolled tribal members. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from the Chickasaw Nation and is named after Robert H. Henry, a former dean of the School of Law and president of the University.

Transfer Scholarships

Transfer applicants from ABA-accredited law schools who are in the top ten percent of their class are eligible for up to $10,000 in scholarship awards. All transfer applicants are automatically considered for the scholarship.

Scholarships, Writing Competitions, Fellowships & More

AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank

Find a comprehensive list of scholarships for incoming and returning law students, and even some that can be used to pay for degrees prior to a J.D. (including bachelor’s and master’s degrees), or towards bar study costs at www.accesslex.org.

Alumni Association Student Award

This award will be given to a current student of good standing at the Oklahoma City University School of Law who is a 3L or 4L.

The award will be based on the following criteria:

• 50% Educational Accomplishments
• 25% Community/School Involvement/Philanthropic/Volunteer Efforts
• 10% Plans following graduation
• 10% Special Circumstances
• 5% Other Awards and Scholarships received

Combine your answers to the questionnaire, your resume and at least one, but no more than two, recommendation letters into one PDF file before submitting.

AMOUNT OF AWARD: $1,000

The deadline to apply is March 25, 2026, at 5 p.m. Learn more and apply.

ChIPS Advancing Women Scholarship

ChIPs is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization that advances and connects women in technology, law and policy. The organization seeks to accelerate innovation through diversity of thought, participation and engagement. This scholarship is for rising third-year U.S. law students and encourages women to pursue IP law. Two awards of $10,000 each will be awarded to students entering their third or subsequent year of law school to be used toward tuition. 

The ChIPs Scholarship Fund was created in memory of Rachel Krevans, a renowned intellectual property litigator at Morrison & Foerster LLP whose career spanned nearly three decades of groundbreaking trials and high-profile patent disputes. She was repeatedly recognized as a top IP litigator and a leader in tech law. She was passionately dedicated to the advancement, promotion and retention of women in tech and IP fields. Rachel served on the ChIPs Law Firm Advisory Board at ChIPs and was inducted into the ChIPs Hall of Fame in 2014.

To qualify for the ChIPs Scholarship, applicants must:

• Identify as a woman
• Be enrolled at a U.S. law school
• Be entering her third or subsequent year
• Be academically qualified
• Demonstrate commitment to advancing and connecting women in technology, law and policy
• Demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in IP law

The deadline to apply is April 5, 2026. Learn more and apply.

Baker Donelson 2027 Diversity Scholarship Program

Baker Donelson is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where the individual differences among us are understood, respected, appreciated, and recognized as sources of strength of the Firm. These qualities enrich the environment in which we work. Since 2008, we are proud to have awarded 40 diversity scholarships.

With this in mind, we are delighted to announce that the 2027 Baker Donelson Diversity Scholarship application is now available!  We will award three scholarships to three rising 2L law students who will complete their first year of law school by June 2026. Recipients will be awarded a minimum six-week, salaried 2L Summer Associate position for the summer of 2027 in one of our Firm’s offices. Additionally, each recipient will be awarded $20,000, to help defray the cost of law school tuition and related expenses, which will be paid in two disbursements, conditioned on the following:

• $10,000 will be awarded after the completion of a 2L summer associate clerkship, and
• $10,000 will be awarded upon the Firm extending a full-time associate offer, the recipient’s acceptance of that offer, and successful graduation from law school.

Eligibility:

The application process is open to all law students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school of any race, color, religion, citizenship, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military service, disability, or any other characteristic or condition protected by applicable law.

We consider all applications and consider the following factors in applicants:

1. Have completed their first year of a full-time JD program with an anticipated graduation date of 2028 at the time of application.
2. Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in their communities and/or in the legal profession.
3. Academic and leadership achievements.
4. Obstacles or challenges (financial or otherwise) encountered in advancing career objectives.
5. Life experiences that have shaped values and professional goals.
6. A desire to practice in a large law firm.
7. Candidates may not be a recipient of a similar scholarship award from another firm.

Students whose background or experience contribute to the diversity of the legal profession are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline and Requirements:

1. Current Resume including undergraduate GPA and law school GPA and class rank (if available)
2. Personal Statement. How do you currently contribute, or how do you envision yourself contributing, to diversity and inclusion within your community and the legal profession? Please reflect on any obstacles or challenges you have faced in advancing your career objectives, as well as any life experiences that have shaped your values and professional goals. Please limit to 500 words.
3. Unofficial Law School Transcript must include 1L Fall semester grades. 
4. Legal Writing Sample. The sample may be from your legal writing course in law school (please limit to 10 pages).

The deadline to apply is April 10, 2026, by midnight. Learn more and apply.

NCBA 2026 Scholarship

2026 Scholarship Topic

Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly being used by individuals facing debt collection litigation to understand legal rights, draft legal documents, and navigate disputes without attorneys. How might AI change access to justice in the United States? Do you believe these tools will help close the justice gap or create new risks and costs for consumers, creditors, courts, and the legal system in general?

Scholarship Overview

• Award: $10,000 paid directly to the recipient’s educational institution for tuition, books, supplies, or required materials
• Eligibility:
• Enrolled in a U.S.-based accredited four‑year college/university or currently pursuing a law degree
• Prior 2025 scholarship winners are not eligible
• Employees or family members of Barron & Newburger, P.C. are not eligible
• Application Deadline: April 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT
• Submission Requirements:
• Essay addressing the 2026 topic (max 3 pages, double spaced, 11–12 pt font)
• No identifying information in the essay or file name
• PDF submission via the online application form
• One submission per applicant

Essays will be evaluated by a panel of judges, including members of the NCBA Awards & Scholarship Committee, and reviewed for originality, clarity, and insight.

The deadline to apply is April 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Learn more and apply.

Diversity Scholarships