Summer Fellowships
Post-Graduate Fellowships
Loan Repayment
Job Search Expenses
Summer Fellowships
The Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program (SPIF) provides funds to all Yale students who need funding to work at government and nonprofit organizations. The law school provides fellowships of up to $6,000 for 12 weeks to about 150 students each summer, totaling more than $450,000 per year.
The Schell Center for International Human Rights provides many summer travel fellowships to support summer work abroad in international human rights. It typically gives travel awards to about 35 law students, totaling more than $40,000.
The Mary McCarthy Fellowships provide funding for students’ summer or brief post-graduate work in the public interest. Typically, the fellowship program awards several fellowships totaling approximately $12,000.
Post-Graduate Fellowships
Yale Law School Fellowships such as the Liman, Heyman and Bernstein provide funding to help students pursue their public service goals after graduation. Typically, two to three Bernstein Fellowships of approximately $42,000 each are given to Yale Law graduates for international human rights work. In addition, seven Liman Fellowships of $42,000 each support Yale graduates in work for the poor and underrepresented in the United States. Three Heyman Fellowships of approximately $42,000 fund the opportunity to work with high-level leaders in the federal government. An internship/clerkship at The International Court of Justice at The Hague provides funding for a 9-month position at the Court for a graduate-level student. A YLS Fellowship at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague is also available.
Loan Repayment
The Career Options Assistance Program (COAP) provides full need-based loan repayment to graduates earning less than $60,000 per year (more with deductions) and partial payment for many alumni earning more. COAP provides more than $2 million per year in debt relief.
Job Search Expenses
CDO has created TRI-PI (Travel Reimbursement for Interviews in the Public Interest) which reimburses 3L students for travel expenses, up to $400, to post-graduate public interest interviews. In fall 2008, this program will be expanded to include 2L students. Contact Juliann Davis in the Career Development Office at 432-1676 for guidelines on this program.
Each year, the Career Development Office (CDO) pays the registration fees and travel expenses for any students wishing to participate in the Equal Justice Career Fair and Conference and the NYU Public Interest Career Fair. CDO also reimburses students for fax or telephone charges incurred in their search for a public interest job (excluding judicial clerkships).
In addition, the Law School has a suit reimbursement policy which allows a student who is on financial aid (loans and/or grants) without appropriate clothing for interviews, to request a one-time loan of $350 to purchase a suit. If the student enters COAP after graduation, this loan will be covered.