2008 COAP Information for Classes of 2010 and Later
2008 COAP Information for Classes of 2009 and Earlier
2008 COAP FAQ

*** To view an announcement on new public interest initiatives and financial support for graduates, please read Dean Harold Hongju Koh's message to the Yale Law School community.

Signed copies of 2007 federal income tax returns are required to be submitted at this time. The deadline for continuing participants to submit an application for the second cycle of COAP is August 1, 2008.  New applicants may submit an application at any time before the end of October 2008. As always if you have questions, feel free to contact us directly.

Law school is expensive. With tuition exceeding $40,000 per year at top private law schools, many prospective students worry about how they will pay for their student loans after graduation.

While young lawyers who work for large firms may be able to shoulder the burden of educational debt with relative ease, private practice is not for everyone. Some students dream of jobs in smaller firms, nonprofit organizations, public interest, government service or academia. These are jobs that typically pay less than those at large firms. Yale Law School has pioneered a loan repayment assistance program to allow these students to take their dream jobs without worrying about their student loans: the Career Options Assistance Program (COAP).

Established in 1989, COAP was one of the first loan forgiveness programs of its kind. Since its inception, it has served as a model for similar programs at law schools across the country. Today, it is one of the most distinctive, generous, and flexible loan forgiveness programs available.

How COAP Works
Who COAP Serves
COAP highlights

How COAP Works

The goal of the COAP program is to insure that law school does not dictate a Yale Law School graduate’s career choices. In order to allow YLS alumni to choose jobs without having to worry about student loans, COAP is designed to assist graduates with their loan payments. COAP grants are calculated based on a graduate’s household income, indebtedness, and an imputed loan repayment schedule.

First, the graduate’s household income is adjusted to deduct retirement savings, childcare costs, etc. For graduates whose adjusted income is less than a certain “threshold” level (currently $46,500), COAP covers their entire imputed loan payment. Graduates who earn more than $46,500 annually are expected to contribute 25 percent of their income above $46,500 to their loan repayment. Unlike most programs, COAP grants cover not only loans for Yale Law School, but also some need-based undergraduate educational loans as well.

    * A graduate with an adjusted income of $41,000 (below the $46,500 threshold) and annual imputed loan payments of $10,000 would receive the full $10,000 from COAP.
    * A graduate with an adjusted income of $50,500 and the same $10,000 in annual payments would be expected to contribute $625 (25 percent of the $2,500 above the $46,500 threshold), and so would receive an award of $9,375.

As with all of Yale’s policies and programs, individual factors and special needs are taken into account. The program’s income levels, guidelines, and regulations are also reviewed and revised periodically.

Who COAP Serves

From 1989 through 2007, over 1,170 Yale Law School graduates have participated in COAP, receiving over $23 million in benefits. In 2007 alone, COAP disbursed more than $2.4 million in benefits to almost 300 graduates.

 In 2007, YLS alumni in COAP worked for (among many others):

•  The U.S. State Department
•  Human Rights Watch
• Private firms in Washington, D.C., Jackson, Mississippi, and Seattle, Washington
• The Texas Defender Service
• The New York State Attorney General  
• The NAACP Legal Defense Fund

COAP Highlights

COAP is

Inclusive:
- open to all recent Yale Law School graduates
- includes all jobs in all sectors – public interest, government, academia and private practice

Comprehensive
- covers law school loans
- may include some undergraduate loans

Flexible
- no minimum participation commitment
- participants can move in and out of the program as needs change
- part-time work may be covered
- individual circumstances and special needs are taken into account

Family Friendly
- up to six months maternity/paternity leave per new child
- deductions are provided for child/dependent care