Through a new program, Harvard Law School is waiving the third year of tuition for students who satisfy requirements and commit to working five years in public interest law after graduation.

By Ursula Furi-Perry, Esq.

Public service-minded students at Harvard Law School now have more than just loan repayment assistance programs to help them curb tuition costs.

The school recently announced a new Public Service Initiative Program, a five-year pilot program where the school will waive the third year of tuition for students who satisfy certain summer job, public interest clinic and community involvement requirements. They also pledge to work five years in public service after graduation.

Dean Elena Kagan said the school was inspired to start the program after the latest round of salary increases for new associates, which has made for a huge disparity between private law firm and public interest salaries.

“That disparity has gotten so large and seems to be continually growing, making it less tempting for students to enter public service positions right after graduation,” she said.

Students who enroll in the program can still take advantage of the school’s loan repayment program as well, and the program doesn’t exclude participants from seeking other financial aid to reduce their debt.

But unlike loan repayment, students will benefit from the new program’s instant impact on their finances, Kagan said.

The idea is for students to recognize the possibility of going into public interest work right out of law school, with less worry about being able to afford law school loans at the same time.

Yet the program isn’t just about money. It’s about public interest community building, said Kenneth Lafler, Harvard Law’s Director of Student Financial Services.

“This is really based on what you do while you’re in law school,” Lafler said. “We really want this program to strengthen the public service community we already have.”

He added that the school’s Office of Public Interest Advising will work closely with the new program and offer related community-building events throughout the school year.

The school did decide against limiting the number of students that can participate in the Public Service Initiative Program. Rather than picking a hand-selected group from a relatively small group of applicants, the school wanted to offer the program universally.

“Many great public interest graduates had little or no public interest experience before law school,” Lafler said. “So the school chose to focus on public service commitments during law school.”

Students may opt into the program as long as they have the required credits, which can be achieved through activities that prepare students for public service — such as public service clinical programs or community events. Students also have to complete 10 weeks of public interest summer work. They may finish another 10-week summer for the additional credits.

Lafler said the law school plans to keep track of students’ work every six months, much like it does through its loan repayment assistance program for those who work in public interest positions.

If a student in the program doesn’t complete the requisite five years of service, Lafler said it will expect that the student repay the last year’s tuition. The school has developed a sliding-scale repayment system, depending on the number of years a student worked in a public interest job.

The initial reaction has been favorable by students and the public interest community alike.

Lafler and Kagan both expect to see a sharp rise in the number of students who choose a public interest track as a result of the program, though it’s hard to tell where the program will lead.

“To some extent, there are risks here,” said Lafler, adding that the school had to make sure it could afford the program before offering it. “We don’t know how many students will want to take advantage of it. We do expect that this will increase the number of students who go right into public service positions.”