John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

To be eligible, you must: 

• be a U.S. citizen, or an eligible noncitizen
• be an attorney licensed to practice law or have accepted an employment offer and be: 
  • a Prosecutor who serves as a full-time employee of the State of Illinois or unit of local government (including tribal government) who prosecutes criminal or juvenile delinquency cases at the state or unit of local government level, including supervision, education, or training of other people prosecuting these cases; or
  • a Public Defender who meets one of the following criteria: 
    • a full-time employee of the State of Illinois or unit of local government (including tribal government) who provides legal representation to low-income individuals in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases including supervision, education, or training of other people providing such representation, or
    • a full-time employee of a nonprofit organization operating under a contract with Illinois or unit of local government who devotes nearly all the employee's full-time employment to providing legal representation to low-income individuals in criminal or juvenile cases including supervision, education, or training of other people providing such representation, or
    • employed in Illinois as a full-time federal defender attorney in a defender organization that provides legal representation to low-income individuals in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases. For details, see the  Bureau of Justice Assistance JRJ program overview.
• have a balance remaining on an eligible student loan(s) 
• not be in default on a federally guaranteed educational loan, or owe a refund on any grant or scholarship program administered by ISAC. If you are in default, you may reestablish your eligibility using the Default Resolution Options to Regain Federal and State Student Aid.

To receive loan repayment assistance, you must commit to remaining employed as a public defender or prosecutor for at least three years. Your three‑year work commitment begins when you sign your JRJ Service Agreement and only the work you perform after signing the agreement counts toward this requirement. Any employment before the agreement does not apply to the three year work commitment.

This award can be received multiple years. If you receive additional JRJ awards during your initial three-year work commitment, you will complete the JRJ Service Agreement - Acknowledgement of Benefit. This agreement does not add additional service time but confirms your original agreement.

If you are selected for more JRJ awards after completing your initial three-year work commitment, you will need to sign a JRJ Service Agreement - Secondary Term of Service. Under this agreement, each additional year of JRJ benefits requires one additional year of work commitment.

If you do not fulfil the employment requirement, any funds you received must be repaid.

1. Create a profile in the ISAC Application Portal or log into your existing account.
2. Complete and submit the John R. Justice Program Loan Repayment Application and required documentation in the Application Portal before the due date listed on this page for priority consideration. An application is not considered complete until you submit all the following required documentation: 
   1. JRJ Employment Verification Form, 
   2. Current account statements for loans with an outstanding balance, 
   3. Fill out one of the following: 
      1. JRJ Service Agreement , (1st year applying for program ) 
      2. Acknowledgement of Benefits , or (2nd and 3rd year in the program) 
      3. Service Agreement  – Secondary Term of Service (4th  year in the program) 
3. You will receive a confirmation email when ISAC receives your application. Applications may take up to 12 weeks to process.
4. After your application has been reviewed, ISAC will notify you of your eligibility status and provide information about the next steps. If your application remains incomplete, ISAC will contact you with instructions on how to provide the missing information.

  [CG1] https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/bja/files/media/document/Appendix-B-JRJ-Beneficiary-Service-Agreement-first-time-participant.pdf 

  [CG2] https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/bja/files/media/document/Appendix-D-JRJ-Beneficiary-Service-Agreement-Acknowledgment-of-Benefit.pdf 

  [CG3] https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/bja/files/media/document/Appendix-C-JRJ-Beneficiary-Service-Agreement-secondary-term-of-service.pdf 

The John R. Justice Program is a federal grant program and follows federal timelines. ISAC launches its applications and makes awarding decisions based on this timeline. Updates will be posted here as soon as they become available.

ISAC will notify all applicants of the decision on their application, including whether they have been selected to receive an award. The award amount depends on available funds, and it varies based on your remaining balance on eligible loans. 

You may receive up to $10,000 per year. You may apply for the repayment program for more than one year, and you can receive a combined total of $60,000 in award funds.  There is no maximum number of years that you can apply to the program for an award. 

When the number of applicants exceed the number of available funds, awards will be prioritized for applicants that received an award in the year immediately prior to the current award year. 

Your award funds are paid directly to your loan servicer. Allow a minimum of 12 weeks from the date you receive an award notification letter to when funds are disbursed to your loan servicer.

Prosecutor: A lawyer who is continually licensed to practice law for their state, local, or tribal government and who handles criminal or juvenile cases, including supervising or training others who do this work.

Public Defender: A lawyer who is continually licensed to practice law who represents people who cannot afford an attorney in criminal or juvenile cases. This includes lawyers working for state, local, or tribal governments, nonprofit organizations under government contract or federal defender offices, as well as those who supervise or train others doing this work.

If you have other questions, contact an ISAC Student Engagement Representative by calling 800.899.ISAC (4722) or send an email to [email protected].

Q: I work as a federal prosecutor, am I eligible for an award?

A. No, federal prosecutors are not eligible for the John R. Justice (JRJ) student loan repayment program. While certain federal public defenders qualify, the program explicitly restricts eligible prosecutors to state, local, or tribal government employees.

Q. Does an applicant have to be practicing for a specific number of years before applying?

A. No, the program does not require the applicant to have been employed as a prosecutor or public defender for a set period before applying for the program. 

Q. What is considered full-time employment for the JRJ Program? 

A. The federal grant defines “full-time” employment as “not less than 75 percent of a 40-hour work week” for the purpose of this program.

Q. If I no longer live and practice in Illinois after receiving an award, am I still eligible for future awards? 

A. Per the federal grant, if after receiving any JRJ benefit, a current John R. Justice (JRJ) awardee changes their state of employment, that individual will no longer be eligible to continue to receive JRJ benefits from the original state.