Brooklyn Law School to reimburse 15% of the tuition for unemployed graduates

Officials from a New York Law School claim that it usually takes nine months for their graduates to find the appropriate job or get the requisite license. With this fact in mind, Brooklyn Law School announced plans to reimburse tuition for its students who are still unemployed nine months after graduating.

CNN reports that Brooklyn Law School announced Monday that they will give 15 percent of the total tuition paid back to its graduates who are still looking a job nine months after they received their degree.

This wonderful program, called "Bridge to Success," will start in the incoming 2015-2016 school year. The reimbursement will be given in a lump sum. It is meant as a safety net that will give more time for graduates to find meaningful employment.

This program is timely as law school graduates are facing tough competition in a depressed job market, which is still gradually recovering from economic recession. Brooklyn Law School dean Nicholas W. Allard said, "This builds on the overall approach that we've taken to be very student-centric, to listen to what students need."

The class of 2013 was the largest in terms of the number of law school graduates nationally. Nine months after graduating, 57.3 percent of the 478 graduates found meaningful jobs. After a year, only 52.4 percent out of the 382 graduates became lawyers.

Students who plan to qualify for the Bridge to Success program must take the bar exam after they graduate. Passing it is not part of the requirement. They must also prove that they have been actively looking for meaningful jobs and they have used all of the school's career resources. The 15 percent reimbursement is only for the out-of-pocket tuition expense, which includes loan payments. Scholarships and grants, however, will not be recovered.

For some, this program is a sign of desperation on the side of the school and can be considered a red flag. But for law students, this is good news.