In addition to opportunities for financial assistance through the university, there are other sources from which qualified students may receive financial aid, since many national, state, and regional associations make special awards. Three such nonuniversity programs available to enrolled students are described below.
Camden County Bar Foundation Scholarships. A number of scholarship programs are administered by the Camden County Bar Foundation and are made available to New Jersey law students. Several of these scholarships are restricted to School of Law-Camden students. No scholarship is less than $1,000. Generally, either residence in Camden County or demonstrated evidence of a bona fide intention to practice law in Camden County is required. Applications are submitted directly to the bar foundation, and award decisions are rendered by the trustees of the foundation. Availability of the scholarships is announced by the dean`s office each fall term.
C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr., Scholarships. This scholarship is a state-supported program that provides substantial, annual grants to entering or enrolled minority law students who have demonstrated financial need. The scholarship program was established in 1990 to honor the distinguished career of C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr., a former professor at Rutgers` School of Law-Newark.
Ferguson Scholarship recipients must be New Jersey residents and are required to be enrolled in the full-time law program. All candidates must have a current FAFSA on file with the Office of Financial Aid. Grant amounts vary each year depending upon the amount of state support for the program and the total financial need of all recipients that year. Students who remain in good academic standing are eligible for continuation of the scholarship, contingent upon renewed funding by the state legislature.
New Jersey Bar Foundation Scholarships. Each year, the trustees of the New Jersey Bar Foundation make available to each of the three law schools in the state several $2,500 scholarships for enrolled students who are New Jersey residents. In addition, the foundation awards annually a C. Wallace Vail Scholarship to a student chosen on the basis of high academic achievement from among the three law schools.
Nominees for the New Jersey Bar Foundation Scholarships are forwarded to the trustees by the law school. Final selection is made by the trustees on the basis of academic achievement and financial need. Interested students must complete an application form available from the Office of the Associate Dean for Administration.
Students should be aware that the school continually is seeking funds from outside agencies to help defray student expenses. Grants and awards of this nature vary each year. Inquiries regarding the availability of such monies can be made through program advisers.
Students should contact clubs; fraternal, religious, and national professional organizations; and local interest groups for possible aid through stipends and tuition credits. A student who receives any of these awards is required to notify the Office of Financial Aid.
