Harvard Trades Tuition for Public Service

If you are thinking about law school, Harvard has just announced an incentive that might make it more feasible. The Harvard Law School will waive tuition for third year students who work in the public-interest for nonprofits or the government for five years, according to the New York Times.

The initiative is meant to encourage students to pursue work that isn’t just about making the money to pay back big student loans. The Times reported that, in recent years, only about 10-12% of Harvard Law graduates in recent years went to work for a nonprofit or the government, opting instead to join law firms where income was in the six figures - understandable considering that law students can leave Harvard with student debt also in the six figures.

So if you’re headed down the legal path, remember that the earth needs good lawyers, too, and Harvard will cut you a deal if you defend it. Of course, Harvard’s not the only game in town, here’s the top 10 Environmental Law programs in the US (from US News & World Report):

1. Vermont Law School
2. Lewis and Clark Law School
3. Pace University Law School (NY)
4. University of Maryland Law School
5. Georgetown University Law School
6. New York University Law School
7. University of California–Berkeley (Boalt Law)
8. Stanford University Law School
9. George Washington Law School
10. Yale Law School

Via New York Times