Scholarships are one of the tools used to promote the purpose of the Weigand Trust: 

” To actively promote excellence in legal education and to encourage the most scholastically qualified students who are long-term Kansas residents to remain in or return to Kansas to practice law.”


Our scholarships are available for the traditional fall/spring school year to incoming AND upperclassmen attending:

University of Notre Dame Law School
Washburn University School of Law
University of Kansas School of Law


Click here to begin your application when our window reopens in November.


Eligibility

How do I know if I am eligible for a Weigand Scholarship?

To be eligible for a Weigand Trust Scholarship, you must be able to answer yes to all three of the following questions:

  • Have you been a legal resident of the State of Kansas for at least ten (10) years prior to college graduation? (Ten years of CUMULATIVE residency are required, but not CONSECUTIVE)
  • Have you taken the LSAT or GRE?
  • Are you applying to Notre Dame Law School, Washburn Law School, or KU Law School?

If you are an upperclassman, you must be in the top 10% of your class to apply.  

I am attending undergraduate school out of state.  Can I apply? 

As long as you have been a legal Kansas resident for a minimum of ten (10) years, you can apply.

Are the scholarships available for use at any law school?

Weigand Scholarships are awarded exclusively to long-term Kansas residents (minimum of 10 years residency) to be used at:

  • University of Notre Dame Law School
  • Washburn University School of Law
  • University of Kansas School of Law
Am I eligible if I am already enrolled in law school?

Yes, our scholarships are available to students entering their first, second and third year of law school.  

Do my other scholarships make me ineligible to become a Weigand Scholar?

When you apply, we consider your other scholarships in determining the amount of financial aid awarded. If a student already has amazing financial scholarship support, we may even award a Weigand Scholarship with no financial assistance. Every Weigand has full access to our non-financial benefits which far outweigh any monetary component. As John Ralston, Weigand Scholar at Washburn explains, “Even without a financial award, Weigand has been the most valuable scholarship I have received because of the community of stellar lawyers and people that I now know through the Weigand Trust. This sort of ‘scholarship’ lasts far beyond law school.”

For more information on our value beyond finances, click here.

Application Timing

Do I have to wait until I’ve been accepted into law school before I apply?

No. Simply indicate that you’re awaiting acceptance on your application. As soon as you receive notification from your school’s admittance office, please contact us so we can update your file.

What are the annual key dates?  

December 1: Application window opens

February 5:  DEADLINE for ALL Applications and Documents (must be RECEIVED by our office)

First week in March: Annual Open House and semi-finalist interviews

Mid-March: Finalist interviews

What happens if my application is incomplete or arrives after the deadline?

Only complete applications that have arrived by the February 5 deadline will be considered for review.  Incomplete information does not constitute an application and will not be considered.

Are the scholarships automatically renewed?

No. Scholarship recipients must reapply annually.  

Application Process

There are 4 steps to our application process. You may complete these in any order, as long as everything is wrapped up by February 5.

Complete an online application

First, you’ll need to register as a user to establish your student account. This is your ‘home base’, and you’ll be able to return as many times as necessary to add info before you submit your application.  Don’t worry if some of your responses change after you’ve submitted your file – we can easily update as you receive information.

Once your application is submitted, you will receive email notices as required documents such as transcripts and letters of recommendation are received.

We’ve made a pdf planner version of our application available here.

Click here to set up your account.

Email your supporting documents

Personal Statement – You may submit a written personal statement, no more than three pages long, double-spaced, or a youtube video, no more than three minutes long. If you submit a video, email the link to us. Please save as LASTNAMEPersonalStatement. For additional suggestions regarding a personal statement, click here.

Resume – Please save as LASTNAMEResume.pdf

Photograph – Please save as LASTNAMEPhoto

Character & Fitness Addendum (if necessary) – Please save as LASTNAMECF.pdf

Email documents here: claudette@jlweigandtrust.org

Request letters of recommendation

Who will say good things about you?  You’ll need to get two people to submit letters of recommendation on your behalf.  In the application, we ask you to give us their names so we can be looking for their letters to include in your file. 

(Please ask them to upload their letters to the following link:

Request your transcripts

You’ll need to contact your current college as well as each college/university that awarded you a degree and request an OFFICIAL or CERTIFIED transcript be sent directly to us.  (Most schools utilize a third party transcript provider such as National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment.) If you are currently attending law school, we will need your law school transcript after grades have been posted for the fall semester. (High School transcripts are not required.)  Please request transcripts be sent to:

Email to:  claudette@jlweigandtrust.org
Mail to:  P.O. Box 422 | Kechi, KS | 67067

Don’t be late! All documents must be received no later than February 5th.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all documentation is received before deadline.  When your application package is complete, you will receive a confirmation email notifying you that your file has been forwarded for review. 

Our scholarship window is Dec 1 to Feb 5 annually.