Tufts University has given its students an extra incentive to consider public-service careers, by helping repay their college loans. According to today’s Boston Globe, Tufts is the first university to offer such a perk to undergraduates who pursue jobs in relatively low-paying fields, including teaching and social work.

“I’m hoping that our students’ career choices wil not be distorted as much as they are otherwise by the debt they’ve acquired in financing their education,” Lawrence S. Bacow, president of Tufts, told the Globe. “I’m hoping the university can help them follow their passion.”

Tufts plans to spend $500,000 a year on the program, which is scheduled to begin next fall. The university has not yet determined how much qualified graduates will receive. —Eric Hoover