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: January 12

To receive consideration, students must be admitted to the law school and should complete and submit the Sumners Scholarship application by February 1. 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 April.

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, 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.

Recipients of this scholarship must have a minimum LSAT score of 157 and a 3.5 cumulative undergraduate grade point average. 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.

U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association Carole Bailey Scholarship | $5,000
Learn More. The application deadline is September 18, 2023.

Oklahoma Bar Association Indian Law Section G. William Rice Memorial Scholarship | $2,000-$5,000
Learn more. The application deadline is October 13, 2023.

Cutting Sign Workshop for Native Students
For millennia Indigenous peoples have used focused attention and a deep understanding of their surroundings, the behaviors of humans, birds, and four-legged creatures, and a clear intention to track and find people and animals.  Today this practice is generally referred to as cutting sign or sign cutting.

This event will help Native law students break into the legal profession by attending panels, honing skills, developing a personal brand, networking with professionals, and participating in a day of interviewing with employers from across the country. Sessions will include resume/cover letter workshops, mock interviews, networking, and the elevator pitch workshops, and specific advice on applying for judicial clerkships, in-house, firm, governmental, JD advantage, and other opportunities. In addition, there will be opportunities for informal networking.

Funding to cover all travel and food costs for students participating is given on a first-come-first-served basis. Learn more and register.

E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship
The Georgetown Law Criminal Defense & Prisoner Advocacy Clinic, Criminal Justice Clinic, and Juvenile Justice Clinic offer a post-graduate two-year fellowship. Three fellows are selected annually through the E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship Program at Georgetown Law. The Fellowships are awarded to three outstanding recent law graduates. Participation in the Fellowship is contingent upon admission to the District of Columbia Bar. The Fellowships provide a stipend (taxable) of $70,000 in the first year and $75,000 in the second year, with full benefits, in addition to full tuition and fees. The application for The E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship Program will become available on August 23, 2023, for submission from September 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023. Applications can be found here.

Summer Ethical Leadership Fellowship for Law Students and Early-Career Lawyers
FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) is now accepting applications for its 2024 Law program. FASPE Law is a fully-funded, two-week fellowship program in professional ethics and ethical leadership that begins by examining the actions and choices of German lawyers in enabling Nazi policies. The program dates are Friday, May 24 – Friday, June 7, 2024, and applications are due January 2, 2024. Learn more.

2024 Student Fellowship to The University of Texas School of Law’s Nonprofit Organizations Institute
The Student Fellowship to The University of Texas School of Law’s Nonprofit Organizations Institute was created to encourage participation and engagement in the tax-exempt organizations practice of law by introducing 2nd and 3rd year law students to the practice area, providing opportunities for mentorship, and creating a network of law students interested in pursuing the practice. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2023. Learn more.

Diversity Scholarships