Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Public service law is challenging, rewarding, and, all too often, low-paying. Most law graduates need to repay student loans, which can provide an additional challenge to taking public service employment upon graduation.

To help ease the burden for graduates who take public interest employment, Vanderbilt Law offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) that pays from 20 to 50 percent of your annual loan repayment obligation for up to ten years. The amount of loan assistance for which you are eligible is based on your salary.

In addition to Vanderbilt Law School's LRAP program, graduates who work in government and non-profit settings may be eligible for forgiveness of federal direct loans after 10 years' service. For information on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, as well as a comprehensive guide to controlling and managing debt while working in the public interest, see Equal Justice Works.

LRAP Summary

LRAP Application

Employer Certification Form

 

Questions? Contact Felicia Vaden | 615-322-4713

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When Beth Cruz '10 moved with her husband and daughter to Nashville to start law school at Vanderbilt, her goal was a career in public interest law.

"One factor that helped me decide which law schools to apply to was which schools had Loan Repayment Assistance Programs," she said. "I chose Vanderbilt for many reasons—its reputation, congenial atmosphere and the International Legal Studies Program—but the LRAP was very important to me. I'm extremely passionate about social justice and I wanted to be directly involved on the ground," she said. "The LRAP makes that possible for me."