Scholarships & Grants

Specialty Awards

Specialty awards are financial aid awards created by Moritz College of Law Alumni and Donors. Many of these Specialty Awards fund, in part, Academic Merit Scholarships, Moritz Leadership Scholarships, and Diversity Enrichment Grants. Incoming first year law students who receive a Grant or Scholarship funded in whole or in part by a Specialty fund, will be notified of this recognition.

Additionally, there are a few endowed Specialty Awards that are given to an individual student based upon specific donor guidelines and with donor input.  These Specialty Awards do not require a separate application or statement of interest; candidates are chosen by the Admission Office based upon strength of academic credentials and other measures of excellence as demonstrated in the applicant’s file.

Hite Family Scholarship
For students entering in fall 2010, the Hite Family Scholarship will be awarded to a student selected from academically talented applicants that have shown promise to make important contributions to the law.  The Hite Family Scholarship is a full in-state tuition scholarship, subject to renewal for a second and third year if the recipient maintains a 3.0 GPA at the end of the academic year.  The Hite Family Scholarship will next be available for students entering in fall 2012.

Michael H. and Jo Ann Carpenter Scholarship
For students entering in fall 2010, the Michael H. and Jo Ann Carpenter Scholarship will be awarded to an entering student with superior academic credentials who is not otherwise receiving a full in-state tuition scholarship.  The scholarship is renewable for the 2L and 3L years of law school so long as the student maintains a 3.0 or higher GPA at the end of the academic year. The Carpenter Scholarship will next be available for students entering in fall 2013.

Additionally, there are several Specialty Awards that are reserved exclusively for upper level students and require an application. Students with full tuition scholarships are not eligible for these Specialty Awards. Upper level students who qualify for one of the awards listed below and wish to apply, should write a short paragraph outlining their qualifications to be submitted to the Financial Aid Office by March 1st.

Essays should include the applicant's full name and specialty award name they are applying for. Documents should be forwarded or dropped off by February 15 to:

Assistant Director of Financial Aid
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
55 West 12th Avenue, 104 Drinko Hall
Columbus, OH 43210-1391

Specialty awards vary in amounts from $500 to $3000. (No application is required. Only the essay(s) and resume(s) must be submitted.)

List of Current Upper-Level Specialty Awards

Thomas E. and Joanna L. Cavendish Scholarship Fund*
Scholarships for assistance to outstanding law students who demonstrate an interest in activities other than pure academic pursuit.

Honorable John D. Judge Scholarship Fund
Scholarship for a third year law student, preferably a male, ranked in the top half of the class, demonstrating an interest in public service and contributing significant hours in public interest activities.

Twyford and Donahey Scholarship Fund
Scholarship for a second to third year law student who is married, an Ohio resident, and who is not otherwise qualified for merit based aid.

Wieland Scholarship Fund*
Scholarship for law student who exhibits promise of academic achievement and evidence of need.

*The donor of this fund participates in the selection process. They have expressed a desire to recommend to Financial Aid the top academic performers from the second year class, based upon the first year performance. However, Financial Aid makes the final selection decision based on the award criteria. Historically, recipients have been from the top 10% of the class.