Biggest ever law scholarship programme launched by KCL

King’s College London today unveiled Europe’s biggest ever law scholarship programme, offering up to 80 awards worth over £2m. The scheme will include up to five £90,000 scholarships over three years for Law PHD students, a record individual amount ever offered for legal research.

The scholarships are part of a £20m gift from Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon to the Law School, the largest donation from an individual in the University’s history. Mr Poon, who owns among other luxury retail companies, Harvey Nichols, said: “My donation and the establishment of these scholarships is part of the ambition I share with the distinguished Law School at King's College London, to set new standards in legal education and research.

“The scholarships will help to enable exemplary students with academic agility and unlimited ambition to develop into future global leaders in all areas of law, business, education and civil society.”

Out of the 75 undergraduate scholarships, representing one third of the Law undergraduate cohort, 25 are worth full home/EU fees for all years of study, worth around £9,000 for each year of study. The further 50 awards, that are to start being given to the best undergraduates enrolling in 2013, will be worth £18,000 over three years. The programme is expected to be renewed every year for at least the next five years, benefiting future students.

Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Vice Principal of King’s, said “ The Dickson Poon Scholarship Programme is the best and largest of its kind for Law in this country and aims to attract the brightest and most talented legal scholars and students to The Dickson Poon School of Law. It marks an exciting milestone both in the 180 year history of King’s College London and following the very generous gift from Mr Dickson Poon.

In a survey last month of almost 1,700 pupils and students at pre-university level, almost all aged 16 to 21, six out of ten said they were opting out of university due to concerns over fees.