Yale Law Will Pay Full Tuition For Low-Income Students

NEW HAVEN, CT — Yale Law School will pay for low-income students' tuition, fees and health insurance costs through a new scholarship program, the school has announced.

Students are eligible for the program if their family income is below the federal poverty line and their assets are below $150,000, officials said on the Yale Law website. Qualifying students will receive more than $70,000 per year for tuition, fees and health insurance.

When the program launches this fall, the school will automatically provide scholarships to around 45-50 J.D. students in the classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, officials said.

The initiative, titled "Soledad '92 and Robert Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program," builds off of a 2021 program called the "Horizon Grant" that awarded an annual $4,000 to students who met the same criteria.

And the school is fundraising to expand the program — officials hope to expand its eligibility requirements in the future.

"Our highest need students face significant financial hardships and lack an economic safety net to fall back on," said Miriam Ingber, Yale Law School's Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. "Even with significant need-based financial aid awards and our loan repayment program, the financial burden for these students weighs heavily, and many students fear debt knowing that they are responsible for their families' financial well-being as well as their own. This new program is a critical step forward for the Law School, and we hope it will transform the academic experience for our Hurst Horizon Scholars."