Scholarships: University of Miami School of Law

Scholarships for Incoming JD Students

All scholarships for incoming students are merit-based and awarded by the Office of Admissions. Scholarships are highly competitive, and we have a committee review process to determine the awards. The majority of scholarships are awarded between January and April of each admission cycle or until the scholarship funds have been exhausted. Applicants may be considered for merit-based scholarships through application review, faculty/administrator nomination, and/or interview. To be optimally positioned for scholarship consideration, competitive applicants should complete their application for admission no later than January 15. Please note that scholarship notifications are emailed separately from admission decisions. At the conclusion of the spring semester of 1L year and each semester thereafter, Miami Law reviews scholarship recipients to ensure they have maintained eligibility based on the Institutional Aid Policies outlined below.  

Dean's Merit Scholarships

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  • Dean's Merit Scholarships (full and partial scholarships)

    Each year, Miami Law awards renewable Dean's Merit Scholarships to entering law students who have strong academic records and possess other outstanding qualifications for the study of law. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    No separate application is required for the Dean's Merit Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded based on admissions credentials and achievements, without regard to financial need. Recipients must accept their scholarship award and pay the two $500 seat deposits by the required dates. The scholarship award letter will outline the scholarship acceptance process. 

Named Scholarship Awards

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  • Chaplin Family Scholarship

    In 2004, Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. (now Southern Glazer’s) established the Chaplin Family Scholarship at the University of Miami School of Law to be awarded every three years to an outstanding entering law student. The scholarship covers tuition expenses for three years of study at Miami Law. The recipient is selected based on merit, with preference given to a student with an interest in transactional work.

    Wayne Chaplin, President and COO of Southern Wine and Spirits of America, was born in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, he received a law degree, also from the University of Miami. Following a period practicing law at a Miami-based firm, he joined Southern Wine and Spirits of America in 1984. He quickly learned the importance of customer service in all aspects of his work as he prepared himself for a future leadership role.

    In his first three years at Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Mr. Chaplin worked as a sales supervisor, company comptroller, and operations manager. In 1987, he was appointed Vice President in charge of operations; and in 1989, he was named First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all divisions of the company’s distributing operations. In 1992, he was appointed to the Company’s Executive Management Committee and became an officer and director at that time. In 1994, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. “Since our founding in 1968, Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. has taken a progressive, active, and constructive role in community, state, and national affairs. These are fundamental values of the Company. At Southern, we want to ‘give back,’ and we strive every day to be responsible members of the communities in which we live,” said Mr. Chaplin.

    In addition to Mr. Chaplin’s above-noted corporate-related philanthropic activities, he volunteers in various leadership activities at the University of Miami. Currently, he serves as Vice Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and the Chair of the University’s School of Law Visiting Committee. Mr. Chaplin serves as Chairman and Member of the Executive Committee at the Mount Sinai Hospital of Miami Beach and on the Board of Trustees at the Miami Country Day School.

    The Chaplin award provides full law tuition (fall and spring) for up to 88 credits, including six approved non-law course credits taken in other departments of the University and applied toward the JD degree, plus an annual stipend of $1,000. In addition, recipients are granted a full-tuition scholarship for one Miami Law summer session following their first or second year of law school. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    Additionally, students who meet the scholarship renewal criteria upon completion of their JD degree are eligible to receive a full-tuition scholarship if they are admitted into and enroll in a Miami Law LLM program directly upon graduation (or in a joint degree JD/LLM offering before graduation). Miami Law offers LLM programs in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law; International Law; International Arbitration; Tax Law; Real Property Development; Estate Planning; and Maritime Law.

    No separate application is required for the Chaplin Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded based on admissions credentials and achievements, without regard to financial need. Recipients must accept their scholarship award and pay the two $500 seat deposits by the required dates. The scholarship award letter will outline the scholarship acceptance process.

  • Harvey T. Reid and Soia Mentschikoff Awards

    The Harvey T. Reid Scholarship program was established in 1970 by the late Harvey T. Reid, former chairperson of West Publishing Company, and friend and benefactor of the School of Law. In 1994, Miami Law established the Soia Mentschikoff Scholarship program to honor the late Soia Mentschikoff, a great legal scholar who served as Miami Law’s dean from 1974 to 1982. These prestigious scholarships are awarded to outstanding members of the entering class who possess exemplary academic records, demonstrate leadership qualities, and exhibit the potential for making substantial contributions to the legal profession and society.

    The Reid and Mentschikoff awards provide full law tuition (fall and spring) for up to 88 credits, including six approved non-law course credits taken in other departments of the University and applied toward the JD degree, plus an annual stipend of $1,000. In addition, recipients are granted a full-tuition scholarship for one Miami Law summer session following their first or second year of law school. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    Additionally, students who meet the scholarship renewal criteria upon completion of their JD degree are eligible to receive a full-tuition scholarship if they are admitted into and enroll in a Miami Law LLM program directly upon graduation (or in a joint degree JD/LLM offering before graduation). Miami Law offers LLM programs in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law; International Law; International Arbitration; Tax Law; Real Property Development; Estate Planning; and Maritime Law.

    No separate application is required for the Reid and Mentschikoff Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded based on admissions credentials and achievements, without regard to financial need. Recipients must accept their scholarship award and pay the two $500 seat deposits by the required dates. The scholarship award letter will outline the scholarship acceptance process.

  • I. Eric and Grace Leef Endowed Scholarship

    Grace Leef and her husband, Eric, came to Miami from New York. Eric was a prominent attorney in Miami for many years and together they enjoyed the pleasures that the Miami Beach lifestyle has to offer. While Grace and Eric never had children of their own, they adopted the Miami community and established a trust to benefit future generations. Predeceased by Eric, Grace passed away in 2006. She gave the majority of her estate to charitable causes. The I. Eric and Grace Leef Endowed Scholarship was established at Miami Law to memorialize the name of I. Eric and Grace Leef. The Leef Scholarship is awarded every third year to an entering full-time student.

    The Leef award provides full law tuition (fall and spring) for up to 88 credits, including six approved non-law course credits taken in other departments of the University and applied toward the JD degree, plus an annual stipend of $1,000. In addition, recipients are granted a full-tuition scholarship for one Miami Law summer session following their first or second year of law school. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    Additionally, students who meet the scholarship renewal criteria upon completion of their JD degree are eligible to receive a full-tuition scholarship if they are admitted into and enroll in a Miami Law LLM program directly upon graduation (or in a joint degree JD/LLM offering before graduation). Miami Law offers LLM programs in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law; International Law; International Arbitration; Tax Law; Real Property Development; Estate Planning; and Maritime Law.

    No separate application is required for the Leef Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded based on credentials and achievements, without regard to financial need. Recipients must accept their scholarship award and pay the two $500 seat deposits by the required dates. The scholarship award letter will outline the scholarship acceptance process.

  • White & Case Scholarship

    White & Case, a global law firm with offices in approximately 40 major cities throughout the world, is recognized as a pioneering international law firm with cross-border expertise. The Miami office of White & Case, founded over 25 years ago, is a participant in Miami’s on-campus interviewing program and regularly hires Miami Law graduates. The Miami office is consistently awarded and recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers, and other leading industry publications, across a variety of practices.

    Miami Law alumni have contributed to the success of this powerhouse firm, including Carolyn Lamm, JD ’73, partner and top international litigator in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, past president of the American Bar Association (2009-2010), and visiting professor at Miami Law.

    Established in 2014, the White & Case award provides full law tuition (fall and spring) for up to 88 credits, including six approved non-law course credits taken in other departments of the University and applied toward the JD degree, plus an annual stipend of $1,000. In addition, recipients are granted a full-tuition scholarship for one Miami Law summer session following their first or second year of law school. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    Additionally, students who meet the scholarship renewal criteria upon completion of their JD degree are eligible to receive a full-tuition scholarship if they are admitted into and enroll in a Miami Law LLM program directly upon graduation (or in a joint degree JD/LLM offering before graduation). Miami Law offers LLM programs in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law; International Law; International Arbitration; Tax Law; Real Property Development; Estate Planning; and Maritime Law.

    No separate application is required for the White & Case Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded based on admissions credentials and achievements, without regard to financial need. Recipients must accept their scholarship award and pay the two $500 seat deposits by the required dates. The scholarship award letter will outline the scholarship acceptance process.

  • Miami Scholars Public Interest Program Scholarships

    The Miami Scholars Public Interest Program draws candidates from across the globe who have demonstrated interest in public service in addition to excellent academic credentials and achievements. The Miami Scholars Program offers its students exclusive opportunities for legal advocacy training and mentoring from the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center team of attorneys, including individualized curriculum advising and career planning assistance. Miami Scholars also receive mentoring by upper-class Miami Scholars and public interest and pro bono attorneys.

    The Miami Scholars awards range from partial to full tuition scholarships. In addition, a stipend is provided for public interest work performed during the summer after the first or second year of law school. Specific requirements to maintain the award may be found in the student’s initial scholarship notification and in the Institutional Aid Policies section below.

    No separate application is required for the Miami Scholars Public Interest Program. This scholarship is awarded based on academic credentials and achievements, as well as demonstrated interest in public service.

  • Additional Named Scholarship Awards

    Our generous alumni donate scholarship funding for incoming law students, including, but not limited to, the following awards:

    Alma Jennings Fund Scholarship
    Andrew & Ellen Leinoff Endowed Scholarship
    Caren and Peter Prieto Endowed Scholarship
    Carol King Scholarship
    Cuban American Bar Association/Law Alumni Association Scholarship
    Dennis Lynch Scholarship
    Edwin Willinger Endowed Scholarship
    Ethel & Walter Beckham Endowed Scholarship
    Florence T. Robbins Scholarship
    Francisco R. and Georgina Angones Endowed Scholarship
    Frisch Family Endowed Scholarship
    George N. and Diana T. Leader Scholarship
    George Patterson Endowed Scholarship
    Henry Latimer Scholarship
    Honorable Barbara Levenson Scholarship
    Honorable Thomas S. Wilson Jr. Scholarship
    Irving M. & Cecelia M. Herrmann Law Scholarship
    James L. Ferraro Scholarship
    Jeffrey D. Fisher Law Scholarship Fund
    Joseph Isicoff – Isicoff Ragatz Scholarship
    Judge Eugene P. Spellman Scholarship
    Judge Federico A. Moreno Endowed Scholarship
    Judge Henry L. Balaban Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Judge Sidney M. Aronovitz Endowed Scholarship
    Judy Fried Hyman Scholarship
    Judy Proller Endowed Scholarship Fund
    Karl Llewellyn Endowed Scholarship
    Lee H. Burg Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Leonore Carrero Nesbitt Scholarship for Public Service
    Marc A. Fajer Scholarship
    Marion E. Sibley Scholarship
    Mary E. Doyle Endowed Scholarship Fund
    Minority Law School Student Scholarship
    Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Scholarship
    Nicole "Nicky" Langesfeld, JD '19 Scholarship
    Paul and Terrance Dee Memorial Endowed Scholarship
    Podhurst, Orsek Scholarship
    Stephen Arky Scholarship
    Stephen Mark Fogel Memorial Law Scholarship
    The Berger/Loevner Family Endowed Scholarship
    Tripp Scott Endowed Scholarship Fund
    William P. Vanderwyden, JD '84 Scholarship Fund
    Zarco, Einhorn, Salkowski & Brito, P.A. Scholarship
    Zbar Memorial Scholarship

Other Scholarship Programs

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Scholarships for Incoming LLM Students

Each year, a limited number of scholarships are available to outstanding LL.M. applicants on the basis of merit and accomplishments. Applications for admissions and scholarships will be considered on a rolling basis by each LL.M. program director.

Scholarships for Continuing JD Students

Each year, a limited amount of scholarship funding is designated for outstanding second- and third-year law students on the basis of merit and accomplishments. 

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  • Named Scholarship Awards

    Our generous alumni donate scholarship funding for second- and third-year law students, including, but not limited to, the following awards: 

    Adolph Rust Semper Fi Endowed Scholarship Fund
    Alan S. Ross Memorial Endowed Scholarship
    Alex R. Laster Scholarship
    Alma Jennings Foundation Miami Scholars Public Interest Program Fund
    Ann Wrenn-King Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Armando Alejandre Endowed Scholarship
    Arthur J. Morris Endowed Scholarship
    Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund Endowed Scholarship
    Bill Colson Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Burton Young Scholarship
    C. C. Alloway Scholarship
    Chaplin Family Scholarship
    Citizens Board Law School Scholarship
    Class Action & Complex Litigation Fellow Scholarship
    Claude Eichel Law Endowed Scholarship
    Claude M. Olds Memorial Scholarship
    Cobb Scholarship
    Daniel S. Pearson Litigation Skills Endowed Scholarship
    Diana Milton, J.D. 2023, and Ana Veiga Milton, J.D. 1993, Tech Law Endowed Scholarship
    Dr. Rudolph G. Moise Scholarship
    Edward D. Berger Scholarship
    Ervin A. Gonzalez Endowed Scholarship
    F. W. "Mort" Guilford Endowed Scholarship
    Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Scholarship
    Francisco V. Garcia-Amador Memorial Scholarship
    Gaebe, Mullen, Antonelli & DiMatteo Endowed Scholarship
    George David Gold Scholarship
    George Harper Scholarship
    Gerald Kogan Endowed Scholarship
    Gerard Ehrich Scholarship
    Goshgarian Law Endowed Scholarship
    Grad Program in Estate Planning Scholarship
    Guillermo Levy & Christina Levy-Ceballos Scholarship
    Higgins Book Award
    Honorable Fred Lewis Scholarship
    Honorable Maxine Cohen Lando Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Honorable Theodore Klein Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Hugh L. Wood Endowed Scholarship
    J. Donald and Agnes E. Shoecraft Law Scholarship
    Joan A Berk Endowed Scholarship Fund
    John Cyril Malloy Intellectual Property Law Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship
    John M. Hogan Scholars in Public Interest Litigation
    Joseph Bogosian Award
    Judge Harvey Ford Memorial Scholarship
    Kapila Family Foundation Endowed Law Scholarship
    Kathryn D. Sowle Scholarship
    Kenny, Nachwalter, P.A. Scholarship Fund
    Kevin A. Dorse Scholarship
    Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine PL Scholarship
    Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton Endowed Litigation Scholarship & Award
    LAA Board Scholarship
    Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein Endowed Law Scholarship
    Law Alumni Scholarship
    Lawrence B. Rodgers-M. Minnette Massey Scholarship
    Litigation Skills Faculty Donor Scholarship
    Louis Phillips Scholarship
    Lydia and Burton Harrison Scholarship
    Marco A. Vazquez Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Mariano JD/MBA/LLM Scholarship
    Mariel Melissa S. Spencer Endowed Scholarship
    Mark F. Raymond Scholarship
    Martin Fine Scholarship
    Martin J. Nash Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Mary T. Hennessy Scholarship
    Miami Law Ukrainian Student Support Fund
    Miguel Perez Law Award
    Mitchell R. Bloomberg Endowed Scholarship
    Nicole Kleban Scholarship
    Patricia D. White EASL Scholarship
    Patricia Redmond Scholarship
    Paul B. Anton Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Paul R. Gordon Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Paul, Landy, Beiley & Harper Scholarship
    Philip E. Heckerling Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Priscilla Jewett Schneller Scholarship
    R.E. Dooley, JD '53 Scholarship
    Rafael C. Benitez Scholarship Fund
    Ray H. Pearson Memorial Scholarship
    Revitz Scholarship
    Richard A. Ellen E. and Jaennette F. Hausler Scholarship Fund
    Richard J. Ovelmen Endowed Scholarship
    Richard L. Lapidus Endowed Memorial Scholarship
    Robert H. Waters Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Rosenn Scholarship
    Sidley Austin Law Review Scholarship
    Soia Mentchikoff Scholarship
    Stearns Weaver/Shapiro Endowed Scholarship
    Stearns Weaver/Weissler Endowed Scholarship
    Stephen L. Cohen Endowed Law Scholarship
    Stephen M. Brodsky Memorial Scholarship
    Tax Section of the Florida Bar J.D. Scholarship
    Tax Section of the Florida Bar LL. M. Scholarship
    The Carlos and Deborah Hernandez Endowed Law Scholarship
    Thomas E. and Dorothy Bartsche McDougall Scholarship
    Vazquez-Bello Scholarship
    Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Endowed Scholarship
    Weinberger Family Endowed Scholarship
    Wesley Alba Sturges Scholarship
    White & Case Carolyn B. Lamm International Arbitration Endowed Scholarship
    William N. Lobel Scholarship Fund
    Young Alumni Scholarship

Scholarships for International Students

Scholarship information for international students is available here.

Scholarships for Law Students from External Organizations

A great source of additional financing is through scholarship awards offered by organizations throughout the U.S. These awards are usually limited to particular populations of students based on geography, class year, area of interest in law, or ethnic background. Miami Law compiles a list of external scholarships here. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information, we encourage you to confirm details with the sponsoring organization.

Institutional Aid Policies

The following policies apply to all institutional aid provided by the law school or in connection with a student's enrollment in law school.

  • Scholarships are renewable provided the recipient remains in good academic standing as outlined in the Student Handbook (i.e., earns above a 2.000 cumulative GPA at the end of their first year of study and at the end of every semester thereafter), abides by the School of Law’s Honor Code, and meets any specific requirements stated in their original award letter. Any revisions to scholarship awards will be communicated in writing and updated in CaneLink.
  • The total amount of all aid (loans, institutional scholarships, tuition waivers, stipends, external scholarships, and any other aid) cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance for each semester. The Cost of Attendance will be finalized by the summer prior to each academic year. If you are eligible to receive aid from outside sources (e.g., scholarships/financial assistance from external organizations such as charitable foundations, community groups, or corporations), adjustments may be made to your federal loans and/or institutional aid so that the total amount of aid received does not exceed the Cost of Attendance. Please note that, in cases where assistance from an external organization is earmarked exclusively for tuition, the amount of the external scholarship and/or the institutional scholarship may be reduced instead of the amount of the loan award.
  • Scholarships may be partially funded by donor scholarships at any point while studying at Miami Law.
  • JD scholarships are intended for full-time enrollment and distributed evenly over consecutive academic years. Scholarships are to be used for tuition purposes only and to fulfill the JD graduation requirements. JD Scholarships cannot be used for non-JD credits, non-degree credits, or credits pursued as part of other degree programs or outside institutions. At the University’s discretion, scholarships may be prorated or adjusted if a student’s course load is less than full-time.
  • If a JD student chooses to pursue a joint degree, the JD scholarship will not cover tuition in any semesters in which the student is designated as a student in the other degree program. Designation as a student in the other degree program may occur even if the student is enrolled in a JD course. Similarly, if an incoming JD student enters as part of the Joint Degree Program in Law for UM Undergraduate Students (also known as the “3+3 Program”), the scholarship the student received as an undergraduate student will not carry forward to their studies at the law school.
  • LLM and SJD scholarships are to be used for tuition purposes only and not renewable unless otherwise stated on the official scholarship notification. At the University’s discretion, scholarships may be prorated or adjusted based on the student’s credit load.
  • If an enrolled student receives any aid during a period of non-attendance (i.e., summer term), then those funds are counted as estimated financial assistance (EFA) towards the upcoming period of enrollment (i.e. fall term). Therefore, it reduces available aid in the upcoming period of enrollment. 
  • All students receiving any aid are subject to the institution's terms and conditions

For questions regarding scholarships for incoming students, please contact the Office of Admissions at 305-284-6746 or admissions@law.miami.edu.

For questions regarding institutional aid policies, please contact Lidiette Esquivel at 305-284-2730 or scholarships@law.miami.edu.