Yale Law School to cover lowest-income students’ tuition: report

Yale Law School will reportedly cover full tuition for its lowest-income students starting next fall in an effort to increase diversity and make degrees more accessible.

The plan, according to The Wall Street Journal, includes scholarships worth roughly $72,000 to cover tuition, fees and health insurance for students from families with incomes below the federal poverty line, which is currently $27,750 for a family of four. 

Students will, however, have to pay living expenses estimated to be around $21,000 for this academic year, the Journal noted.

Yale said about 8 percent to 10 percent of its currently enrolled law students are eligible for the award, known as the Hurst Horizon Scholarship, according to the newspaper.

The Hill has reached out to Yale Law School for comment.

The new scholarship comes as President Biden faces pressure from some lawmakers to disclose the details of his plans for handling student loan debt. 

Last month, over 80 lawmakers asked Biden to release information he requested from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about his legal authority to cancel student loan debt.

“Publicly releasing the memo outlining your executive authority on canceling student debt and broadly doing so is crucial to making a meaningful difference in the lives of current students, borrowers, and their families,” the lawmakers said in a letter.

“It has been widely reported that the Department of Education has had this memo since April 5, 2021 after being directed to draft it,” they added.