The Robert A. Levy Fellowship in Law and Liberty

The Levy Fellowship is ideally suited to the unique mission of the George Mason University Scalia Law School, which is one of the nation’s leading centers for the study of law and economics. For more than 20 years, Scalia Law School has assembled a distinctive, interdisciplinary faculty, many of whom hold doctorates in economics, philosophy, political science or related fields. Almost all members of the faculty apply the tools of economics or other social sciences to legal problems, and this intellectual orientation pervades the curriculum.

The law school houses the Law & Economics Center, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science, Mercatus Center, and Institute for Humane Studies are located at Mason Square.

Dr. Robert A. Levy, a generous 1994 graduate of the George Mason University Law School, created The Robert A. Levy Fellowship in Law & Liberty to encourage young scholars to enter the academic field of law and economics by sponsoring their pursuit of a JD degree. Fellowship grants cover tuition and fees and provide a substantial stipend for up to three years.

Two or more fellowships per year are granted to entering law students. Fellowship grants cover tuition and fees at the law school and provide an average annual stipend for up to three years.

Fellowships are granted for one academic year and are renewable, on evidence of satisfactory progress, for up to two additional years.


Qualifications

To be eligible for a Levy Fellowship, an applicant must either (1) have earned a PhD in economics or a related field, such as finance or political science, from an accredited university or (2) have successfully completed all course work and have passed a general exam for a PhD in one of those fields from an accredited university. The candidate must take the LSAT by January of the year in which the applicant is planning to start law school, sign up for a Law School Admission Council (LSAC.org) account, and apply for admission to the Scalia Law School. Levy Fellowships may be granted before admission to the law school but are conditional on successful admission. Moreover, each candidate for a Levy Fellowship must pledge that it is his or her intention to complete a JD degree at George Mason and to pursue a full-time academic career with an interdisciplinary teaching and research specialization.

Value of Fellowship

Two or more fellowships per year will be granted to entering law students. Fellowship grants cover tuition and fees at the Scalia Law School and provide an average annual stipend of as much as $25,000 in the first year and $27,000 in the second and third years. With full, nonresident/out-of-state tuition and fees paid, the value of the fellowship grant for the first year may be as high as $65,112. During the second and third years, the value of the fellowship, based on in-state tuition, is approximately $50,720. After the first year, the program guarantees tuition only at the in-state rate; therefore, fellows who are U.S. citizens domiciled outside Virginia may be responsible for payment of tuition in excess of the in-state rate.

Application Procedure

Applicants should contact the Scalia Law School Admissions Office to identify themselves as applicants for a Levy Fellowship. Levy Fellowship applicants are required to provide all items required in the law school application, in addition to a cover letter with the names of three references, a curriculum vitae, and a copy of current research.

Selection Procedure

Levy fellows are selected by the law school dean with the advice of a committee chaired by the director of the Robert A. Levy Fellowship Program. Preference is given to those candidates who show promise for productive interdisciplinary scholarship. Fellowships are granted for one academic year and are renewable, on evidence of satisfactory progress, for up to two additional years. Fellowship awards for the upcoming academic year will be announced as soon after selection of recipients as practical.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution committed to the principle that access to study or employment opportunities afforded by the university, including all benefits and privileges, be accorded to each person-student, faculty, staff member, or applicant for employment or admission--on the basis of individual merit without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, sex, or age (except where sex or age is a bona fide occupational qualification). George Mason University shall maintain a continuing affirmative action program to promote equal opportunity and to identify and eliminate discriminatory practices in every phase of university operations. Inquiries regarding the university’s equal opportunity and affirmative action programs may be made to the Equity Office, Mason Hall, Room D105, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444, 703-993-8730.

Program Operation

Levy fellows are expected to fulfill all requirements for the juris doctor degree. In addition to meeting the normal degree requirements, all fellows are expected to attend the Levy Fellows workshop series and, during each of the second and third years of the program, are required to write and present one interdisciplinary research paper of publishable quality.

A special opportunity now exists for fellowship applications from PhD economists interested in the application of experimental economics to topics in Law and Economics. Levy Fellows will have the opportunity to run experiments and publish papers at the Center for the Study of Neuroeconomics. This is a  unique opportunity to be cross-trained in Law and Economics while continuing to publish research papers in the areas of experimental economics, neuroeconomics, and economics systems design.

To ensure payment of tuition and fees out of fellowship funds, Levy fellows are required to fulfill modest duties as teaching or research assistants in the School of Law or elsewhere in the university, depending on their qualifications, during all three years.

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