HKS Loan Repayment Assistance Program

As a Harvard Kennedy School graduate who qualifies for LRAP coverage, you can submit your application between late November and December to receive coverage for the first six months of the year. You’ll need to reapply in June to receive coverage for the last six months. Unfortunately, we cannot consider late applications.

May graduates are first eligible to apply for participation in November after graduation, for the January to June coverage period.

To apply for LRAP consideration, your loan must actively be in repayment. The monthly loan statement submitted with your application should demonstrate required monthly payments due. If your loan is in deferment and you would like to apply for LRAP, contact your lender prior to applying to request that your loan be placed in repayment. You may then apply with your most recent monthly loan statement. 

If you are approved for LRAP, you are still responsible for making your monthly student loan payments directly to your lender. If you are an international student, you must have a U.S. bank account that allows you to make payments to your lender. Contact your lender for other options if you do not have a U.S. bank account.

Application Materials

A complete LRAP application consists of the following:

1. LRAP application (accessible to HKS graduates only)
2. Statement of purpose
3. Employment Certification Form to be completed by your employer. This form specifies your position and total annual compensation, including housing benefits, per diem payments, location adjustments, and other financial benefits you may receive in addition to your salary.
4. A letter from your spouse’s employer, if applicable, documenting his/her annual earnings
5. Your most recent tax return. Provide a written explanation if you did not file taxes in the most recent tax period.
6. Documentation of your spouse’s student loans (if applicable)
7. Documentation from your lenders that reflects how much you owe, your monthly payment, and that payments are not overdue: 
   - Direct Loan statements are available from your loan servicer. Review your loan details here if you aren't sure who is your loan servicer. 
   - Sallie Mae loan statements are available here 
   - Citibank loan statements are available here 
   - If you have a Perkins loan, you do not need to submit a copy of your Perkins loan statements. We will verify your repayment information with the Harvard Student Loan Office.

Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) reserves the right to: 

• Change the program’s terms 
• Limit participation, which may include funding only a portion of a participant’s need 
• Limit the number of years a participant may take part in the program 
• Limit maximum annual funding

Basis of coverage 

Your LRAP award amount is based on the required monthly payment for the loans you borrowed to attend HKS. If your loan balance includes other loans, any LRAP coverage will be pro-rated to reflect only the HKS portion. 

LRAP coverage is based on the LESSER of: 

• The required monthly payment 
• The amount you would have been required to pay if you had chosen a 10-year repayment plan immediately upon graduation from HKS 
  - Only the portion of the monthly payment associated with HKS loan borrowing qualifies 
  - Paying more than the required monthly payment will not increase LRAP coverage 

Example One: You borrow $50,000 and choose a 20-year repayment plan with a required monthly payment of $387/month. When applying for LRAP, the monthly payment used for LRAP eligibility would be $387/month.  

Example Two: You borrow $50,000, choose a 20-year repayment plan with a required monthly payment of $387/month, but decide to pay $500/month. LRAP coverage would be based on $387/month.  

Example Three: You borrow $50,000 and rather than choosing a standard repayment plan, ask your lender to establish a repayment plan of five years, resulting in a monthly payment of $990/month. Because the repayment period is less than the 10-year minimum, LRAP coverage would be based on the amount that would have been required if you had chosen the 10-year plan ($580/month). If you elected a longer repayment plan—such as the 20-year plan above—the basis for coverage would be the monthly payment required on the longer plan ($387/month). 

Example Four: You borrow a total of $50,000 but only $30,000 of this amount was used at HKS, with the remainder borrowed either as an undergraduate or at another graduate school. You choose a 10-year repayment plan that results in a monthly payment of $580/month. However, the amount of LRAP coverage will be pro-rated to reflect the amount of the monthly payment associated with the HKS loans only:  $30,000/$50,000 = 60 percent x $580/month = $348/month.  

Length of participation  

Participation in LRAP is limited to a total of five years (which can be non-consecutive) after graduating from an HKS degree program.  

Nature of employment  

LRAP only supports HKS graduates employed full time in the public and nonprofit sector with an employer whose mission is consistent with the mission of HKS. Full-time employment must pay a livable salary for LRAP participation. 

If you are not employed, you are encouraged to contact your loan servicer to inquire about the possibility of economic hardship deferment, forbearance or other similar accommodations.  

Employment must last at least six months from the application deadline to be considered. Employment with for-profit companies is not eligible even if work is performed exclusively for a nonprofit or government entity. 

Eligible loans  

Only loans borrowed to attend HKS are eligible for LRAP consideration. These loans must be educational loans offered by traditional lenders that: require eligibility to be certified by HKS and disburse funds directly to HKS. Eligible loans include: 

• Federal Stafford loans* 
• Federal Perkins loans 
• Federal Grad PLUS loans* 
• Harvard University Employees Credit Union (HUECU) loans 
• Other private loans that meet the eligibility criteria above 

*Note: The student loan payment pause on federal student loans has ended, with payments resuming October 2023. If your federal loans have entered repayment in fall of 2023, you are eligible to apply for LRAP coverage for subsequent application periods. We do not prorate previous payments made prior to the application cycle.

Loans that do not qualify for LRAP include: 

• Loans from employers (or loans generated from not returning to an employer) 
• Loans from relatives or friends 
• Loans from sponsors 
• Loans for other educational programs, including undergraduate, other graduate and joint and concurrent programs 
• Loans from foreign governments 
• Advances against retirement plans 
• Loans that do not require HKS to certify financial need, including HUECU post-graduation loans 
• Loans taken out for non-degree study 
• Loans created on the basis that you received funding that required a public service commitment, return to an employer, a return to a particular country, or any other condition that was not fulfilled. For example, HKS Public Service Fellowships, hybrid scholarships/loans such as the Fundación Mexico, COLFUTURO, a loan created due to a decision not to return to an employer, etc. 
• Educational loans that do not require school certification 

Ineligible loans do not become eligible by virtue of school certification if the loan does not meet all other criteria for an educational loan established by the HKS Office of Admissions & Financial Aid.  

If you are in the midst of consolidating your loans and the consolidation process is not complete, report your loans individually on the LRAP application and attach a cover letter explaining the consolidation is under way. If your application is approved, you will be sent a conditional approval letter with actual payment being delayed until your consolidation process is complete.  

Loans receiving repayment or forgiveness from another source  

LRAP only covers loans not otherwise receiving coverage by another loan forgiveness or repayment program. If you are receiving funds from another loan repayment or forgiveness program, you must provide information documenting the loans receiving coverage and details of the coverage.  

If you are receiving loan repayment assistance from another source for a loan for which you are not applying for LRAP coverage, that coverage amount is excluded for LRAP eligibility purposes. 

Definition of income  

Income is considered to be your annualized (gross monthly income x 12) compensation from your—and your spouse’s—employers. In addition to direct salary, income includes any housing benefits, per diem payments, location adjustments, income generated from assets (e.g., interest payments, stock dividends, trusts, etc.), rental income, gambling winnings, and any other types of recurring financial sources of support. 

Definition of assets  

The LRAP does not consider the home in which you reside—and considered your primary residence for IRS purposes—as an asset. Nor does it consider assets saved in a formal retirement plan such as a 401(k) or a 403(b). All other assets are considered assets for LRAP eligibility purposes, including: 

• Cash and savings 
• Stocks and bonds 
• Real estate 
• Houses (except for house that the IRS considers your primary residence) 
• Trusts 
• Any other assets held by you or your spouse 
• Asset allowances 

Asset allowances

HKS recognizes the need for you to maintain some form of savings in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, HKS maintains an asset protection allowance for you as an LRAP applicant. After determining the total value of your assets, the LRAP Committee subtracts $10,000 if you are unmarried and $15,000 if you are married. 

Percent of Loan Payment Covered by Income and Liquid Assets Level

Unmarried		Married*
Gross Annualized Income (and Assets > $10,000)	Coverage	Gross Annualized Income (and Assets > $15,000)	Coverage
$32,000	100%	$51,000	100%
$33,000	100%	$52,000	100%
$34,000	100%	$53,000	100%
$35,000	100%	$54,000	100%
$36,000	90%	$55,000	100%
$37,000	90%	$56,000	90%
$38,000	90%	$57,000	90%
$39,000	90%	$58,000	90%
$40,000	90%	$59,000	90%
$41,000	80%	$60,000	90%
$42,000	80%	$61,000	80%
$43,000	80%	$62,000	80%
$44,000	80%	$63,000	80%
$45,000	80%	$64,000	80%
$46,000	70%	$65,000	80%
$47,000	70%	$66,000	70%
$48,000	70%	$67,000	70%
$49,000	70%	$68,000	70%
$50,000	70%	$69,000	70%
$51,000	60%	$70,000	70%
$52,000	60%	$71,000	60%
$53,000	60%	$72,000	60%
$54,000	60%	$73,000	60%
$55,000	60%	$74,000	60%
$56,000	50%	$75,000	60%
$57,000	50%	$76,000	50%
$58,000	50%	$77,000	50%
$59,000	50%	$78,000	50%
$60,000	50%	$79,000	50%
$61,000	40%	$80,000	50%
$62,000	40%	$81,000	40%
$63,000	40%	$82,000	40%
$64,000	40%	$83,000	40%
$65,000	40%	$84,000	40%
$66,000	35%	$85,000	40%
$67,000	35%	$86,000	30%
$68,000	35%	$87,000	30%
$69,000	35%	$88,000	30%
$70,000	35%	$89,000	30%
$71,000	30%	$90,000	30%
$72,000	30%	$91,000	30%
$73,000	30%	$92,000	30%
$74,000	30%	$93,000	30%
$75,000	30%	$94,000	30%
$76,000	25%	$95,000	30%
$77,000	25%	$96,000	25%
$78,000	25%	$97,000	25%
$79,000	25%	$98,000	25%
$80,000	25%	$99,000	25%
Greater than $80k	0%	$100,000	25%
		$101,000	25%
		$102,000	25%
		$103,000	25%
		$104,000	25%
		$105,000	25%
		Greater than $105k	0%

*Or unmarried applicants with legally related dependents under the age of 18, living with the applicant and deriving 100 percent of their support from the applicant. 

Examples  

Unmarried applicant: If you have $2,000 in savings, $5,000 in stocks, and $9,000 in equity in a second home, the modified assets for purposes of LRAP eligibility would be ($2,000 + $5,000 + $9,000) –  $10,000 = $6,000.  

Married applicant: If you have $10,000 in savings and no other assets, your modified assets would be $10,000 – $15,000 = $0.  

Determining modified income and assets  

The LRAP Committee adds your (and your spouse’s) modified income and modified assets together and subtracts any required student loan payments your spouse may have. This resulting figure is compared against the following income guidelines to determine eligibility. Only loans for which you are in repayment are considered and only for the amount that you are required to make (i.e., the voluntary choice of a spouse to accelerate his/her payment will not increase the amount of spouse student loan deduction).  

Example (married applicant* with spouse loan payments): Your spouse has an annual loan payment of $6,800. Together, you have liquid assets totaling $23,200 of which only $8,200 will be used to calculate eligibility. 

$45,000	Your income
$33,600	Your spouse’s income
$78,600	Gross household income
$8,200	Liquid assets (after asset protection allowance)
$86,800	Total income and assets
$6,800	Minus your spouse’s annual student loan payments
$80,000	Eligible LRAP income

You would receive 50 percent of your annual student loan payment in a Loan Repayment Assistance award. 

*Or unmarried applicants with legally related dependents under the age of 18, living with the applicant, and deriving 100 percent of their support from the applicant. 

Example (single applicant): You have liquid assets totaling $5,000. Your annual loan payment is $10,000.

$40,000	Your income
$0	Liquid assets (after asset protection allowance)
$40,000	Gross household income and assets

You would be eligible to receive 90 percent of your $10,000 annual student loan payment, which equals $9,000 in a Loan Repayment Assistance award. 

Domestic partnerships  

You are eligible to be considered as a married student, if you are legally married or in a registered same-sex domestic partnership.  

Unmarried applicants with legal dependents  

If you have legal dependents under the age of 18 who reside with you and receive 100 percent of their financial support from you, you will be considered under the guidelines of the married applicant income scale.  

Unusual medical expenses  

Unusual medical expenses not covered by insurance may be considered when calculating your LRAP income. If you have unusual medical expenses to report, please upload documentation of your annual medical expenses with your application.

The timeline below offers a general overview of when LRAP applications are due, when application decisions are made, and when you would receive your funds. This timeline is subject to change.

LRAP Timeline

Applications submitted for January–June coverage	Mid-November–Mid-December
Committee reviews applications	Early January
Applicants notified by email of decision	Mid-January
Payments and letters processed	Mid-January
Funds sent to recipients for January–June coverage*	Late January
Mid-year re-certification for applications submitted for July–December coverage	May–June
Committee reviews applications	June
Payments and letters processed	Late June
Funds sent to recipients for July–December coverage*	July

*In some cases, funds may be wired to recipients outside North America, but there are strict criteria for wiring payments. You will be contacted if your payment is eligible for wiring. Your payment cannot be wired to you if you are not contacted.