Anonymous Donor’s $2.5M Gift Propels Law School Scholarships

Peter Jetton
August 30, 2024

A generous anonymous donor has pledged $2.5 million to support student financial aid at Washington and Lee University School of Law. The donor will match every new dollar given or pledged for scholarships during the remainder of the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign.

Dean of W&L Law Melanie Wilson has prioritized support for students as a pillar of her tenure, and reducing student debt is a large part of her focus. While bankrate.com recently named W&L Law the top best-value private law school based on the income-to-debt ratio, students still graduate with an average debt of about $100,000.

"It is critical that we support students with grants and scholarships so that upon graduation, they have the option to choose not only high-paying corporate and law firm positions, but also work in nonprofit organizations, government agencies and other public interest work," Wilson says.

Increasing financial aid resources is also critical in the law school marketplace. Cost is a pivotal factor for students when choosing a law school, and competition is fierce between W&L Law and top competitors for outstanding students.

"While W&L Law has enjoyed great success on this front, having just enrolled our strongest class academically in well over a decade, we must continue to build on our strengths," says Wilson. "Recruiting top students allows us to preserve the reputation for excellence that has long defined the W&L Law community."

The challenge will contribute to a goal of $20 million the law school is seeking for financial aid as part of the campaign. The anonymous donor will match every new gift toward student scholarship endowments that the law school receives between October 2023 and the conclusion of the campaign in July 2027. Alumni and friends of W&L Law can establish scholarships with a minimum gift of $100,000 or contribute to one of the school's existing scholarships. The law school currently has 127 named scholarships.

"We are incredibly grateful for this anonymous donor and to all who answer the call and contribute to our financial aid resources that will be matched during the challenge," says Wilson.