Our Vision

The Student PIRGs envision a world in which qualified students who want to go to college can do so, without burdensome student loan debt to hold them back after graduation.
 
Present

In the new debt-for-diploma era, more needs to be done to for students who borrow to pay for college.  Student borrowers and their parents are confronted with confusion around the federal aid programs, misleading information surrounding private loan options, and little recourse and support in the event they experience problems in repayment.  To keep college affordable and accessible, we must strive for stronger borrower safeguards.

Student Debt Alert is sounding the alarm about the risks involved with student loans by:

1) Exposing problems by sending Student Debt Yearbooks to decision makers on campus, statewide, and federally, and researching problems associated with the lack of borrower safeguards; and

2) Providing a service to borrowers, students and parents through outreach on campuses across the country to educate them about savvy student borrowing, and hosting an on-line forum for those seeking feedback and to ask questions.

Current legislation is pending in Congress that will not only increase grant aid for students of modest means, it will ensure that grant aid increase with the cost of living each year.  Visit www.uspirg.org to get the latest information.

Accomplishments 

The Student Debt Alert campaign built a yearbook of over 6,000 entries which we submitted to thousands of decision makers across the country.  In addition, we mobilized thousands of students on campus to participate in US Department of Education hearings on affordable higher education, and we engaged hundreds of students with their members of Congress around aid issues. We also wrote a key report that detailed how student loans held graduates back from teaching and social work careers.   

In September 2007, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act passed, which increased grant aid and created two new student loan repayment programs.  Get the facts on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

View our photo archive of 'Students in Action'.

Student Debt Alert began in 2005. Student Debt Alert has been instrumental in educating the public about the growing necessity of student loans to pay for college; and in directly addressing young people's concerns about the burdens of student debt.

Sean Golan is the field organizer for Student Debt Alert. He works with students, faculty and administrations in order to continue the dialogue about this increasing problem.

Ford Foundation

Student Debt Alert is funded by the Ford Foundation, a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide.  For more information, visit www.fordfound.org. 

Contact Us

Contact Sean Golan for more information or questions.