FEW OTHER SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR INDIAN LAW STUDENTS

AUTHOR- URVASHI BHARGAVA*

EDITOR- RIYA LUHADIA

INTRODUCTION

We can define law scholarships as an aid for students who want to pursue law as their area of study or profession. They assist and motivate students to research, learn, and contribute to the legal field. There are different categories in which we may divide scholarships as-

● Need-based, where scholarships provided based on the financial status and income of the student and his family

● Merit-based, where only your abilities and your achievements could gain one scholarship.

● Merit cum need-based, where both categories will play an essential role in gaining your scholarship.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAW STUDENTS IN INDIA

For undergraduate courses in different countries for law students, government and private scholarship schemes are-

● CENTRAL SECTOR SCHEME FOR SCHOLARSHIP FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS- If you are above the 80th percentile of successful students in your stream, you can apply for this scheme. Application time is July -October every year. We can apply for this scholarship through the National Scholarship Portal. They provide a scholarship amount of 10,000 per year in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year and 20000 for the remaining 4th and 5th year. ● QUILL FOUNDATION–This is a Delhi-based foundation providing scholarships for law students. One should have passed the 12th exam by a minimum of 60% and be financially weak to apply. They train the students for studying and community work in the law field.

● SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED TO STUDENTS FROM MINORITY COMMUNITY- The Minority Affairs Ministry offers this scholarship every year for pursuing professional courses, including LLB. Eligibility criteria: one should belong to a minority community with a family income of not over 2.5 lakh. Benefits of this scholarship include funding of 20000 rupees per year and an allowance of 500-1000.

LAW SCHOLARSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD

● AABA LAW FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS - They award scholarships for dedicated law students committed to advocating and improving their community. They provide this scholarship to Asia Pacific American Community students. Law students are eligible to apply. Selection criteria include community service leadership. They provide benefits as financial help.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LLM STUDENTS

●COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME- They offer scholarships and fellowships to students from commonwealth countries. Eligibility criteria are that you should have an undergraduate upper second class. This scholarship benefits students by funding their studies in the UK. They conduct a detailed application procedure based on which they provide scholarships.

● FULBRIGHT NEHRU MASTERS SCHOLARSHIP offers scholarships for international legal studies for subjects, including environmental law, human rights, taxation law, etc. They provide scholarships for selected universities in US. For attaining the scholarship, some conditions such as one should have secured at least 55% in LLB, must show experience in leadership, must not have another degree in the U.S.

● HONG KONG MARITIME LAW SCHOLARSHIPS- They offer scholarships for maritime transportation law streams in the LLM program. Eligibility criteria for this scholarship will be your academic achievement and your experience. Benefits include funding full tuition fees during years of study.

● LLM IN PARIS SCHOLARSHIPS- This scholarship offer LLM programs in the fields such as Banking and Finance Law, alternative dispute resolution. They offer a full tuition fee waiver as a benefit but on the condition that the student should already have an offer to study LLM in Paris. The awarding institution is QMUL-Paris.

● OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE SOCIETY OF INDIA SCHOLARSHIPS- They offer scholarships to study at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, the U.K based on the academic excellence of students. Application forms are available in March every year on their site. However, the condition in acquiring this scholarship is that one should have admitted to the university mentioned by the standard procedures.

The scope for LLM students is more comprehensive than LLB because students have expertise in law and have advanced knowledge in law. Graduation degree requirements for being eligible for LLM to differ according to the universities and countries. Some courses offer study and theoretical knowledge, and some have courses for research, including both research and study. Here are some of the prominent scholarships for students going for higher studies in law-

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO PURSUE HIGHER STUDIES IN LAW

● RHODES SCHOLARSHIP- It is one of the most recognized scholarships for students in India. This scholarship provides students in India an opportunity to study at Oxford University, but there are only five seats available in India.

Eligibility criteria for Indian students- one should be a citizen of India, your age should be between 19 to 25 years, have taken education for four years in the last ten years, and complete your undergraduate course with first class. Application time is from June to July of every year. After this, they do a long selection process in which they provide only one or two students with this scholarship, but it is a golden chance for law students to be a part of the international community.

● CHEVENING–This scholarship is for students with exceptional leadership qualities and strong academic backgrounds. This scholarship helps students to study in the U.K. One of the most viable options of country law students prefer.

Eligibility criteria for this scholarship are that one should be a citizen of India, have two years of work experience, have applied for admissions in at least three universities in the U.K., got approval from one of them, and last are an English language requirement. The usual time for application is between August and November. Students have to go through some tests and provide some documents to gain this scholarship.

● THE FELIX SCHOLARSHIP- This scholarship is for students from India and other developing countries to study at some selected universities, such as Oxford University, University of Reading, and SOAS, London.

Eligibility criteria include first-class students holding a degree from recognized universities in India and should be academically excellent. Benefits include the course fee and living costs. They select candidates after submitting an application and interviews.

● KC MAHINDRA SCHOLARSHIP- This scholarship provides an interest-free loan for post-graduate students who want to pursue their degrees abroad. KC MAHINDRA EDUCATION TRUST provides this scholarship.

Eligibility criteria are that you should be a citizen of India and have attained a first-class degree from one of India's recognized universities. The application starts in December or January every year.

● J.N. TATA ENDOWMENT- This scholarship is a loan scholarship for Indian students from all courses who want to pursue post-graduate degrees, including LLM.

Eligibility criteria being one must be a citizen of India and must have secured at least 60% from one of the recognized Universities of India. The selection process includes online tests and an interview. The application procedure includes completion of the application for the course and financial aid.

CONCLUSION

Law as a career has excellent prospects, but it also requires a significant amount of patience and experience to succeed and excel in this field. Law being a diverse field, we have so much to explore, but the expenses involved are high, and scholarships limited and hard to gain. Very few law schools and organizations provide scholarships to law students.

Here scholarships play a significant role in inspiring and motivating the young law students, lawyers, or aspirants to learn more, research, and explore more, to do something for society. Scholarship is a hope for so many law aspirants who cannot choose law as a career. Law is one of the most diverse fields, and these scholarships mentioned above are a way to empower this field and students to explore, research, and make laws better for society. We need more and more such initiatives.

*The Author is a 1st-year B.A.LLB (Hons) student at Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views in this article are personal and independent opinions of the author. VAIDHA does not hold any liability arising out of this article.