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Complete Guide to Refinancing Law School Loans

Kat Tretina Kat Tretina Updated June 1, 2020

Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we receive compensation from our partner lenders, whom we will always identify, all opinions are our own. Credible Operations, Inc. NMLS # 1681276, is referred to here as "Credible."

Earning a law degree can lead to a career with a high salary — but it also means hefty student loan payments. Luckily, assistance programs, repayment plans, or refinancing law school loans can save you money.

Here are the options you have when it comes to managing your law school debt:

  1. Refinance your law school loans
  2. Take advantage of repayment assistance programs
  3. Consider loan forgiveness
  4. Seek alternative repayment options

1. Refinance your law school loans

Depending on the specific loans you took out to pay for law school, you could have high-interest debt. To get a lower interest rate, you should consider refinancing your loans with a private lender.

The only way to get a lower interest rate is to refinance your loans with a private lender. Refinancing your student loans can reduce the total amount repaid, your monthly payment, or both. Refinancing can be a smart decision if your income and credit score qualify you for a more competitive interest rate.

If you can afford the payments on a shorter repayment period, you can get a much lower rate and save a substantial amount of money.

If you’re refinancing federal loans with a private lender, however, keep in mind you’ll lose benefits that come with federal loans, such as access to income-driven repayment with the potential to qualify for loan forgiveness.

Additionally, if you are struggling to pass the bar or end up taking a job that pays less than you expected as a law school graduate, refinancing may not make sense. Instead, opting for a federal income-driven repayment option can help reduce your payments; after making the qualifying payments for 10, 20, or 25 years, you may have the remaining balance forgiven.

The student loan refinancing companies in this table are all Credible’s partner lenders. We have not included other lenders.

LenderVariable rates from (APR)Fixed rates from (APR)Check rates from multiple lenders in 2 min
advantage education loan consolidationN/A4.54%+Get Rates
Advantage review
brazos student loan refinancing1.93%+2.70%+

Get Rates
Brazos review
citizens bank student loans1.99%+¹2.97%+¹Get Rates
Citizens Bank review
college ave student loans3.24%+23.34%+2Get Rates
College Ave review
elfi student loans2.39%+32.79%+3Get Rates
ELFI review
invested refinancing2.51%+43.46%+4Get Rates
INvestEd review
mefa refinancing3.05%+3.05%+Get Rates
MEFA review
penfed purefy student loan consolidation2.19%+2.99%+Get Rates
Penfed review
rhode island student loan authority refinancingN/A3.19%+Get Rates
RISLA review
sofi student loan refinancing2.25%+52.99%+5Get Rates
SoFi review
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2. Take advantage of repayment assistance programs

Depending on where you went to school, the amount of your debt, and your career path, you may be able to take advantage of one of these repayment options:

  • Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs): LRAPs are available to law school graduates from over 100 different universities. Eligibility for many of them is based on your income and whether you work in some form of public service, such as serving as an attorney for a non-profit organization or legal aid (see our list of schools offering LRAPs and requirements).
  • Federal repayment assistance: Under the John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program, state and federal public defenders and state prosecutors are eligible for loan repayment assistance if they stay in public service for at least three years. According to Equal Justice Works, an organization that supports law graduates interested in the public sector, public defenders and state prosecutors may qualify for up to $10,000 a year in assistance. To apply, you need to work with your designated state agency.
  • State repayment assistance: Some states offer assistance programs, as well. Annual awards can range from $650 up to $10,000, depending on the state and your unique situation. Each state has different criteria, but most require public service, such as providing legal aid to low-income residents or working either in education or with a nonprofit organization. Check your state’s availability to see what you may be eligible to receive.

3. Consider loan forgiveness

In some circumstances, your loan balance can be forgiven, either through public service or after making regular payments on an income-driven repayment plan:

  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): After making 120 monthly payments, your balance is forgiven as long as you worked for a tax-exempt nonprofit or government organization. For lawyers, this typically includes working as a state prosecutor, public defender or working in a legal aid office for underserved or low-income individuals.
  • Income-driven repayment plan forgiveness: If you are on an income-driven repayment plan, such as REPAYE, after making your payments for the entire repayment period — usually 20 or 25 years — any remaining balance is forgiven. While that can be a huge benefit, it does come with one major caveat: unlike forgiven loans under PSLF, the amount that is eliminated is taxable as income. That can add a big chunk to your bill when your taxes are due.

4. Seek alternative repayment options

If you don’t qualify for one of the assistance programs or need additional help making your payments on your federal student loans, there are alternative payment plans that may help. The Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid offers the following alternatives to the standard 10-year repayment term, depending on your circumstances:

  • Extended repayment: With an extended repayment plan, your payments may be fixed or graduated and spread over 25 years, reducing your monthly payment.
  • Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE): With REPAYE, your monthly bill is capped at 10% of your discretionary income. For borrowers with law school debt, it takes 25 years to qualify for loan forgiveness.
  • Pay As You Earn (PAYE): With PAYE plans, your payment is 10% of your income but will not exceed what your bill would be under a standard repayment plan. With PAYE, you must make payments for 20 years before you can qualify for loan forgiveness.
  • Income-Based Repayment (IBR): With IBR, your payment is capped at 10% of your income, and you will make payments for 20 years.
  • Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR): With ICR, you pay the lesser of 20% of your discretionary income or what would you pay with a fixed plan over the course of 12 years.

Under income-driven repayment plans, your payments are based on calculations that take into account several factors, such as your income, marital status, and whether you have dependent children. Every year, you need to submit a new application, so if you have fluctuations in income or your family size changes, your payments can increase or decrease as well.

Extended or income-driven repayment plans can significantly reduce your monthly payments. But because you are paying interest for a longer period, you can end up spending thousands more over the life of your loan, particularly if you end up paying off your loans before you qualify for loan forgiveness.

Amount paid under government repayment plans

The easiest way to grasp the different outcomes is to compare the total repayment costs of each repayment plan. The table below illustrates how much a borrower with $140,616 in direct federal student loans would pay back in nine different government repayment programs.

Repayment planMonthly payment (first, last)Repayment periodProjected loan forgivenessTotal amount repaid
Standard$1,55410 years$0$186,492
Graduated$888-$2,66310 years$0$198,729
Extended fixed$89725 years$0$269,234
Extended graduated$691-$1,36025 years$0$293,053
REPAYE*$552-$1,80022 years, 7 months$0$285,669
PAYE*$552-$1,53920 years$52,184$233,194
IBR*$827-$1,55415 years, 4 months$0$225,692
IBR for new borrowers*$552-$1,53920 years$52,184$233,194
ICR*$1,202-$1,73310 years, 8 months$0$193,899
*Plans marked with an asterisk are income-driven repayment plans, with monthly payments tied to a percentage of disposable income.

Source: Department of Education Repayment Estimator

The table above assumes that an attorney has just landed a job out of law school with:

  • $25,000 in federal direct subsidized loans taken out to attend a four-year college at a weighted average interest rate of 4.2%
  • $61,500 in federal direct unsubsidized loans ($20,500 annual limit) taken out to attend three years of law school at a weighted average rate of 5.8%
  • $54,116 in PLUS loans taken out to pay for the balance of law school at a weighted average rate of 6.8%
  • Adjusted gross income of $84,000 a year that increases by 5% a year

Paying for law school

Dealing with law school debt can be overwhelming and frustrating. With student loans that can easily reach into the six-figures, your payments can outpace your rent. While cutting your monthly payment down or lowering your interest rate may be tempting, it’s essential to consider your long-term goals and career interests.

If you can find an alternative to extended repayment options, you can save yourself a lot of money over the life of your loans. But whether extended payment, income-driven repayment, or refinancing is right for you depends on your own unique circumstances.

Jamie Young contributed to the reporting of this article.

About the author
Kat Tretina
Kat Tretina

Kat Tretina is a contributor to Credible who covers everything from student loans to personal loans to mortgages. Her work has appeared in publications like the Huffington Post, Money Magazine, MarketWatch, Business Insider, and more.

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