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Scholarships & Financial Aid

The Advanced Degree Programs Office offers a few selective, merit- or citizenship-based scholarships, which are awarded to a few outstanding LL.M. students each year.  Scholarship applications for both the Professional LL.M. and the Academic Year LL.M. program, if required, are made available to admitted students only after admission decisions are made.

There is currently no financial aid available through the Advanced Degree Programs Office for students in the J.S.D. program; however, J.S.D. students are eligible to apply for financial assistance through the Graduate Division. Students who are eligible for federal student loans may also be able to borrow from the federal loan program (see below).

Because the amount of funding available is very limited, the responsibility of financing the LL.M. or J.S.D. program usually rests primarily with the student.  Therefore, we strongly suggest that applicants investigate all available financing options.  We have gathered all of the information we have on funding sources on this page, although it is certainly not exhaustive and applicants are encouraged to conduct their own research.  International students should explore funding opportunities in their home countries.
Please note:  Services from Berkeley Law's Financial Aid Office are generally limited to students who are eligible for federal loans — see below for guidelines on who is eligible for federal student loans.  Students who do not meet these guidelines can use the resources listed under “Aid for International Students” below.

 

Professional LL.M. Scholarships

The Guzman Scholarship (Full-Tuition Award for students from Africa)

The Guzman Professional LL.M. Scholarship was developed to encourage enrollment of students from Africa seeking advanced legal education at Berkeley Law.

Award Requirements:

    • Proof of Citizenship or Primary Residence in Africa.
    • Statement of Intention describing what the Scholarship recipient plans on accomplishing in Africa after graduating from the Professional LL.M. program.

Award Details:

    • This is a full-tuition waiver. Recipients will be responsible for paying only the $1,000 seat deposit each summer, plus living expenses.
    • Scholarship application forms will be made available on the Admitted Professional LL.M. website and are due within one week of receiving an offer of admission. Award recipients will be notified before the deadline to confirm acceptance.
    • Recipients must maintain a minimum grade standard of 'P' (pass) or higher in all classes during the first summer in order to maintain scholarship eligibility during the second summer.

The Least Developed Countries Scholarship ($20,000 Scholarship for students from LDC Countries)

The LDC Scholarship was developed to encourage enrollment of students from Least Developed Countries. As defined by the United Nations, these are the poorest and most vulnerable countries in our international community. Forty eight countries are currently categorized as LDCs. For a complete list, see the UN website: http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/25/

Award Requirements:

    • Proof of Citizenship and Primary Residence in an LDC country.
    • Statement of Intention describing what the Scholarship recipient plans on accomplishing in their country after graduating from the Professional LL.M. program.

Award Details:

    • $20,000 credit toward tuition ($10,000 per summer).
    • Scholarship application forms will be made available on the Admitted Professional LL.M. website and are due within one week of receiving an offer of admission. Award recipients will be notified before the deadline to confirm acceptance.
    • Recipients must maintain a minimum grade standard of 'P' (pass) or higher in all classes during the first summer in order to maintain scholarship eligibility during the second summer.

The South Asia Scholarship ($15,000 for students from South Asia)

The South Asia Scholarship was developed to encourage enrollment of students from the following countries in South Asia:  India, The Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Award Requirements:

    • Proof of Citizenship and Primary Residence in a designated South Asian country.
    • Statement of Intention describing what the Scholarship recipient plans on accomplishing in South Asia after graduating from the Professional LL.M. program.

Award Details:

    • $15,000 credit toward tuition ($7,500 per summer).
    • Scholarship application forms will be made available on the Admitted Professional LL.M. website and are due within one week of receiving an offer of admission.  Award recipients will be notified before the deadline to confirm acceptance.
    • Recipients must maintain a minimum grade standard of 'P' (pass) or higher in all classes during the first summer in order to maintain scholarship eligibility during the second summer.

Academic Year LL.M. Scholarships

Berkeley Law offers a competitive $15,000 scholarship program for admitted LL.M. students with superior academic credentials, for whom Berkeley Law is their first choice. Because funds are extremely limited, the ADP Scholarship can only be provided to a few outstanding applicants each year.

Details:

    • Scholarship awards are based on merit, as determined by evaluation of academic records and supporting materials included in the application for admission.
    • Award decisions will be emailed to the email address listed in your application form.
    • If selected, your $15,000 scholarship award will be disbursed in two $7,500 installments, one being applied each semester as a credit to your student billing account.

Students Eligible for Federal Student Loans

U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens may submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You are an eligible non-citizen if you are:

  • A permanent U.S. resident with a Permanent Resident Card (I-551);

  • A conditional permanent resident (I-551C); or

  • The holder of an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any of the following designations: “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Parolee” (I-94 confirms paroled for a minimum of one year and status has not expired), “Victim of human trafficking,” T-Visa holder (T-1, T-2, T-3, etc.) or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant.”

The FAFSA may be completed online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.  Be certain to list “UC Berkeley” as the school applied to, and include the school code #001312.

Academic-year LL.M. and J.S.D. applicants should submit the FAFSA by March 2 for federal student loan eligibility.

Professional LL.M. students may be eligible to apply for federal Direct Loans to assist them with paying for their summer program costs.  To determine eligibility for the federal loan program, students must file the FAFSA by June 30 for each summer term.  FAFSA-eligible Professional LL.M. students may be able to borrow a combined maximum of $20,500 (depending on whether you already borrowed from the federal loan program during the prior academic year) in subsidized and unsubsidized loans and Graduate Plus loan up to the balance of cost of education for the summer.  For a detailed description of the federal Direct Loan program, please refer to the Berkeley Law Financial aid web site at www.law.berkeley.edu/193.htm.

Students eligible for federal student loans may also contact the Financial Aid office by e-mail at financial-aid@law.berkeley.edu or calling 510-642-1563.  Information about the Financial Aid office can be found online at http://www.law.berkeley.edu/58.htm

U.S. citizens may also be eligible for the scholarships listed on the following page:

Aid for International Students


In addition to the financial aid described above, international students are encouraged to see the Berkeley International Office Financial Aid page, and to take advantage of the resources it provides, and the following searchable library and web resources:

Other Possible Funding Resources for International Students

All Applicants

If you have any questions, please contact the Advanced Degree Programs Office by email at llm@law.berkeley.edu, or by phone at 510-642-1476.