THE PROBLEM: The cost of law school tuition at the University of Wisconsin is on the rise. Average debt among UW Law graduates has risen to $64,500, a $14,000 increase in just one year. When the median public interest salary for graduates is a modest $37,917, even the most dedicated public interest student struggles to both repay educational loans and afford basic living expenses. These students are then unable to serve their communities as prosecutors, advocates for the disenfranchised, government agency representatives, and non-profit lawyers. A lack of public interest lawyers also limits the availability of legal services all over Wisconsin
THE SOLUTION: Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) are among the most important means to address educational debt burdens faced by law graduates wanting to do public interest work. These programs defray the educational debt payments of graduates who pursue qualifying public service jobs.
CURRENT PROGRAM: UW has a very small LRAP still operating with the seed money with which it began in 2002. UW distributes approximately $25,000 each year. The more people that qualify, the less each person receives. Most years, our students receive only enough for one loan payment, while other schools award LRAPs over several years. While the current LRAP is a start, it is not large enough to be effective.
FREE LAW SCHOOL? Not exactly. Students who benefit from these programs still pay a large portion of their educational debts. Some LRAPs pay a fixed percentage of loans; others offer stipends for a pre-determined number of years. Typically, a student qualifies for LRAP only if s/he earns a salary that is below a certain amount.
LRAP vs. SCHOLARSHIP: The purpose of a LRAP is to reach all students who accept public interest jobs and meet certain income requirements. LRAPs should distribute funds according to a graduate’s income level. Currently, public interest and government-bound UW students apply to a limited number of lump-sum scholarships. Although these scholarships are useful, they are unable to sponsor every student who pursues a low paying public interest or government career. We need an effective LRAP to ensure that every UW law student who takes a low-paying job in the public interest sector will receive loan repayment assistance from UW Law School.
THE SOLUTION: Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) are among the most important means to address educational debt burdens faced by law graduates wanting to do public interest work. These programs defray the educational debt payments of graduates who pursue qualifying public service jobs.
CURRENT PROGRAM: UW has a very small LRAP still operating with the seed money with which it began in 2002. UW distributes approximately $25,000 each year. The more people that qualify, the less each person receives. Most years, our students receive only enough for one loan payment, while other schools award LRAPs over several years. While the current LRAP is a start, it is not large enough to be effective.
FREE LAW SCHOOL? Not exactly. Students who benefit from these programs still pay a large portion of their educational debts. Some LRAPs pay a fixed percentage of loans; others offer stipends for a pre-determined number of years. Typically, a student qualifies for LRAP only if s/he earns a salary that is below a certain amount.
LRAP vs. SCHOLARSHIP: The purpose of a LRAP is to reach all students who accept public interest jobs and meet certain income requirements. LRAPs should distribute funds according to a graduate’s income level. Currently, public interest and government-bound UW students apply to a limited number of lump-sum scholarships. Although these scholarships are useful, they are unable to sponsor every student who pursues a low paying public interest or government career. We need an effective LRAP to ensure that every UW law student who takes a low-paying job in the public interest sector will receive loan repayment assistance from UW Law School.
1 comment:
Good post.
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