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CAREER
Texas Student Loan Repayment
Assistance program
The focus of this article is to offer a brief overview and provide general
information about the Texas Student Loan Repayment Assistance
Program (SLRAP).
In 2003, the Texas Access to Justice Commission (TATJC) created the
SLRAP to “encourage and enable recent law school graduates to work for
Texas legal aid organizations and assist legal aid programs in retaining
experienced attorneys.” i The SLRAP is currently funded by the State Bar of
Texas (SBOT) and is administered by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation
(TAJF). The program is structured as a loan that may be forgiven in the
future, rather than a grant.
ELIGIBILITY
Attorneys are eligible for loan repayment assistance if they work full-time for
any Texas program that is:
1. A recipient of TAJF funds,
2. A recipient of Legal Services Corporation funds, or
3. A Texas nonprofit that provides civil legal services if at least 50 percent
of the services provided are free to Texans whose income is 200 percent
of federal poverty guidelines or less.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
1. Submit the application form and supporting materials as requested
by the TAJF.
2. Individuals who are eligible for loan repayment funds from other sources
must apply to those programs for assistance. All sources are payors of
first resort other than employers and law schools participating in TAJF’s
SLRAP matching program.
3. Applicants must document full-time employment with an eligible
organization. Full-time is defined as 35 hours or more per week.
4. Applicant must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school within
the last 10 years and must have graduated by the time of his or her first
SLRAP loan payment.
5. Applicants must be:
a. Licensed to practice law in Texas and be a member in good standing
of the SBOT prior to receiving his or her first SLRAP loan payment and
at all times during the SLRAP payment period, or
b. Licensed to practice law in a state or territory of the United States, be
in good standing in the jurisdiction where licensed, and be employed
as an immigration attorney by a TAJF-funded immigration legal
services program in Texas prior to receiving his or her first SLRAP
loan payment and at all times during the SLRAP payment period.
i. If a recipient qualifies for the SLRAP under 5(b), and during
the loan period becomes licensed to practice law in Texas,
and subsequently changes employment to a qualifying nonimmigration
program, the recipient will be presumed to have
qualified for the SLRAP under 5(a).
6. An applicant’s household income will be considered in relation to the total
amount of the applicant’s student loan debt incurred.
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EduCATIonAL dEBT
An applicant’s undergraduate and law school debt, and debt incurred in
joint degree programs where one degree is a juris doctor, may be covered
under the program. All institutional loans used for educational expenses
may be covered. Loans from family and other private sources are not
eligible. An applicant who is in default, forbearance, and/or deferment on
a loan is eligible to apply but must remedy the default and/or remove the
forbearance and/or deferment prior to receiving any SLRAP payment.
InComE CALCuLATIon & RAnk oRdER oF nEEd
All resources available to applicants, including applicant’s income and
spouse/domestic partner earnings, will be included in the calculation of
SLRAP income. Candidates will be rank ordered from highest need to lowest
need based on the calculated student debt-to-income ratio.
TAxABILITY
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 ii permitted qualified organizations to
develop loan repayment programs so that loan forgiveness based on public
service employment is not considered taxable income to the recipient in
certain circumstances. iii Under 26 USC 108(f), as amended by the Taxpayer
Relief Act of 1997, student loans canceled after Aug. 5, 1997, in exchange
for public service employment generally do not cause the borrower to have
taxable income provided that certain requirements are met. iv
AppLICATIon pRoCEduRES
Applicants must submit the following:
1. A completed application
2. Employment Certification Form(s)
3. Lender Certification Form(s)
4. Law School Certification Form
5. Resumé
6. Tax return from the year prior to the current year
7. A signed copy of the SLRAP Guidelines
For complete eligibility information and to apply online, please visit
http://grants.tajf.org. The midyear application deadline for SLRAP support
between December and May is generally in October. The regular application
process for a full year of SLRAP support opens in March of each year.
Arturo Errisuriz, Acting Assistant Dean of Admissions,
Scholarships & Career Services
aerrisuriz@law.txwes.edu
i. Texas Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program, Program Guidelines at http://www.texasbar.
com/Content/NavigationMenu/LawyersGivingBack/StudentLoanRepayment/SLRAP-Guidelines.pdf.
ii. Pub. L. 105-34 (1997).
iii. 26 U.S.C. 108 (f).
iv. Id.
Texas Wesleyan School of Law Office of Career Services
1515 Commerce Street | Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817-212-4050 | 817-212-4059 fax | www.law.txwes.edu