Legal Slice

A study by the American Bar Association (ABA) has concluded that white law students are more likely to receive full scholarships compared to their non-white classmates. The data shows that white students were awarded 70% of full-tuition scholarships, even though they make up about 61% of the national pool of full-time law students. In contrast, students of color, who comprise nearly 32% of full-time law students, received fewer than 23% of full-tuition scholarships. The ABA's data highlights racial disparities in scholarship distribution and raises concerns about lower socioeconomic groups subsidizing the tuition of wealthier classmates. Aaron Taylor, executive director of the AccessLex Center for Legal Education Excellence, called for law schools to assess their scholarship awarding practices to ensure equity. The study also found disparities based on Law School Admission Test scores, with white and Asian students more likely to receive full-tuition scholarships compared to Black and Hispanic students. Asian law students, despite comparable median LSAT scores to white students, were significantly less likely to receive full-tuition scholarships. The study emphasizes the need for fair and equitable scholarship practices in law schools.