Tuition & Fees

Academic Calendar

Scholarships

Golden Gate University School of Law offers a variety of scholarships to entering and continuing students.

Merit Scholarships
To attract highly qualified students, the School of Law gives entering students a number of full-tuition and partial-tuition scholarships based on academic merit. Criteria include past academic achievement and LSAT results. There is no formal application for merit scholarships. All admitted students are automatically considered for merit scholarships.

Minority Scholarships
The Law School awards minority scholarships of $5,000 to entering students of all races and ethnicities who have, through past efforts, demonstrated a substantial and meaningful commitment to serve minority communities. Commitment can be demonstrated in a collegiate, professional, or community environment. To apply, check the appropriate box on the application and provide an essay describing your community involvement and/or professional experience, including how it has benefited one or more minority communities. You must also attach a list of the specific agencies, programs, and projects for which you have worked or with which you have been involved. This scholarship is awarded for one year only.

Public Interest Scholars Program
Fall semester entering students who are pursuing public interest careers are encouraged to apply for the Public Interest Law Scholars Program. Recipients receive a $5,000 scholarship each year as long as they remain in good academic standing. The program also provides a faculty mentor.

Find out more about Public Interest Law at Golden Gate University. All eligible first-year students are considered for the following scholarships:

• The Anne Marie Bourgeois Memorial Endowed Law Scholarship was established in memory of a 1989 graduate. It is awarded to women students with prior experience in the legal field.
• The Louis Garcia Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in memory of a 1952 graduate and the first Latino judge to serve in San Francisco. The primary objective of this fund is to assist minority students.
• The Diana Richmond Endowed Scholarship Fund for African Americans was funded with a major gift by Diana Richmond, a 1973 graduate and an established family practice lawyer in San Francisco. This award is given to African-American law students.

Golden Gate University School of Law selects continuing students for the following two scholarships:

• The Leon A. and Esther F. Blum Foundation Loan and Scholarship Program provides financial aid to worthy students attending accredited law schools in San Francisco.
• The Lawrence A. Cowen Scholarship Fund, created by a bequest from one of the School of Law's earliest graduates, provides scholarships to students based on financial need and other factors.

Continuing students are also encouraged to apply for the following scholarships:

• The Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a law student who has demonstrated leadership and is in the top fifteen percent of his or her class. The selection committee may also consider financial need.
• The Frederick W. Bradley Endowed Scholarship, named for a 1966 graduate of the School of Law, is awarded solely on the basis of financial need.
• The Phillip Burton Endowed Law Scholarship, named in memory of the former US congressman and 1953 School of Law graduate, is awarded on the basis of financial need.
• The Linda Caputo Memorial Scholarship was established by the friends, family, law school faculty, and classmates of Linda Caputo, who graduated from the School of Law in 1987 and had spina bifida. This scholarship is awarded to a student who has overcome significant obstacles to obtain a legal education.
• The Martin S. Cohen Endowed Memorial Scholarship, named for a former student, is awarded to a Jewish student with demonstrated financial need and good academic standing.
• The Kevin J. Connell JD Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in memory of a third-year student who died in spring 1995. The scholarship is awarded to a student in good academic standing with demonstrated financial need, with preference given to veterans of the US Armed Forces.
• The Environmental Law Scholarship is awarded to a student who has completed his or her second year of law school and has a demonstrated commitment to, and record of, achievement in environmental law. An essay is required with the application.
• The Helen A. and John A. Gorfinkel Endowed Scholarship was established in memory of John Gorfinkel, a former professor and dean, and is awarded on the basis of financial need and academic achievement.
• The Richard W. Johnson Memorial Endowed Scholarship was created and funded by classmates and friends of a 1965 graduate of the School of Law. This scholarship, given to a student who has shown great academic improvement since starting law school, is awarded at the start of a student's third year.
• The Paul S. Jordan Endowed Law Scholarship is named for a School of Law faculty member, dean, and university trustee. Preference is given to students who demonstrate scholastic excellence and financial need.
• The Hugh Geoffrey Major Endowed Women's Law Scholarship was established by Patricia Carson (Class of 1952) and named for her son. The scholarship is awarded to women students with financial need and good academic standing.
• The Barbara M. Mathews Educational Scholarship, named for a 1983 law graduate, provides annual support for women students who majored in humanities as undergraduates and who demonstrate financial need.
• The Masud Mehran Endowed Fellowship is named for a member of the University Board of Trustees since 1986. The fellowship is awarded to students in good academic standing with demonstrated financial need. Preference is given to individuals displaying entrepreneurial spirit and initiative.
• The Anthony J. Pagano Dean's Merit Scholarship, named for a former dean of the School of Law (1988-1998), is awarded at the discretion of the current dean to a law student with financial need who demonstrates outstanding achievement in law school.
• The Roderick S. Polentz Memorial Endowed Scholarship, established in 2005 by a generous gift from the Polentz family, is named in memory of a 1984 alumnus and is awarded to an evening law student.
• The Joseph R. and June B. Rensch Endowed Scholarship is awarded to upper-division students on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and potential for business leadership.
• The Kathryn E. Ringgold Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a student with demonstrated financial need and solid academic standing, with preference given to women or African Americans.
• The Louie Sbarbaro Endowed Scholarship Fund is named for a longtime bon vivant and raconteur who resided in Siskiyou County, California. This is a need-based scholarship, with preference given to students who resided in the northern part of California before entering law school.
• The Catherine Sherburne-Thompson Endowed Scholarship Fund is named in memory of a 1956 School of Law graduate and its first female faculty member. This fund provides assistance to a part-time woman student in her third or fourth year.
• The Professor James B. Smith Memorial Endowed Scholarship is given to a part-time woman student with significant financial need or to an older student of either gender.
• The Union Bank of California Scholarship provides financial assistance to a low-income or minority student.
• The Michael A. Zamperini/W. Clay Burchell Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a gay or lesbian law student who is beginning his or her final fall semester. This scholarship is awarded based on overall academic achievement and academic performance in the Writing & Research courses. An essay is required with the application.
• The Joseph and Ruth Zukor Memorial Scholarship was endowed by Ruth Zukor in memory of her husband, who graduated from the School of Law in 1956. This scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated financial need and are in good academic standing.