Frequently Asked Questions about the Hays Fellowship
- Do Fellows receive a Fellowship award?
Students selected to be Fellows in the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program receive course credit for their seminar and internships plus a Fellowship award.
- What is the size of the Fellowship award
In 2024-2025 the Fellowship will be $20,000.
- Is the award processed as a tuition credit or as a stipend to the student?
The Office of Student Financial Services decides whether to process the Fellowship as a scholarship (credited to tuition) or as a stipend. Typically the Fellowship is processed as a stipend if the Fellow already receives a full-tuition scholarship.
- Are there circumstances in which a Fellow would receive less than the designated amount of the Fellowship award?
The total amount of financial support that the Law School can disburse is limited to the cost of attendance (COA). The cap is determined by a formula that looks at the COA minus any financial aid that the student receives. Thus, for example, if a Fellow receives a full-tuition scholarship, the cap would be calculated as [COA] minus [full tuition]. In AY23–24, COA is $114,024 and full tuition is $76,878, generating a cap of $37,146. Thus, in most circumstances, the cap will not affect the amount of the recipient’s Hays Fellowship award.
NOTE: Students with questions about how their particular financial aid circumstances will be impacted if they are selected to be a Hays Fellow should contact the Office of Student Financial Services at law.finaid@nyu.edu.
- Are Hays Fellows eligible for any other financial benefits?
Fellows who commit to post graduate employment in the public interest are eligible to have certain Bar-related expenses reimbursed by the Program, up to a maximum amount and with proper and timely documentation. In AY24–25 the cap on Bar-reimbursement will be $2,500.