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Admissions
We know that opportunity is essential to success. So at South Texas College of Law we work with you—if needed and as needed—to ensure that a promising future in law remains within your financial reach. From academic scholarships, to awards, to loans, numerous options exist for meeting tuition costs and providing ongoing access to South Texas. Typically, more than $3 million in scholarships and grants are available to students each year, and the Federal Work- Study Program provides competitive wages for part-time jobs at the college and several outside public agencies.
Tuition and Fees
The cost of a legal education at South Texas ranks among the best values in the country for private schools.
Tuition for the fall and spring semesters of academic year 2013-2014 totals $13,755 per semester for full-time students and $9,170 per semester for part-time students. Each student also pays a registration and general services fee of $300 per semester.
Tuition for the 2014 summer session is $917 per credit hour. Each student also pays a registration and general services fee of $300 per semester. South Texas offers comprehensive deferred tuition payment and financial aid programs.
Direct Loan Program
In the academic year 2012-2013, educational loans were the largest source of financial aid to South Texas students. The loan most commonly processed at South Texas is the Federal Stafford Loan, which has a fixed interest rate of 6.8
percent. Graduate Plus loans are also available to students for educational expenses. These are federal credit-based loans which are offered at a fixed interest rate of 7.9 percent after July 1, 2010.
Student Emergency Loans
South Texas provides emergency short-term loans to students through the Spurgeon E. Bell Scholarship and Student Aid Fund, created by external donations and vending machine proceeds. Loans up to $1,000, depending on the availability of funds, are made for a 60-day term interest free.
Federal Work Students Program
The Federal Work Student Program provides part-time jobs at the college and a few outside public agencies for qualified students at competitive wage rates (currently $10.00 per hour).
General Financial Aid Information
Applicants who intend to apply for financial aid for either the full or part-time program may utilize the college’s website to obtain the required documents and/or forms. Submitting an application for admission to the Admissions Office does NOT constitute an application for financial aid, but does constitute an application for new student merit scholarships administered by the Admissions Office. Applicants should begin the financial aid application process early enough to ensure that the deadlines set forth below are met. This will require applicants to begin the financial aid application process even before they are accepted for admission to South Texas.
For more detailed information regarding financial assistance, applicants should refer to the Financial Aid Handbook available through the college’s website under Admissions, or contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at 713.646.1820.
South Texas is projected to provide $3 million in scholarships, grants, and awards to deserving students during the 2013-2014 academic year. Scholarships and grants come in a number of varieties from a number of different sources. Generally, they fall into four categories: (1) admissions scholarships, (2) scholarships awarded to continuing students by the Faculty Financial Aid Committee, (3) scholarships funded and awarded by donors outside the law school, and (4) Tuition Equalization Grant funds from the State of Texas. Currently, 81 percent of all students receive at least one scholarship or grant.
Admissions Scholarships
All entering students are considered for merit scholarships based on their undergraduate performance and LSAT score. Please contact the Admissions Office at 713-646-1810 for more information on these scholarships.
Scholarsrships to Continuing Students
For continuing students, the Faculty Financial
Aid Committee awards internally funded scholarships each year based on financial need and law school grade point average. (For this pupose a student’s grade point average is determined as of the end of the preceding fall semester. Awards for students who start at South Texas in the spring semester are made after receipt of spring semester grades.) The amount and distribution of these scholarships depend on the funds available for scholarships and the number of students who apply for them. If a continuing student has a renewable scholarship that he/she received as an entering student, he/she receives the greater of the amount of the renewable scholarship or the amount of the award to continuing students, but not both.
In addition, the Faculty Financial Aid Committee awards scholarships to continuing students according to criteria set by outside donors, such as academic merit, financial need, or interest in a particular area of law.
Scholarsrships Funded and Awarded by Outside Donors
Some scholarships and grants are awarded by private donors, including both individuals and organizations. The amounts, criteria, and selection process for these scholarships and grants are determined by the donors.
Tuition Equalization Grant Funds
The State of Texas provides eligible students with Tuition Equalization Grants (TEG). The purpose of the grant is to promote the maximum use of existing educational resources and facilities within the state of Texas, both public and private, by providing need-based tuition equalization grants to Texas residents enrolled in any private Texas college or university approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). To be eligible for the TEG funds, a student attending South Texas College of Law must, at a minimum, meet all of the following requirements:
- Be a resident of Texas
- Show financial need based on the FAFSA
- Be registered for at least six credit hours per semester
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the THECB
- Be registered with the Selective Service System or be exempt from registration
- Not have received TEG funds for anotherdoctoral degree
Grants and Scholarships
As students progress through South Texas, dozens of scholarships, awards, and grants become available, including the following:
Advocacy Scholarship
Jim Alfini/Hans Lawton Award in Dispute Resolution
William A. Allen Endowed Scholarship
Alumni Association Honor Scholarship
AMICUS Achievement Grant
Annotations Scholarship
Annual Fund Scholarship
ASIS International-Houston Chapter Criminal Justice Scholarship
Judge Spurgeon E. Bell Endowment
Christopher Breen Memorial Scholarship
Endowment
Elaine A. Carlson Scholarship for Texas
Judicial Clerkships
James A. Carmody Scholarship
The Pauline G. and Thomas E. Mingledorff Jr. Scholarship, now 20 years old, grants scholarship dollars based on a pressing financial need. Kenneth Mingledorff ’79 established this generous resource less than ten years after he graduated in honor of his parents, who he says struggled financially to keep him in law school. “I’m looking to help a well-rounded student, or anyone with an emergency financial problem,” says Mr. Mingledorff, the principal in The Mingledorff Law Firm in Houston. He is the first lawyer in his family and says “I wanted to be a lawyer from the time I was born.”
Bob Casey Endowed Scholarship
Curr ents Scholarship
Dean’s Citizenship Award
Dean’s Merit Scholarship
Dean’s Outstanding Advocate Award
Dean’s Student Advocacy Service Award
David T. Donnelly Faculty Award
Charles R. (Bob) Dunn Endowed Scholarship
John F. Ensle Award in Evidence
Kenneth Fountain Memorial Scholarship
Steven Paul Friedman Memorial Scholarship
Pamela E. George Family Law Scholarship Award
Professor Richard J. Graving Award
Joe M. Green, Jr. Scholarship Endowment
Dick Hoskins Gregg Scholarship Endowment
Thomas M. Gregory Part-time Student Scholarship
Sam & Ruth Gross Memorial Scholarship
Lindsey Haid Leadership Award
Hispanic Bar Association Scholarship in
Honor of Chief Judge James DeAnda
Judge John S. Holleman Scholarship
Lyndon B. Johnson Civil Rights Award
Landgell Scholars Scholarship
Law Review Scholarship
MABATX Foundation Scholarship
Shea Lynn Maloney Advocacy Award
Lizabeth Parham Matthews Scholarship |
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The Charles R. “Bob” Dunn Scholarship encourages minority students by providing financial assistance each year. The scholarship honors this 1965 graduate who has served on the college’s board of directors for almost three decades. Founded by his wife and two daughters as a birthday surprise in 1991, the scholarship is given to minority students with financial need. “The idea is to equalize as much as I can for students who have overcome difficult circumstances,” says Mr. Dunn. The scholarship is awarded based on a combination of several criteria
Pauline G. & Thomas E. Mingledorff, Jr.Scholarship
Melissa Moon Memorial Scholarship
Claire Ruskin Mudge Endowed Scholarship
Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Award in Honor of
Professor Harry L. Reed
Fred Parks Scholarships
“Pass It On” Florida Scholarship Fund
Erin Hunter Patterson Memorial Scholarship
Lylene Pilkenton Scholarship
Willie Powells Mediation Award
Charlie Price Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Evelyn Morris Roberts Endowed Scholarship
Judge Bob Robertson Endowed Scholarship
Alex Silverman Memorial Scholarship
Hyman L. Slohm Memorial Scholarship
South Texas College of Law Memorial Scholarship
William J. Steeger Scholarship
Student Bar Association Scholarship
Texas A&M Aggie Scholarship
Edgar E. Townes Endowed Scholarship in
Honor of George T. Barrow
Edgar E. Townes Endowed Scholarship in Honor of W.J. Williamson
Tuition Equalization Grant
Judge & Mrs. Bert Tunks Endowed Scholarship
Vinson & Elkins Public Interest Fund
Garland R. Walker Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Hortense Ward Appreciation Award
Justice Bud Warren Appellate Advocacy Award
Howard F. Warren Scholarship
Charles Weigel Endowed Tort Scholarship
T. Wade Welch & Associates Leadership Awards
Joscelyn Wilder Memorial Scholarship
W.J. Williamson Legal Writing Award
William F. Woods III & Anne R. Woods
Endowed Scholarship
F. Jane Yount Endowed Scholarship
The William J. Steeger Scholarship rewards promise. Established in 1993 by U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes in memory of his wife’s step-father, the Steeger Scholarship is presented to a student who’s full of potential and working hard to change their life. “Ninety-percent of the students aren’t in the top 10% of their class, but they must be doing something right, so I hope this encourages a student where we see a spark of promise,” says Hughes, who’s taught as an adjunct at South Texas for 30 years. Mr. Steeger was an attorney and WWII veteran who became a successful wildcatter during the oil boom days in Texas.
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Office of Admissions
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