"The Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Honors Program at New England Law celebrates two legal 'firsts,'" said Judith Greenberg, professor of law. "New England Law was founded in 1908 as Portia Law School—the nation's only law school exclusively for women—and Justice O'Connor made history as the first female justice of the United States Supreme Court."
New England Law has been honored to host Justice O'Connor during several visits, and we are thrilled to offer this program in her name.
Honors Program Benefits
Full-tuition scholarship
Incoming law students who show exceptional academic promise may be eligible for the full-tuition Justice Sandra Day O'Connor merit-based scholarship. All students are automatically considered upon admission to the school, without further application. (Also see “Admissions criteria” below.)
This prestigious award covers full tuition for the student's entire law school career—an investment in your future that would otherwise be priced at more than $171,000. As long as the student is enrolled in the JD program at New England Law, the scholarship will renew each year.
Specialized academic offerings
Honors Program students may participate in special events and other programming (see below).
Upon graduation and successful completion of the Honors Program, members receive an Honors notation on their transcript. This credential can also be a meaningful addition to a résumé.
Related: Honors Program student Anna Madrishin ’20 receives highly coveted Rappaport Fellowship in Law and Public Policy
Special events
The Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Honors Program provides opportunities to participate in discussions led by prominent local practitioners or judges, as well as meetings with faculty members. Examples of past events held for Honors Program students include an academic discussion of John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice led by Professor Emeritus Curt Nyquist, a guest lecture by prominent local attorney Benjamin O. Adeyinka, and an informal end of the year lunch mixer with faculty where the topic of community service and life outside of law school was discussed.
Admissions Criteria
Incoming students with exceptional academic promise are considered when they apply to the law school. Admissions criteria for the Justice Sandra Day O'Connor merit-based scholarship vary each year; you can view the most recent entering class statistics for the Honors Program here.
To receive an Honors Program notation on their transcript, students must be in the top 15% of their class (based on cumulative GPA) at the end of the academic year. Students who are not in the top 15% but otherwise remain in good academic standing may be eligible to continue participating in Honors Program activities.
Enrolled students who were not previously in the Honors Program may become eligible to participate if their cumulative GPA places them in the top 15% of their class. Although this latter group of students is not eligible for the scholarship, they can participate in Honors Program events and advising. They also receive an Honors Program notation on their transcript denoting the number of years they were in the program.
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