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Tax Code Factor in HLS Loan Program

"There is a disincentive to get married," Scully said. "It makes certain choices difficult. Certain people do not feel uncomfortable moving in together, but others have certain moral or religious beliefs that make it much more difficult [without marriage]. So it's kind of unfair in that respect."

Despite Harvard's reforms, some students said HLS' loan forgiveness program still falls short of Yale's. Yale generally puts fewer restrictions on graduates loan forgiveness, with a higher salary cut-off for complete loan forgiveness and no restrictions on what type of work qualifies for its debt relief program.

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And Ben Classman, a member of HLS' Class of 2000, said the current debate fails to ask questions about more radical alternatives to a program like LIPP.

"Failure to think beyond discrete issues tends to preserve the structure of the status quo," Classman said after praising some of the changes. " It's the difference between reformation and transformation."

A Tax Break

Dealy said the announced changes are not expected to significantly increase the program's budget.

The federal Taxpayer Relief Act of 1998 made the tax benefits of receiving loans greater than that of receiving grants, in many cases, Dealy said.

As a result, HLS has in recent years given fewer grants and required students to take on more loans, in order to take advantage of the changes in the tax code.

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