The Inner Temple Scholarship Fund

Charity Number: 285942

Annual Expenditure: £1.8M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,800,000+ (for Bar Course scholarships)
  • Success Rate: 24% (116 awards from 489 Bar Course applications in 2024)
  • Decision Time: 3-4 months (November deadline, interviews in January/March, results end of March)
  • Grant Range: £3,000 - £22,000
  • Geographic Focus: England & Wales (legal practice jurisdiction)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.innertemple.org.uk/becoming-a-barrister/scholarships/

Phone: 020 7797 8185

Application Portal: https://innertemple.heiapply.com/application/register

Overview

The Inner Temple Scholarship Fund (Charity 285942) was established to provide financial support to the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple for granting scholarships and awards to members training to become barristers. As one of the four Inns of Court, Inner Temple has a long-standing commitment to supporting aspiring barristers and widening access to the Bar. The Fund distributes over £1.8 million annually through various scholarship programmes, making it one of the most significant funders of legal education in England and Wales. The organization relies on volunteer members to mark application forms and conduct interviews, receiving around 700 applications annually across all programmes. Inner Temple emphasizes transparency in its selection processes and actively uses contextual recruitment methods to identify the best candidates from all backgrounds.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Bar Course Scholarships (over £1.8 million annually available)

  • Named Scholarships (7 awards, non-means-tested):
  • Peter Taylor Scholarship: £22,000
  • Stephen Chapman Scholarship: £21,000
  • Princess Royal Scholarships: £20,000 each (5 available)
  • Major Scholarships: 20 awards, values determined by financial assessment
  • Exhibition Scholarships: Majority of awards, means-tested
  • Duke of Edinburgh Awards: 50 awards of £175 each (covers membership and Call to the Bar fees)

GDL Scholarships (up to 30 awards annually)

  • Range: £3,000 - £13,000
  • Unique guarantee: GDL scholarship winners automatically receive an award of at least equal value for their Bar Course without further interview

Pupillage Awards

  • Benefactors' Scholarships: Small number of awards for those with minimally funded pupillage
  • Marshall Hall Trust: Minimum £15,000 annually distributed to pupil members

Disability Awards

  • Up to £15,000 annually available
  • Rolling applications (no deadline)
  • Covers learning support, specialist equipment, extra travel costs
  • Must be a member of Inner Temple to apply

Internship Awards

  • Support for students undertaking legal internships
  • Results typically distributed within 2 weeks after interview

Priority Areas

Inner Temple scholarships support individuals:

  • Training to become barristers at the Bar of England and Wales
  • Demonstrating strong intellectual ability and commitment to a career at the Bar
  • From all backgrounds, with explicit commitment to widening access
  • Who show academic achievement (or improvement trajectory) and motivation/resilience
  • Eligible to start the Bar Course or GDL in the academic year following application

What They Don't Fund

  • Students who have already started the Bar Course at the point of interview
  • Applicants who have already received a Bar Course Scholarship from Inner Temple or another Inn of Court
  • Students applying to multiple Inns of Court simultaneously (results in automatic disqualification as Inns share applicant names)
  • Individuals not intending to practice at the Bar of England and Wales
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Governance and Leadership

The Inner Temple Scholarship Fund is governed by 4 trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The Fund operates as part of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple's broader educational mission. The organization emphasizes transparency and relies on volunteer members from the legal profession to mark applications and serve on interview panels.

The Inner Temple aims to “award scholarships to the best people, from every background, regardless of their personal circumstances” and has implemented the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to understand each applicant's achievements in context. The Inn states that “the CRS is only ever used to screen people in, not out, and under no circumstances are candidates put at any disadvantage for supplying this information.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Eligibility Check: You can only apply to ONE Inn of Court (Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Gray's Inn, or Lincoln's Inn). Applying to multiple Inns results in automatic disqualification. You do not need to be a member of Inner Temple before applying, but you must join before receiving any award payment.

Application Method: Online application via HEIApply portal (https://innertemple.heiapply.com/application/register)

Application Components:

  • Completed online form with academic qualifications
  • Supporting information section (250 words) explaining reasons for applying
  • Two references
  • Contextual recruitment information (separate form after submission deadline - optional but recommended)

Deadlines:

  • Bar Course Scholarships: Applications typically close early November (November 7 in 2025 cycle)
  • GDL Scholarships: Applications open in March

Pre-Application Support: Pre-interview briefing meeting held online in January. The Inner Temple Students Association (ITSA) organizes scholarship advice events.

Decision Timeline

  1. Total Timeline: Approximately 4 months from application to decision

Success Rates

Bar Course Scholarships (2024):

  • 489 applications received
  • 435 candidates interviewed (89%)
  • 116 scholarships awarded
  • Overall success rate: 24%

GDL Scholarships (2024):

  • 94 applications received
  • 80 candidates interviewed
  • Up to 30 scholarships available

Breakdown of 2024 Bar Course Awards:

  • 7 Named Scholarships
  • 19 Major Scholarships
  • 27 Exhibition Scholarships
  • Additional awards bringing total to 116

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply in subsequent application rounds. Specific provisions include:

  • GDL applicants unsuccessful in one round may reapply in following rounds
  • Part-time GDL students can apply before starting and again in their first year if initially unsuccessful
  • GDL scholars may defer matched funding if unsuccessful in Bar Course scholarship round to reapply
  • No waiting period required between applications
  • All unsuccessful candidates receive automatic feedback in their results letter, including the lowest score awarded to successful scholars in that round
  • No additional feedback beyond automatic feedback available due to high application volumes

Application Success Factors

Assessment Criteria

Inner Temple assesses candidates on two key dimensions:

  1. Intellectual Ability: “The ability to analyze complex information, identify material issues, exercise sound judgment, perceptiveness and good memory”
  1. Motivation: “A very high level of drive and determination and a commitment to a career at the Bar”

Additionally assessed:

  • Academic Achievement: Strong achievement at university (with mitigating circumstances considered) and improvement trajectory across academic stages
  • Advocacy Potential: “Deploying precise and well-reasoned arguments with clarity and fluency, demonstrating persuasiveness and conviction, and tailoring style to the audience”

Application Form Best Practices

Start Early: “The application form is particularly rigorous and long, so start it as early as possible to allow time to double and triple-check.” The supporting information section includes professional statement/essay style questions specifically used to assess applications.

Know Your Application Inside Out: “The best preparation is to look over your application in great detail and think about every single thing you mentioned, being prepared to talk about it. Prepare for your interview like an exam – make sure you know your form because you will be asked about it.”

Demonstrate Motivation & Resilience: Use the work experience and legal sector engagement sections to show sustained commitment. One successful scholar noted: “The written application provided a lot of guidance of what was expected, and I felt the questions asked showed the Inn was interested in learning about me as an individual in addition to my academics.”

Interview Preparation

Legal Knowledge & Current Awareness:

  • Read legal news (The Times' Thursday Law pages recommended)
  • Research areas of law reform that interest you
  • Study recent cases in your areas of interest

Legal Case Exercise: Expect to receive a legal judgment 30 minutes before your interview panel. You'll need to read, analyze, and discuss it, demonstrating your ability to identify key issues and construct persuasive arguments.

Interview as Advocacy: “The interview is essentially an advocacy exercise, this is your opportunity to advocate for yourself and why you deserve to receive funding.”

Be Authentic: "The panel wants to see what you're like when speaking comfortably about a familiar topic, not like a robot or wooden actor reciting rehearsed lines."

Stay Grounded: "Stay grounded and don't stray into the theoretical - long-winded waffle about passion gets you nowhere; give evidence for your claims."

Use STAR Method: Prepare answers about why you want to be a barrister and which areas of law interest you using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework.

Practice: “Ask tutors/friends/family to practice interview style questions with you.”

Mindset Matters: "I truly believe that a calm mindset helped me gain my scholarship. My nerves were calm which allowed me to think clearly and 'perform' to the best of my abilities."

Contextual Recruitment

Take advantage of the Rare CRS system by providing contextual information. The Inn uses this to understand achievements in context and to “award scholarships to the best people, from every background.” Critically, “the CRS is only ever used to screen people in, not out” - providing this information cannot disadvantage you.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • One Inn Only: You can only apply to one Inn of Court - choose carefully as dual applications result in automatic disqualification through the Inns' shared applicant database
  • High Interview Rate, Competitive Awards: Nearly 90% of applicants get interviewed, but only about 1 in 4 receive awards - the interview performance is critical
  • Master Your Application: You will be questioned extensively on everything in your application form during the interview, so ensure every claim can be substantiated
  • GDL Advantage: Inner Temple is the only Inn guaranteeing GDL scholarship winners an equal or greater award for Bar Course without re-interview - consider this strategic advantage
  • Contextual Data Helps: Provide contextual recruitment information - it can only help, never harm, your application and allows assessors to understand your achievements in context
  • Reapplication Welcome: If unsuccessful, you can reapply immediately in the next round with no waiting period - use the feedback provided to strengthen your next application
  • Prepare Like an Advocate: The interview is an advocacy exercise where you must persuade the panel of your intellectual ability, motivation, and potential - treat it with the same rigor you would a court appearance

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