Inns of Court Scholarships

It’s compulsory to join one of the four Inns of Court to become a barrister. This section introduces the scholarships offered by the Inns to help students through the Bar course. To find out more about what joining an Inn involves, see LawCareers.Net’s guide to the Inns of Court.

In recent years the four Inns of Court have dished out millions of pounds in awards. They all use the umbrella term ‘award’ to describe scholarships, bursaries, and grants. Inner Temple even calls them ‘exhibitions’. Curiously, most aspiring barristers know little about the awards available and although the Inns’ websites provide some information, there’s a complex web of requirements and application procedures, meaning that working out exactly what’s available can be a challenge.

Georgina Everatt, scholarships manager at Inner Temple, said: “All four Inns offer financial assistance to students undertaking the GDL and Bar courses. The type of scholarship and the grant amounts offered by each Inn vary. As you can only apply for a scholarship at one, we’d recommend that you look at each Inn’s scholarship programmes to determine which scholarship would best suit you and where you feel you would be most successful. Some Inns offer higher scholarship amounts, some offer more scholarships and some even offer accommodation. For example, the Inner Temple interviews all candidates and has more than £2 million available each year for scholarships. It’s definitely worth looking into which Inns of Court scholarship programme best suits you.”

The Inns’ websites have application forms for you to complete and send to the relevant person. The forms ask for character details, legal experience, income/funds and references. You can only apply for scholarships at one Inn. If the scholarship committee likes your application, it’ll invite you to an interview. 

See what current Bar student Kenza has to say about scholarships in this blog post.