Jerome L. Greene Public Service Scholars and Public Interest Fellowships
Columbia Law School has a long and proud tradition of preparing leaders in the public interest, government and human rights fields. As part of that tradition, Columbia Law School awards three full-tuition Jerome L. Greene Public Service Scholarships (“Greene Scholarship”) and two Public Interest Fellowships (Public Interest Fellow) to incoming 1L students who are committed to public interest or public service careers and bring strong academic credentials. Scholars receive a three-year full tuition scholarship.*
The awards are in furtherance of Columbia Law School’s dedication to support students with a demonstrated interest in public interest of public service. The Jerome L. Greene Public Service Scholars are supported by the generosity of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Scholarship recipients must express a strong interest in pursuing a career in public interest or public service immediately upon graduation and demonstrate a commitment to such a career. The scholarships are granted for the full three years (six semesters) that recipients are enrolled full-time at Columbia Law School, provided that each student continues to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress and meet other requirements as outlined below.
Benefits: In addition to the substantial financial award of three years of Law School tuition, recipients receive other benefits and are fully integrated into the entire Law School community:
- Recipients receive automatic acceptance into the Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program during their 1L year and benefit from the exceptional programming, mentorship, advising and community that the program provides to its members.
- Recipients work closely with the Dean of the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law & Careers throughout their time at Columbia.
- They also receive other benefits available to Columbia Law students pursuing public interest opportunities, such as acceptance into summer funding programs (the Human Rights Internship Program or Columbia Summer Funding Program).
Requirements:
- Recipients must work in public interest, government or human rights law for the entirety of their first summer and second summers while enrolled at the Law School.
- Recipients are expected to work in the public interest or public service field for at least the first five years following graduation, and must sign a letter of intent to do so.
- Recipients are required to meet with the Dean of the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers on an ongoing basis to discuss their public interest career path and ability to meet their scholarship obligations. Failure to meet this requirement will jeopardize disbursement of scholarship funds and impact future course registration.
- Additionally, recipients must take at least four classes in public interest law (including a clinic or externship).
Following graduation or a judicial clerkship, recipients of the Greene Scholarship/PIF are obligated to pursue employment in public interest or public service fields for five years. Scholars who cannot meet their obligation to pursue public interest law will forfeit their scholarship support for the remainder of their enrollment at the Law School.
*Note that the scholarship award supercedes any other financial aid awards.
Application Process: Interested applicants must:
- complete and submit the JD Application for admission;
- indicate their intent to apply for a Greene Scholarship and Public Interest Fellowship in response to the Columbia Law School JD application prompt; and
- applicants must also attach a 800-word supplemental statement that addresses the following question:
What are your public interest and/or public service experiences and motivations, your career goals and aspirations in the public interest/public service field, and the ways in which a law degree from Columbia Law would advance those goals. As recipients of the Greene Scholarship and Public Interest Fellowship gain automatic admission into the Berger Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program, please also identify what you hope to contribute to the Berger Fellows Program and the broader public interest/public service community at Columbia Law School.
Applicants may be invited to meet with the Dean for Public Interest/Public Service Law & Careers as part of the application process.
Only applicants who are admitted to the Law School will be actively considered for the Greene Scholarship and Public Interest Fellowship awards.
Please note that as an applicant for these scholarships, if you are admitted to the Law School, your entire application will be made available to the Greene Scholarship and Public Interest Fellowship Selection Committee.
Application Dates and Deadlines:
- You must submit all materials to be considered for the Greene Scholarship and Public Interest Fellowship at the time you submit your application. All required application materials to the Law School and for the scholarship must be received by January 15,
2027 to receive priority consideration. Priority will be given to applicants who have worked in a public sector role before
entering law school. - Notifications of acceptance as a Greene Scholar or Public Interest Fellow will be made on a rolling basis, beginning April 1.
- Interviews, if any will be conducted between March 2 and March 31, 2027.
Recipients will have up to 72 hours to accept or decline the award. Therefore, candidates are advised to have gathered all the information necessary to make such a decision prior to the end of March. Deferrals are not permitted.