LIPP offers up to seven years of participation for J.D. graduates who are actively enrolled in a full time Ph.D. program, subject to the following terms:
- This coverage is intended for those J.D. graduates who begin a separate Ph.D. after the completion of their J.D. and graduation from HLS, and is not for those enrolled in any joint or concurrent J.D./Ph.D. programs, nor for those who begin a Ph.D. program at any time before completion of the J.D.
- Ph.D. participants must seek and accept any loan deferments for which they qualify during the first two years of their Ph.D. program (generally, federal and Harvard loans can be deferred while completing required course work and enrolled at least half-time). LIPP will cover the payments on any eligible loans that can’t be deferred as if the participant was working in a LIPP-eligible job; the loan must be placed on an extended repayment term. Loans which no longer qualify for in-school deferment or forbearance due to consolidation are not eligible for assistance during the first two years of the Ph.D.
- After the two years of deferment, so long as the participant is enrolled full-time, LIPP will cover all LIPP-eligible loans as if the participant was working in a LIPP-eligible job. Interest that accumulates on eligible loans during the two years of in-school deferment is eligible for LIPP assistance.
- PhD participants must document continued, full-time, active status in their degree program at each application cycle for LIPP. Graduates on indefinite leave from a Ph.D. program, or those enrolled in a part-time Ph.D program, are not LIPP eligible unless they work in a LIPP-eligible job during that time and their loans are not eligible for deferment. A temporary leave for research and writing purposes is permissible with documentation of full-time, active Ph.D. candidacy status and approval by the LIPP Office.
- If participants change their course of study or changes the school at which they are studying, despite the fact they may chronologically be in their third year of Ph.D. studies, participants must show verification they are considered (by their current academic institution and advisor) to be in the third year of the program in which they will receive their Ph.D.
- Any income earned while working toward a Ph.D. (such as pay for teaching, etc) is considered income for LIPP purposes.
- Participation in masters degree programs or other non-PhD degree programs is not covered under LIPP. Graduates participating in such programs should take advantage of loan deferment and forbearance options.
- Part-time work (at least 17.5 hours/week) during the first two years of the Ph.D program does not qualify for LIPP assistance, except in the instance where the loans cannot be deferred.
Graduates with questions about Ph.D. participation in LIPP should consult with the LIPP staff.