Dedicated to the Advancement of Women in Law
Scholarship Application
2026 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
NJWLA has established a scholarship program to benefit students who are pursuing juris doctorate degrees. In 2026, NJWLA intends to award scholarships of $5,000 each, to one student from each of New Jersey’s law schools: Rutgers University Law School – Camden, Rutgers University Law School – Newark, and Seton Hall University Law School.**
In order to qualify, each applicant must be a matriculating law school student who:
- Has completed at least twelve (12) credits at the time of application;
- Is carrying a minimum of six (6) credits per term; and
- Has been recommended by either (1) a professor, an instructor, an adjunct faculty member, a clinical instructor, a Dean, a Director of their law school or (2) a lawyer or a judge with whom the applicant has worked as a clerk or intern during the past two (2) years.
SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
In addition to the above requirements, applicants will be judged according to their commitment and dedication to their law school, dedication to the mission of NJWLA, and the practice of law, as well as their essay.
Scholarship awards may be used for tuition, fees, books, and personal expenses, and are given directly to the students.
Applicants who work for companies that offer tuition reimbursement are eligible to apply.
Scholarship application forms are available from the Deans of each New Jersey law school and are also available for download here:
2026 Scholarship Application – PDF format
2026 Scholarship Application – Word format
PREVIOUS WINNERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.
All applications must be received by January 23, 2026, at 5:00 pm. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- Incomplete applications and/or applications received after the deadline WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
** Please note that for purposes of this scholarship process NJWLA treats Rutgers – Newark and Rutgers – Camden as separate schools.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
Multiple reviewers will evaluate each application. For an application to be considered complete and eligible for consideration, we must receive from you by the deadline your:
- Application form
- Essay
- Letter of recommendation
- Law school transcript (first year students should submit undergraduate transcript)
- Resume
Means of Submission:
The application form, essay, law school transcript, and resume must be submitted by email, with all attachments in pdf format to cskinner@njwla.org and Nancy@primelaw.com. Any attachments should be named using the following convention: Last Name_School_Document (e.g., complete application, application form, essay, transcript, resume).
If it is not possible to submit your documents via email, please contact cskinner@njwla.org and Nancy@primelaw.com for alternatives.
Letters of recommendation can be submitted via email directly from the party providing the recommendation (but they may not be submitted via email by the Applicant), or the party providing the recommendation can mail the recommendation to the address below. Alternatively, if the party providing the recommendation is providing a hard copy to the applicant, the recommendation must be in a sealed envelope from the party providing the recommendation and the applicant is responsible for mailing the recommendation to the address below.
Mailing address:
NJWLA
372 Franklin Avenue
Suite 713
Nutley, New Jersey 07110.
TIMELINE
January 23, 2026, 5:00 pm – Deadline for submission of all materials to ARRIVE at NJWLA Mailbox and/or email addresses provided above. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 23, 2026, BUT RECEIVED THEREAFTER ARE NOT TIMELY SUBMISSIONS AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
By end of February 2026 – All candidates and Deans will be notified of the outcome of the application review.
The scholarships will be publicly recognized on March 18, 2026 at The Grove in Cedar Grove, NJ. Winners are expected to attend. This is a truly inspirational evening not to be missed.
NJWLA SHOP
NJSBA & ABA Statements
NJWLA Supports and Joins in Statements Issued by NJSBA and ABA
Equal Rights Amendment
2026 NJWLA Gala
Reproductive Rights Committee Newsletter
NJWLA GRANT
NJWLA Scholarship Program
Mentoring Program
FIND A LAWYER
CONTACT US
Colleen Skinner - Executive Director
(973) 819-9488
cskinner@njwla.org