Summer 2026 Frequently Asked Questions

SPIF amounts vary depending on financial aid status and length of weeks of the position, for a minimum of 8 weeks up to a maximum of 12 weeks. Please see SPIF’s Amount of Funding page.

This depends on the terms of your law firm employment:

• If the compensation for your summer 2027 law firm placement will be limited to wage compensation paid during summer 2027 (and will not include bonuses, stipends, fellowships, scholarships, etc., of any type, payable at any time) then yes, you are eligible for SPIF per the eligibility criteria outlined on our Amount of Funding page.
• If your summer 2027 law firm offer contained any compensation in addition to your wages, such as bonuses, stipends, fellowships, scholarships, etc., of any type, payable at any time, but you turned down that additional compensation and will only be earning wages in 2027 and no other income at any other time as part of this offer, you are eligible for SPIF per the eligibility criteria outlined on our Amount of Funding page.
• If your summer 2027 law firm placement will pay you any compensation in addition to your wages, such as bonuses, stipends, fellowships, scholarships, etc., of any type (including public interest funding), payable at any time, you are not eligible for SPIF. However, you are eligible for a $9,500 loan to cover your summer 2026 living expenses. If, for any reason, you are unable to accept only a loan for summer 2026, please reach out to the SPIF team for instructions on how to apply for Summer Support for Public Interest (SSPI) funding for the amount of $4,200, which will need to be repaid in the fall of 2026. This fund is optional, can be taken in addition to the loan, or in lieu of it, and will be charged back to your student account in September 2026. The loan is LIPP eligible and can be requested here.

No. Students will need to choose to receive either SPIF or the law firm funding and SPIF will not be provided retroactively.

The majority of HLS summer fellowship grants are predicated on SPIF eligibility and therefore students cannot receive them if they are not receiving SPIF. Students should reach out to individual programs to confirm eligibility requirements.

If your compensation for the summer of 2026 is deferred until the end of the summer of 2026, or paid during the 2026-2027 academic year, it will be included in the calculation of your total resources from income for your 2L year.

If your compensation from the summer of 2026 is paid any time after that, it will be included in the calculation of your total resources from income for your 3L year. For example: If you receive $25,000 from the law firm at the beginning of your 2L summer that amount will be added to your 2L summer associate pay and the total amount will be considered in the calculation of your available resources from income.

• For a student receiving need-based grants during the academic year this means their 2L grant will remain very similar to the grant they received in their 1L year, presuming no other changes to their assets or their family’s resources, but will drop significantly – perhaps entirely – in their 3L year based on their increase in resources.
• Students who are interested in preserving their LIPP eligible borrowing will experience minimal changes to their LIPP eligible borrowing their 2L year, then a significant drop their 3L year.

For financial aid purposes students are required to work a minimum of 8 full-time weeks during the summer. The work does not need to be paid, but it must be verifiable by an independent third party; typically a supervisor. Students who work fewer than 8 weeks or do not work at all will have a minimum resources amount imputed which will be factored in when calculating eligibility for need-based grants and LIPP eligible borrowing.

Determinations of HLS pro bono credit and hours will be made on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs (clinical@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-5202), based on the terms of the funding from the law firm. In general, students who receive funding above the SPIF cap that is contingent on completion of 1L summer work, will not receive HLS pro bono credit, while students who receive funding with no requirement for completion of 1L summer work can receive pro bono credit for eligible 1L employment.

Any confirmation of funding should be reviewed and signed by the SPIF team (spif@law.harvard.edu). Confirmation of enrollment should be reviewed and signed by the Registrar’s Office (WCC 4007).

If you have questions or issues regarding a summer stipend from a law firm, bring this situation to an OPIA or OCS adviser during drop-in hours or an appointment. Advisers can help you work through your options and ensure that you get all the information you need to make informed decisions – for the short term this summer, and for the long term in your career.

Questions about Pro Bono: clinical@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-5202

Questions about financial aid: sfs@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-4606

Questions about SPIF: spif@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-0643