Scholarships and Grants

ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship

The mission of the Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund is to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to apply to law school and to provide financial assistance to ensure that these students have the opportunity to attend law school for three years. The ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund will award $5,000 of financial assistance annually to each scholarship recipient attending an ABA-accredited law school. The deadline for submission of applications is March 2nd. Faxed applications will not be accepted. For further information visit www.abanet.org/fje

Sidney B. Williams Jr. Scholarship

Sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation, this scholarship addresses the need to increase the number of minority intellectual property attorneys and to bring these attorneys to the attention of firms and corporations as candidates for employment. The $10,000 Law Scholarships will be awarded to minority students developing a career in intellectual law. For further information visit the following websites at www.aiplef.org and www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org

Grundy Woman’s Club Scholarship

As a part of its Education department, the Grundy Woman’s Club offers an annual scholarship to be awarded to a Buchanan County, VA female student at the ASL. The Grundy Woman’s Club is a nonpartisan, nondenominational, volunteer organization. It is a member of GFWC Virginia and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Other areas of activity include The Arts, Conservation, Home Life, International Affairs, and Public Affairs, as well as special projects. Click Here to apply.

Buchanan County Scholarships

Partial scholarships awarded to ‘residents’ of Buchanan County. For more information regarding the criteria to receive one of these awards please contact the ASL financial aid office at 276-935-4349 x1207. Click Here to apply.

Glen M. Williams Book Scholarship

One book scholarship of $500.00 will be awarded per semester to one qualifying student in his or her 2L or 3L year. Graduates of public and private secondary schools located in Virginia’s Coalfield Counties, who are residents and continue to reside in one of those counties, shall be eligible and shall have first priority. Virginia’s Coalfield Counties are defined as Lee, Scott, Wise, Russell, Buchanan, Dickenson, Tazewell and Washington Counties. In the case of one or more qualified applicants recipient will be determined by overall highest GPA. Click Here to apply.

Harrison Wyatt Scholarship

One scholarship of $500.00 will be awarded per semester to one qualifying student. Buchanan County residents shall have first priority, then the surrounding region. This scholarship must be applied toward tuition. In the case of one or more qualified applicants recipient will be determined by overall highest GPA. Click Here to apply.

EMLF (Energy & Mineral Law Foundation) Law Student Scholarships

Through the Annual Scholarship Program, the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation provides educational assistance to encourage the study of energy, environmental, natural resources, and mineral law.

The Energy & Mineral Law Foundation was established in 1980 to provide a forum for the intellectually honest examination of the legal issues related to the development and use of natural resources. The Energy & Mineral Law Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) educational organization, funded primarily through membership dues and revenues from educational programs. Scholarships are funded through membership dues, the EMLF Endowment Fund, and through generous gifts of EMLF members:

Applications should include two letters of recommendation with at least one from a law school dean, faculty member, or member of the legal profession. Any supporting material can be faxed to 859.226.0485, mailed to EMLF Scholarship Application, 340 South Broadway, Suite 101, Lexington, KY 40508 or sent by email to mailto:emlf02@aol.com to the EMLF office. If sending material by email, please put your name in the subject line so that the supporting material can be linked to your application.

All applications are to be submitted directly to the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation. Deadline this year for applications is April 1, 2009. Visit The EMLF Law Student Scholarships

Need-based Scholarships

In addition to our merit-based awards, ASL students may be able to secure a need-based scholarship. These scholarships, a credit against tuition, are limited in number and are awarded annually (dependent upon availability) to those students who demonstrate the greatest financial need. Click Here to apply.

Angela D. Dales Merit Scholarship Program

Merit Scholarships are awarded in the form of a credit against the tuition charged to the student who receives the award.

Eligibility for an award during the student's first year of Law School is based on the student's Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) as determined by LSAC. Eligibility for retention of an award during the student's second and third years is based on the student's academic performance during Law School. The charts below show the criteria for initial awards and for retention of awards.

The Law School is able to award only a limited number of these scholarships, and scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants therefore are encouraged to complete their Law School application at the earliest possible date. An award is not finalized until the applicant has been accepted to the Law School and has paid his or her seat deposit.

Eligibility Criteria for Merit Scholarship Awards during First Year of Law School (for students entering the Law School in 2009-10)

Learn More about the 2009-2010 Merit Scholarship retention criteria

Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant

Appalachian School of Law administers the VTAG program for domiciled residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia who attend ASL. This program is available to students attending certain private colleges in Virginia such as ASL.

The VTAG is awarded solely on the basis of Virginia residency and applies only towards full-time tuition. Students normally must be domiciled Virginia residents for a minimum of one year to qualify. Virginia Tuition Assistance Grants will be applied to tuition charges before any ASL institutional aid is applied.

Award amounts are estimated and subject to change during the academic year by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) based on annual budget levels and the number of eligible students statewide during the academic year. Any budget shortfalls that arise at the state level will be passed through to the student. Students are limited to eight semesters of this award as an undergraduate student and another four semesters as a graduate student. Any student withdrawing before the end of the add/drop period of a term will lose his or her VTAG funding, but will retain eligibility for a future term. Any student withdrawing after the end of the add/drop period will receive a prorated amount of VTAG for that term, but loses a semester of eligibility regardless of the amount.

Graduate Students

The current budget proposal by the Governor's Office begins phasing out graduate level VTAG beginning with 2009-2010 academic year. Any graduate student currently receiving graduate level VTAG will continue to receive VTAG so long as they stay continuously enrolled at a full-time level. While this budget has not fully passed the General Assembly, we wanted to alert students to possible loss of this funding at the graduate level.