ASPIRE: Antiracist Scholarship (JD Students)

ASPIRE (Antiracist Scholars for Progress, Innovation, and Racial Equity) aims to educate and train a new generation of antiracist legal professionals. This program provides scholarship funding that covers tuition and required fees for all three years to a select number of students who have demonstrated a commitment to antiracism, social justice, and racial equity.

Qualified applicants will have relevant lived or direct experience confronting racism and/or advocating for racial equity. They may desire to work in the public interest, governmental, or private sectors. They need not have training in antiracism or be familiar with particular academic or intellectual jargon, so long as their commitment to antiracism is clear and they aspire to continue the work of advocating for racial justice in their chosen professional sector.

To be considered for ASPIRE, you must submit an additional essay with your application for admission. In addition to the scholarship essay, select candidates will be invited to interview.

Recipients of the ASPIRE scholarship will receive funding that covers their full-tuition charges for six consecutive fall and spring semesters while enrolled as a full-time JD student at BU Law. The scholarship also includes the required fees paid by all JD students at BU Law. These fees include the Student Services Fee, the Health and Wellness Fee, the Graduate Program Fee, and the Technology Fee. Fees that are voluntary (e.g. an MBTA semester pass) or can be waived (e.g. BU student health insurance, Sports Pass) will not be included.

ASPIRE scholars are expected to participate in cohort training, team building around antiracism, and general leadership within the BU Law community. Recipients will:

  • Participate in a semester-long ASPIRE-focused antiracist lawyering experiential opportunity;
  • Receive a dedicated BU Law faculty mentor;
  • Participate in antiracist trainings and programming;
  • Participate in cohort cohesion by attending meetings and gatherings organized for this purpose;
  • Engage in self-reflection and exploration of professional identity formation;
  • Help to sustain the continued success of the ASPIRE program by sharing their experiences with current and future ASPIRE partners;
  • Help recruit the next cohort of ASPIRE scholars; and
  • Join a diverse cohort of hard-working, creative students who are eager to collaborate on antiracist policy change and societal transformation in legal education, the legal profession, and broader society.

The application deadline is January 5, 2025.

ASPIRE: Antiracist Scholarship FAQ’s

How to Apply

  • Attach an essay to your application for admission responding to the ASPIRE: Antiracist Scholarship prompts. This essay must be in addition to your personal statement.

We welcome applications from anyone interested in antiracism and social justice work. The selection committee aims to award the scholarship to applicants who have relevant lived or direct experience confronting racism. Top candidates for ASPIRE will present application materials that show a dedicated commitment to antiracism, social justice, and racial equity. The cohort will represent students from a variety of demographic backgrounds and underrepresented groups, including Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color and first-generation professionals. Recipients will embody a variety of experiences, cultures, backgrounds — particularly those that are currently underrepresented in the legal profession.

The selection committee will have access to your application for admission, so you should use the scholarship essay as an opportunity to provide additional evidence of your commitment to antiracism. Your essay should help us to understand how your past experience has informed your commitment to social justice and how this will contribute to your potential as a leader in antiracism, both at BU Law and in the legal profession.

Applicants for ASPIRE may also apply to the Distinguished Scholars Program, provided they meet the Distinguished Scholars Application deadline of November 11, 2024.

Applicants for ASPIRE may not apply for the BU Bound Program or the Public Interest Scholarship.