Chair of the Board of Trustees David M. Rubenstein, JD’73, has extended his support of the University of Chicago Law School’s Rubenstein Scholars Program with a new $15 million gift.
The Rubenstein Scholars Program is one of the most distinguished scholarship initiatives in legal education, and Rubenstein’s latest contribution ensures the continued recruitment and support of exceptional students through highly competitive, full-tuition plus stipend scholarships.
Established in 2010 with a $10 million gift, this latest donation brings the cumulative total of Rubenstein’s contributions to the scholarship program to $76 million. The program has benefited more than 220 students to date.
“We are incredibly grateful to David for his ongoing support in creating and sustaining what has become the most prestigious scholarship program in legal education,” said Adam Chilton, dean and Howard G. Krane Professor of Law. “This kind of sustained investment strengthens the Law School in lasting ways. It allows us to bring together exceptional students whose energy and ideas enrich our academic community and contribute meaningfully to the profession, and it’s my hope that David’s gift inspires other donors to support this important mission.”
The scholarships enable recipients to pursue a wide range of career paths. Rubenstein Scholars have gone on to careers in government and public service, clerkships at the highest levels of the federal judiciary, and leading roles in private practice and beyond.
“Being selected as a Rubenstein Scholar was truly life-changing for me,” said Nena Benavides, JD’22, who will clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during the October 2026-27 term. “In addition to providing incredibly generous financial support, the program fosters a community of thoughtful and inspiring people. My career trajectory was deeply influenced by the invaluable guidance and unwavering support of the mentors and friends that I gained through the program.”
Benavides is the 15th Rubenstein Scholar to have been selected to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk. In total, more than 62 percent of all alumni in the program have served in at least one federal judicial clerkship.
Lior Strahilevitz, the Sidley Austin Professor of Law and faculty director of the Rubenstein Scholarship program since its inception, said the program has been “an enormous success” at bringing in some of “the world’s most talented law students.”
Ann K. Perry, associate dean for admissions and financial aid, described the program as “truly transformative” for its recipients while “opening doors of opportunity” that served both them and the Law School as a whole.
In establishing the program, Rubenstein sought to provide future students with the same opportunities that shaped his own path.
“Through full tuition scholarships we can attract exceptional students who are more likely to consider public service because they do not have to worry about loan repayment,” Rubenstein said. “The financial support I received from Chicago Law fostered my ability to later serve in government, and I am humbled by the opportunity to pay that debt of gratitude forward.”
Rubenstein is the co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. He is a major philanthropic leader and partner of the University and has served since 2022 as chair of the UChicago Board of Trustees, working closely with President Paul Alivisatos to help steward the University’s vision and long-term priorities.
His past gifts include funding for the David Rubenstein Forum, which opened in 2021. In March, he committed $50 million to support the modernization of Ida Noyes Hall.
—This article was originally published on the Law School website.
