Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) - JD
USC Gould School of Law

History

Created in 1987, the USC Gould LRAP was one of the first amongst a small group of law schools to create a loan repayment assistance program for JD graduates.

Purpose

Created to aid in supporting USC Gould JD graduates with the following goals in mind:

1. To enable graduates to select their employment without having options precluded due solely to financial difficulty.
2. To encourage Law School JD graduates to choose public interest or public service employment.

Eligibility

USC Gould LRAP has remained competitive with its peer schools in providing a generous and comprehensive LRAP. The following are some of the key eligibility requirements:

• Full-time employment as an attorney for a non-profit or government agency (local, state, federal).
• Enroll in [PAYE] income-driven repayment plan for all student loan debt (undergraduate included).
• LRAP enrollment must occur no later than five years post-graduation, and assistance is provided for up to 10 years maximum.

Assistance

Income up to $70,000	Income greater than $70,000
Receive 100% LRAP assistance	40% calculated contribution for difference greater than $70K

Forgiveness Schedule

Amount of Time in Qualifying Employment	Percentage of LRAP Loan to be Repaid	Percentage of LRAP Loan Forgiven
One Year or More; Fewer than Two	80%	20%
Two Years or More; Fewer than Three	50%	50%
Three Years or More; Fewer than Four	20%	80%
Four Years or More	0%	100%

The LRAP year runs from October 1 to September 30 and a new application for assistance is required annually. You may view the application and guidelines here.

Other resources to help pay off your student loans

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

• Who Qualifies: Public service workers with Federal Direct Unsubsidized (Stafford), Grad PLUS, or consolidation loans in the Direct Loan program.
• What Could You Get: Full loan forgiveness after 10 years of income sensitive on-time payments.
• More Information

Equal Justice Works (EJW) Student Debt Resources

The EJW Educational Debt Relief program Equal Justice Works is devoted to advocating for student debt relief and spreading the word to make sure those who need relief are taking the right steps to qualify. EJW detailed and user-friendly resources are available to help prospective students, current students and graduates.