Funding: Summer and Beyond

At Penn Law, we recognize the financial challenges facing students pursuing public interest work and have developed various programs to provide assistance.

Summer Internships

Penn Law's Public Interest Funding Program, one of the largest in the nation, is an integral part of our public service programming. The Law School provides at least partial funding to more than 100 law students who wish to undertake public interest work in U.S. government, nonprofit organizations, and public interest law firms. Resources for summer scholarships are bolstered by the student-organized annual Equal Justice Foundation Auction, a lively evening event that draws faculty, students, alumni, and Philadelphians to bid on numerous exciting items - all for a great cause.

Prisoners' Rights Scholarship

The Zelda Wolfman Fellowship provides summer funding to students pursuing public interest summer work related to prisoners' rights.

Toll Loan Forgiveness Program

The Toll Loan Forgiveness Program offers repayment assistance, on an annual basis, to students working in public sector careers. The amount of assistance is based on a formula that considers the applicant's income and annual law school debt and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Toll Public Interest Scholars Program

This Program offers tuition reimbursement, academic training and practical experience to select students. For more information about this program, please refer to the Toll Public Interest Scholars section.

Human Rights Fellowships

Our new Human Rights Fellows Program, meanwhile, supports students interested in cross-border public interest internships between their first and second years of law studies. Penn Law School provides funding and draws on institution-to-institution relationships to arrange summer positions in such fields as human rights, rule of law development, and international criminal tribunals. Recent placements include summer internships in Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Namibia, Nepal and Washington DC. Other opportunities are possible as well. Here are several recent student profiles.