Privacy Policy

Opt In to the NSLA Ally Database

This is the single most important thing you can do for yourself and for NSLA: opt in to our database. It is the only mechanism available through which you can express yourself and have your view impact the way we do student loans in America. The database lets you share what you see and what you have learned and have it reach other borrowers and the public at large. We understand that we are asking for personal information, after all we are talking about money. We promise to take very, very good care of it. The data will be used only in the aggregate, not about any one individual. Please see our privacy policy and then contact us if you still have questions.

If you look our online Library, it's easy to see that even the most recent government reports are often two years old, and filled with data much older. They also tend to document fairly obvious questions, without connecting the dots. But even so, it takes time to get studies funded, conducted, and issued. This is the information age. We need the data now. By becoming a NSLA Ally, you make essential data available to the policymakers -- fast.

Here is an example of what the database can do: people intuitively understand and accept that a person repaying student loans is not spending their money on other things un-essential things like a new car. There is no data to prove this.

Our database will make it possible to make statements like this: Among borrowers in repayment who have more than $20,000 in debt, 78% report that they have delayed purchase of a new car for at least 3 years. Whoa! Now people considering a loan have a very clear data point about what their life will be like in the future. Policy makers can see that a specific demographic group is affected in a quantifiable way. People who cannot buy that car can feel a little better that other people share their situation. And car manufacturers could produce different cars or shift their marketing efforts away from recent graduates. For the good of everyone involved, please opt in to our database right now.