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March 18, 2008

Harvard Law School to Forgive 3rd-Year Tuition for Public-Service Graduates

Harvard Law School announced today that it would waive the third year of tuition for all future students who agree to spend at least five years after graduation in public-service jobs.

To be eligible for what amounts to a $41,500 grant, students must demonstrate a commitment to public service during law school. They will earn credits for public-service activities such as relevant summer jobs and internships.

“I want all of our students to have the ability to make public service their first choice after law school,” said the school’s dean, Elena Kagan. “We have tried in many ways to make this choice easier, particularly for students who have accumulated significant debt in college and law school.” The law school also offers a loan-repayment program for students who pursue public-service careers.

Across the country, many law students graduate owing more than $100,000, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to consider low-paying public-service jobs. To deal with the problem, not only for law students, but for those in other fields as well, Congress last year created a loan-forgiveness program for public-service employees who spend 10 years working for a government or tax-exempt organization. —Katherine Mangan

Posted on Tuesday March 18, 2008 | Permalink |

Comments

  1. This is pretty nice.

    — Paula Greenberg    Mar 18, 03:44 PM    #

  2. Do the math. You graduate from Harvard Law school and you don’t need five years to repay $100,000 in student loans. Either reduce the five years to three or forgive the last two years of tuition at the law school. Then hold your breath and pray that some students still have a sense of community service.

    — eve    Mar 18, 04:09 PM    #

  3. It doesn’t matter where you graduate from; most public service lawyers make salaries comparable to public school teachers. This is a great idea, so long as the grads actually go into public service jobs. The federal loan-forgiveness program is a joke, since the standard repayment term for student loans is also 10 years. By the time the graduate is eligible for forgiveness, it’s too late to be useful.

    — DaGo    Mar 19, 08:14 AM    #

  4. That is what Mrs. Obama is mad at America about. She did not have to pay any tuition or take out a loan so she is bitter for not being treated fair ar Harvard.
    They should have credited her account with a positive amount…that is pay her for coming to Harvard and then whe would not be so bitter about “America.”

    — james oakley    Mar 19, 02:49 PM    #

  5. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for Harvard Law grads. I worked as an attorney for almost three years with a Legal Services (Legal Aid) office in Alabama, but I couldn’t continue to stay with that office because of the low pay ($35,000 base salary per year). I’m now working in higher ed where I’ve almost doubled my salary with the job switch.

    — Stephen    Mar 19, 08:58 PM    #