Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Many law students and graduates are committed to public service but find it difficult to accept public sector employment because of their high law school debt burden. We are committed to promoting the pursuit of public interest and government careers and therefore the Law School operates the Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP) - previously known as the Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (PILRAP).

This LRAP program offers graduates working in public sector careers loan repayment assistance on an annual basis. The amount of assistance is based on a formula that considers the applicant's income and annual law school debt.

Graduate Survey (pdf)

Important Information for TolLRAP Applicants

Penn Law is happy to announce some important improvements that have been made to the Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP). In 2009, the Dean approved a plan that made the following significant changes to TolLRAP:

a. The income eligibility formula was increased to better serve more Penn Law graduates. The new formula is detailed in Section I (D) of the program Guidelines will help graduates at a variety of income levels to choose public sector employment and still pay their substantial law school debts.

b. The cap on the amount of TolLRAP assistance a participate can receive each year was increased from $12,000 to $14,000 per year.

c. The forgiveness structure was changed to allow for interest-free forgivable loans in all years of participation. Participants should check with their tax advisors regarding taxability of the forgiveness of these loans. Section 108(f) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) details the requirements for tax-free forgiveness. Participants who are working for or under the direction of a governmental unit or an organization described in 501(c)(3) of the IRC generally will not have this forgiveness added to their gross income.

d. Graduates accepting clerkships before entering qualifying employment may have their TolLRAP eligibility extended for up to two years.

We hope you will agree that these improvements will help fulfill TolLRAP’s mission of giving graduates the choice to pursue public sector careers without being hindered by their law school indebtedness. Know that we will continue to evaluate the program. We welcome your comments and questions.

The new TolLRAP Guidelines are below.

TolLRAP Guidelines (pdf)

TolLRAP Application

Verification Form (pdf)

To submit your application via email, please send to:
Tory Messina, Esq. (L '05)
Associate Director for Public Interest and Government Counseling
vmessina@law.upenn.edu.
For questions, please contact Tory Messina by email or call 215-898-3086.

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