In our ongoing commitment to making legal education financially accessible, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Post-graduation Debt Repayment Assistance pilot program (PGDRA). The class of 2020 will be the inaugural graduating class eligible to apply.
The aim of the PGDRA program is to help address the adverse implications of the debt loads some students need to fund their legal education, including the effect of steering career choices away from areas that increase access to justice, both during and after law school. PGDRA provides support for recent graduates who demonstrate need in repaying loans incurred to support their law degree.
Applicants qualify for a PGDRA benefit based on a needs assessment that considers individual circumstances, including income, debt load, cost of living and family size.
“We are truly excited to be formally opening this pilot at a time when law students’ anxiety levels about their future income are higher than ever,” writes Catherine Dauvergne, Dean, Allard School of Law in her recent blog post about the program (Read the full post on the Allard Law Blog website). “As the cost of legal education has increased over the years [….] this program allows us to make the best, most carefully targeted, use of our student aid dollars. It’s an important addition to our on-going efforts to make legal education available to all qualified students regardless of their financial circumstances.”
An overview of the program is available on our website, complete with a detailed program handbook and downloadable benefits calculator. We are currently preparing to open the first application cycle in May 2021. For anyone who would like to apply to the program, please take the time to review this material and reach out to us if you have any questions.
