About Us
What is the Student Loan System?The federal student loan system was created in 1965 with the best of intentions. However, what began as friendly, helpful, and benign has evolved over time into the most ruthless, hyper-inflationary and predatory lending system that the nation has ever seen.
Student Loans Have Been Stripped of The Most Fundamental Consumer Protections.
This includes bankruptcy rights, statutes of limitations, Fair Debt Collection laws, Truth in Lending laws and other protections that exist for every other type of loan. This combined with extremely strong collection powers, has given the industry a strong financial incentive and legal cover to abuse the borrowers, rather than work with them in good faith. The damage this has done and is poised to do to the country, is incalculable.
National Student Debt ($ Trillion)
# of borrowers in debt (million)
% Default Rate (class of 2004)
The Grassroots Organization Student Loan Justice
StudentLoanJustice.Org was formed in 2005 because there was simply no other group in Washington DC or anywhere in the country that was fighting meaningfully to correct this. The established “student advocacy” groups were grossly negligent in their duties to the citizens they claimed to be fighting for.
Many accepted blatant injustices and busied themselves creating things like repayment and “forgiveness” programs- all of which are failing and harming well over 90% of the people participating in them.
Our goal is to enable citizens to fight and get their rights back. This means returning the same bankruptcy rights and statutes of limitations that everyone enjoys for every other type of loan. While no one wants to file for bankruptcy (and few people will need to when this right is returned), this is the only way to put the lenders, which include both private companies and the federal government, in check so that they cannot abuse and oppress the people.
Student Loan Justice Receives No Corporate, Institutional, Government or Foundation Support.
This ensures that the group will not be corrupted or co-opted as normally happens with established groups in and around Washington DC. This group accepts only donations from fellow citizens for it’s support.
We have been profiled on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, VICE News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, CNN, Fox News and many other media outlets. SLJ is credited as being the inspiration for multiple pieces of legislation that would solve this problem. With 50 state chapters across the country, you can help us fight. If you feel the weight of this problem on your shoulders, you must help us. We need each other to finally solve this problem!
Who Is Alan Collinge?
SLJ Founder Alan Collinge is a student loan borrower. His experiences with his own student loans, combined with knowledge of good faith lending learned over years while he managed a small lending program on behalf of the federal government, made him realize that this is a problem the United State has never seen. He took his research to the media and to Washington and was profiled as top story on 60 Minutes.
Since then, he has authored The Student Loan Scam (Beacon Press), has written hundreds of articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, etc., does frequent television and radio interviews. In 2008, he was chosen as one of 8 “financial heroes” by CNN/Money Magazine. Prior to founding SLJ, Collinge was associate scientist (aeronautics) at Caltech and he earned three degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. Now he devotes himself full time to SLJ.
Join
Please sign up to help us fight. Get connected with your local state chapter, get regular updates, and participate in our actions and events. WE NEED YOU, and YOU NEED US!
Sign the Petition
We currently are asking President Trump to order the Department of Education to stand-down on opposing student loan borrowers in bankruptcy court. While no one wants to file for bankruptcy, having this constitutional power back on our side (as it is for all other loans in the nation) is absolutely necessary if this lending system is to be made fair! Please sign and share this important petition!
Donate
Your contribution is what keeps this grassroots organization alive. We are not supported by any corporations or interested lobbyists. Only the individual donations from this group are what keeps the fire burning. Find out how to contribute below.
Contact Us
We'll get back to you as soon as we can. We look forward to hearing from you! If this is urgent, please call (202) 594-1120, or email us at justice@studentloanjustice.org
When Is The Next Event?
We are currently in Iowa. We are pushing all of the presidential candidates to fight for the return of standard consumer protections to student loans. It is going well! See our schedule, and come to Iowa and help if you can...
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsors for making this movement possible
