How to Apply for LRAP

Visit our Forms page for updated application forms. If you are unable to submit the application using the online form, you may e-mail a PDF of your application to lrap@law.berkeley.edu.

To participate in LRAP, there are two applications you’ll need to submit each LRAP cycle:

• Application for an LRAP loan: Typically awarded in a contract period of approximately 12 months. Due each time you want a new LRAP award. 

• • New applicants: the application cycle is rolling, but to receive a timely LRAP award, we recommend submitting an LRAP application about a month before your first loan payment.  

• • Continuing applicants: the application cycle is rolling, but to receive a timely LRAP award, we recommend submitting an application in the month your current LRAP contract ends.

• Application for LRAP loan forgiveness: Due at the end of every LRAP contract period. 

• • Within 30 days of the end of your previous LRAP contract period. (E.g., if your contract ends April 30, your forgiveness application will be due at the end of May).

Worried about meeting the 3.5 year LRAP deadline? You can apply to pre-qualify for 120 months of LRAP funding without having to submit an LRAP application.

To pre-qualify, you need to be 1) in greater-than-half time and paid law-related, public interest work making under $120,000; 2) be in repayment (not in school or in a grace period); 3) be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan; and 4) have a $0 monthly payment or a payment that is too small to receive LRAP funding in accordance with our out-of-pocket contribution rules.

View and submit the pre-qualification form here.

To access the pre-qualification form, you will need to sign into a Google account. You may be prompted to sign in using your CalNet ID, but this can present a problem if you no longer maintain a Berkeley account. Try opening the form in a private browsing window or incognito window to sign in with your personal account. Please reach out if you encounter technical difficulties.

Before submitting your application for LRAP support, all participants must choose a “track.” The Standard track is only available for graduating classes through 2012. Graduates on the Standard track have the option of switching to the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) track at a later date. Please note that if you select the IDR track, you must follow that track for the remainder of your participation in LRAP.

☐ Meet with an LRAP Advisor, preferably sometime in your 3L year. An LRAP appointment is a requirement to enter the program. We offer in-person, phone, and virtual appointments.

☐ LRAP application (view our application FAQs if you get stuck)

☐ Employment verification form signed by your employer no more than 40 days in the past. Please include a copy of a published job description if this is your first time applying with this job.

☐ Verification of your Income-Driven Repayment plan (IBR, PAYE, or SAVE) in the form of an approval letter, payment schedule, or printable account information. We need to know what plan you’re on, your monthly payment amount, and when the plan starts and ends. We do our best to align your LRAP loan and contract period with your IDR plan.

• Printable Account Information Guide
• Please see examples of IDR verification documents to assist you:
  • Repayment plan approval letter
  • Repayment schedule change letter
  • Printable Account Information
• If you apply before you receive your latest IDR plan information, you can email us your documentation when you receive it from your loan servicer.

☐ Loan indebtedness documents detailing your loan types, balances, and interest rates. You can find this information on your loan servicer’s website (Printable Account Information) or studentaid.gov (View Loan Breakdown).

☐ Personal statement. Please describe what brought you to public service and what you see yourself doing over the next five years (approx. 1 page). Although required, the personal statement is not used to determine eligibility.

☐ Completion of the UC Berkeley Controller’s Office vendor registration process, which is required before you can receive an LRAP loan disbursement. You may begin the process only after you 1) submit a first-time LRAP application, and 2) receive your personalized vendor registration link via email. Please review the instructions for completing the vendor registration process. If you sign up for EFT, a voided check and/or bank verification letter is required. You may be asked to upload a signed Conflict of Interest Form if you’ve previously worked for UC.

☐ You can supplement your application with additional documents by emailing them to lrap@law.berkeley.edu.

☐ LRAP application (view our application FAQs if you get stuck)

☐ New employment verification form signed by your employer no more than 40 days in the past. Please include a copy of a published job description if this is your first time applying with this job.

☐ Loan documentation

• IDR Track:

  Verification of your Income-Driven Repayment plan (IBR, PAYE, or SAVE) in the form of an approval letter, payment schedule, or printable account information. We need to know what plan you’re on, your monthly payment amount, and when the plan starts and ends. We do our best to align your LRAP loan and contract period with your IDR plan.

  • Printable Account Information Guide
  • Please see examples of IDR verification documents to assist you:
    • Repayment plan approval letter
    • Repayment schedule change letter
    • Printable Account Information
  • If you apply before you receive your latest IDR plan information, you can email us your documentation when you receive it from your loan servicer.
• Standard Track: we do not need proof of your repayment plan, but may require proof of your total remaining loan balances or your latest billing statement, especially if you are close to paying off your loans.
• Classes of 2012 and earlier: any private loan statements that include the current balance, interest rate, and monthly payment amount.

☐ You can supplement your application with additional documents by emailing them to lrap@law.berkeley.edu.

• We process applications on a rolling basis in the order received and recommend that you upload all required documents to avoid delays. Incomplete applications will take longer to process.
• LRAP coverage will not be granted retroactively, but starts within the month in which the application was received or later.
• If you are eligible for an award, you will receive two emails: 1) an email from the Financial Aid Office containing a DocuSign Access Code, and 2) an email from DocuSign containing a link to view and sign your LRAP award documents.
• Once you sign your LRAP award documents, we will submit a payment request to the main campus’ Disbursements Office.
• The main campus will disburse funds within approximately 10-14 days. If you do not have EFT set up, this may take 2-3 days longer.

You must submit an LRAP forgiveness application to fully or partially forgive each LRAP loan within 30 days of your contract ending. If you have a salary increase, job change, or don’t use all of your LRAP funds, you may owe some of your LRAP funding back.

To plan for potential repayment, we advise informing us of any job, salary, or family changes immediately by email. You can read more about our forgiveness process in our LRAP Handbooks on pages 14-18.

If your LRAP loan is not fully forgiven, you will owe LRAP funds back to the University. We will create a loan for you with the University of California’s loan servicer, Heartland ECSI. You’ll have at least a 4 month grace period where you will not be required to pay anything back. After your grace period ends, you’ll make payments to Heartland ECSI directly. You can either pay according to LRAP’s quarterly, 3-year repayment schedule; or you can pay everything you owe in one lump sum online or via check.

☐ Forgiveness application

☐ New employer verification form signed by your employer (signed no more than 40 days before form submission). Switching jobs soon? You should get the form signed by whoever is your employer at the end of the LRAP contract you’re trying to get forgiven.

☐ Payment history or redacted bank statement documenting payments for each month of your LRAP contract. We want to verify that you’ve make your required student loan payments each month of your LRAP contract.

☐ You can supplement your application with additional documents by emailing them to lrap@law.berkeley.edu.