Vying to compete for top students, the University of California at Irvine’s School of Law is trying to raise $6-million so it can offer full scholarships to its entire inaugural class, which is due to enroll next year.

Each scholarship is expected to be worth about $100,000, enough to cover the cost of tuition over three years. The school is expecting 60 students in its first class and will charge annual tuition of around $30,000, comparable to other University of California law schools, officials said.

The university originally expected to offer full scholarships to half its students, but officials feared it would not be able to compete for top students. The university is confident it will raise the $6-million, Rex Bossert, director of communications and public affairs, said.

“It’s a way for us to make sure students can get their legal education,” he said, “and not be weighed down by a mountain of debt.”

The law school is in the process of receiving applications and will open next August after somewhat of a bumpy start. Readers may recall the hiring, firing, and rehiring of the school’s dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, in 2007. —David DeBolt