Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Admitted Students

Merit Scholarships

Merit Scholarships

Merit scholarships are based on a holistic assessment of the application and awarded upon admission for incoming students. Scholarships are intended to recognize applicants’ achievements and to provide financial support toward their future legal education at Mitchell Hamline. Mitchell Hamline automatically reconsiders scholarship awards for incoming students who switch their enrollment option prior to the first day of classes.

Scholarships are awarded as a percentage of tuition. Scholarship support can be applied to full- or part-time tuition charged for the fall, spring, January term, and summer classes. Scholarships may not be applied to tuition and expenses related to study abroad programs or applied toward the cost of mandatory fees. Scholarships cannot be deferred to a future year.

While Mitchell Hamline recognizes the significant financial investment of a legal education, scholarship awards are based on merit and take into consideration the entirety of the applicant’s academic credentials, academic performance and potential (individual course grades, cumulative undergraduate GPA, LSAT score, graduate school work, etc.), personal and professional experience, leadership, volunteer work, etc. For information on need-based financial aid, please visit our website to learn about the various Types of Financial Aid or contact a member of our Financial Aid Office at finaid@mitchellhamline.edu

Scholarship Award Appeals Process – Appeals will close on August 1, 2024

Competitive scholarship offers are made based on a combination of factors, including (but not limited to): a holistic assessment of a student’s application for admission, the cost of living in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as well as peer law schools. Mitchell Hamline’s Office of Admissions aims to make initial merit scholarship offers as competitive as possible. On occasion, individual student factors change and it may be appropriate for the student to appeal their original scholarship offer. Students who were not originally offered a scholarship may also appeal for scholarship consideration. Request for an appeal should be made based on new information not previously presented or available during the original evaluation. Appeals will not negatively affect any current scholarship award.

How to Appeal for Scholarship Reconsideration:

The Admissions Office will begin to consider appeals January 15, 2024.

  • Complete an Appeal-for-Scholarship-Reconsideration-Form 2024-25, including:
    • A short statement indicating the grounds of the appeal (i.e., increased LSAT score, information not previously presented in the original application, competitive scholarship award offered at a peer institution, etc.) and
    • If appealing based on competitive scholarships from peer institutions, you must complete a Comparison Worksheet.
    • Copies of all other scholarship offers from other law schools being considered (must include the award letter and all associated terms and conditions).
  • Selected students may be contacted for a follow-up phone interview with a member of the Admissions Staff.
  • Students will receive a formal decision via email.
  • Students may only appeal once in an admissions cycle.
  • Students who receive scholarship adjustments will be asked to make enrollment decisions based on the following schedule and procedure:
    • If notified before April 15, 2024, students will be required to submit their enrollment deposit by April 15, 2024.
    • If notified after April 15, 2024, students will be required to submit their enrollment deposit and proof of withdrawal from all other law schools based on the deadline indicated in the updated scholarship award. Proof of withdrawal can be made in the following ways:
      • A copy of withdrawal confirmation, or
      • Blind copy Mitchell Hamline Admissions (admissions@mitchellhamline.edu) on your request to withdraw, sent to alternative school’s admission office.
    • If students do not meet the above deadlines and procedures, appealed scholarships will be forfeit, however, original scholarship will be honored as long as the admission status is still active (i.e., not administratively withdrawn, canceled, or declined by the student).

Automatically renewed

You will receive the scholarship each year you are enrolled at Mitchell Hamline as long as you remain in good academic standing. The school does not award conditional scholarships; therefore, we do not publish conditional scholarship retention data that would otherwise be required by the American Bar Association. Mitchell Hamline is committed to helping you manage your financial investment in law school, and we hope our generous retention policy provides you with a sense of security about financing your legal education. Students who do not maintain good academic standing, or who withdraw from Mitchell Hamline, forfeit their scholarships for all subsequent academic years.

Scholarship awards are not reviewed and do not change after the student is enrolled at Mitchell Hamline.