As a reflection of Gonzaga University School of Law’s humanistic, Jesuit, and Catholic nature, this Loan Repayment Assistance Program reflects the high value that the school places on attorneys pursuing careers in public service.
The purpose of this program is to provide loan repayment assistance to a select number of our graduates who are pursuing careers in public service. Applicants with outstanding law-school student loans, both federal and commercial, are invited to apply to the LRAP program.
The program functions to provide selected graduates with loans of up to $4,000 a year to help meet the repayment of specified law school loans. If a graduate remains in qualifying public interest employment for at least one year after receipt of a loan under this program, the loan made by the law school will be forgiven. Graduates may apply annually for a total of five years of LRAP funding.
The program is administered by the dean’s office and by the law school faculty Scholarship Committee. Any awards made through this program are issued through the sole and unfettered discretion of the dean’s office and the Scholarship Committee. There is no obligation on the part of the law school to make any award in any given year.
Basic eligibility requirements
The following are the basic eligibility requirements for applicants to the LRAP program at Gonzaga law school:
1) Qualifying Employment. Graduates must be engaged in full-time employment that is law-related and public-interest in spirit and content. “Law-related” means that the position must substantially utilize the legal training and skills of the graduate. “Public interest” work is defined as:
(a) work for an organization qualifying for tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), (4), or (5), for example legal aid or legal services organizations, public defender offices, private non-profit organizations that have as a primary purpose the rendering of legal services to or on behalf of persons or organizations which could not otherwise obtain like services, and international human rights organizations.
or
(b) work for federal, state, or local government units, as long as the work is focused on providing legal aid, legal services, or criminal justice services to or on behalf of persons or organizations which could not otherwise obtain like services; judicial law clerks are not considered to be engaged in “public interest” work. This category includes governmental units made up of groups of Indian tribes as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 7873(b).
2) Qualifying Graduates. Only Gonzaga University School of Law graduates may participate in this program. Graduates may not apply for support until they have graduated and are licensed attorneys. Graduates my receive support under this program only for so long as they are an active member in good standing with licensing bar authority. No graduate may receive support through the program for more than five years. Only graduates that are within two years of the anniversary of their graduation date are eligible to submit an initial application for the program.
3) Qualifying Debt. Assistance for loan repayment under the program is limited only to those loans taken out by the applicant to pay for tuition and fees necessary to satisfy the applicant’s Juris Doctor degree requirements at Gonzaga University School of Law. Personal loans from banks or from other family members, as well as credit card and consumer debt are not covered under the LRAP program, even if such loans were used to finance the applicant’s legal education. The total student debt load of each individual applicant will be an important factor in making awards.
4) Income and Student Debt Level. Graduates must be employed in full-time positions which pay no more than $45,000 a year in total income. Total income is defined as the pay rendered for law related services provided before any deductions or exclusions. Assets owned by the graduate and additional income for the graduate from other sources, including but not limited to income from family members, a spouse, a domestic partner, or from trust funds or other inheritances and gifts, will also be considered by the school when allocating LRAP awards.
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Other
- Loan Payments: Support for recipients will be provided in a single allotment made in January of the approved calendar year.
- Accounts Current: Graduates owing outstanding balances on their Gonzaga University School of Law student account are not eligible to apply for funds until the balance owed is paid in full. All participants in the LRAP must be current on their law school student loan payments. Default and delinquency will disqualify an applicant from participating and will terminate any further assistance for that participant.
- Participation in Other LRAP Programs: Applicants to Gonzaga’s LRAP are required to report any assistance they are receiving or expect to receive from other private or governmental loan repayment assistance programs.
Application procedure
Program applications are due by November 15. Award recipients will be notified by December 15. A program application requires the following:
(a) Completed Gonzaga University School of Law LRAP Application with supporting documentation
(b) Completed Employer Certification Form
(c) Completed LRAP Loan Indebtedness Form
(d) Completed Lender Verification Form(s)
(e) If applicable, a letter from the employer of the applicant’s spouse or domestic partner confirming the spouse’s or domestic partner’s projected annual gross income
(f) A signed copy of the graduate’s (and spouses’s or domestic partner’s, if applicable) most recent federal income tax return with all schedules and attachments and W2s
(g) A current resume and cover letter
(h) Permission to publish recipient’s name and applicable biographical information in law school publications and in the press
(i) Additional documentation as requested
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Promissory Note
All recipients will be required to execute a signed promissory note in the amount of the annual LRAP loan as a condition of receiving the loan.
Loan forgiveness
If a participant works in qualifying employment within the LRAP guidelines for at least one year after the January funding, the participant’s LRAP loan will be forgiven on January 1 of the year following disbursement.
Prior to loan forgiveness, the participant must submit a completed Request for Discharge form certified by the qualifying employer and must submit proof that his or her law school education loans remain in good standing.
If a participant discontinues qualified employment during the calendar year for which they received funding, the LRAP loan must be paid back in full.
However, if a participant remains in qualified employment for at least six months after receipt of funding, a percentage of the loan may be partially forgiven upon application to the dean of the law school.
The decision of the dean on that application will be final. All participants who owe a percentage or all of their LRAP loans are under a legal obligation to repay these loans to Gonzaga University School of Law based upon their signed promissory note.
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Application accuracy
Inaccurate information provided in connection with a program application will render a graduate immediately and retroactively ineligible for LRAP support. Any LRAP funds that have been disbursed pursuant to inaccurate information provided in a program application must be paid back in full.
Renewal process
Participants must apply every year by the deadline. Once admitted to the program, it is the responsibility of the graduate to re-apply each year for renewal and provide updated information. Prior LRAP recipients do not receive priority in the selection process.
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This publication is intended for the guidance of Gonzaga University School of Law administration, students, faculty, and alumnae. It sets forth in general the manner in which the law school intends to administer its LRAP program, but the law school reserves the right to depart, without notice, from the terms of this publication.
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Loan Repayment Assistance Program
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