The University of Massachusetts School of Law will receive a public service award from the Massachusetts Bar Association on May 18.

The award is given to individuals or institutions that have made a significant contribution to the preservation of MBA values, which include promoting access to justice for low-income individuals and making a legal education affordable to a diverse student population, university officials said.

"UMass Law, through its diverse student population and the Justice Bridge program and other public service projects, is a shining example of an institution committed to these values," said MBA President Jeffrey Catalano via press release. "The progress the school has made in its young history is truly impressive."

UMass Law is among the most diverse law schools in the northeast, and it offers the most affordable tuition of any ABA law school in Massachusetts and the most affordable out-of-state tuition in all of New England, according to a press release from the university.

Justice Bridge, UMass Law's post-graduate legal practice incubator, serves the community by representing those who might otherwise be unable to secure legal representation. In the two years since it was established, more than 4,000 cases have been processed through Justice Bridge at its Boston and New Bedford locations, said university officials.

UMass Law students have contributed more than 87,000 hours of service—valued at more than $4.5 million—to the community, including more than 83,000 hours of legal service through pro bono legal services, law clinics, and law-related internships, university officials said.