Privacy Policy

Who we are

GradMerge, LLC ("GradMerge," "we," "us") is a marketing and referral company at 4539 N 22ND ST STE N PHOENIX, AZ, 85016, USA. We do not make credit decisions, set rates, originate loans, or charge you a fee. When your answers indicate a possible fit, we refer you to our licensed lending partner, Alt Lending LLC (NMLS #2571325), which runs its own application process under its own privacy policy.

Information you give us

You choose whether to give us information. If you do not, you can still read everything on this site.

• Contact details you enter on the Contact Us form: first and last name, email address, phone number, and anything you write in the message box.
• Answers you give in the Check Your Options questionnaire: your name, email address, whether you are a borrower or someone helping one, the status of your private student loan, your employment status, and your goal.
• The consent choices you make, including whether you agreed to our terms and to being contacted.
• Anything else you send us by email or tell us on the phone.

We do not ask for your Social Security number, your date of birth, your account numbers, or your login credentials, and we never need your passwords. No one from GradMerge will ask you for them. If someone claiming to be us does, report it to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/.

Information we collect automatically

When you submit a form, we record the page you submitted it from, your browser's user agent string, your IP address, and the date and time. This is standard technical data used to operate the site, prevent spam and abuse, and keep a record of the consent you gave.

How we use your information

• To evaluate whether our lending partner's program may be a fit for your situation.
• To refer you to Alt Lending LLC when your answers indicate a possible fit, and to hand off the information you gave us so they can continue.
• To respond to your question and follow up about your options by email, phone, or text, in line with the consent you gave.
• To send you information about our services, resources, and guides, until you tell us to stop.
• To operate, secure, and improve the website.
• To keep records we need for legal, audit, and compliance purposes, including proof of the consent you gave.

The questionnaire result is a simple rules-based screen, not a credit decision. Checking your options with us involves no credit check and does not affect your credit score. Only the lender decides whether you qualify, and on what terms.

How we share your information

• Our lending partner. When your answers indicate a possible fit, we share what you submitted with Alt Lending LLC so it can evaluate your options and contact you. From that point, Alt Lending's own privacy policy governs what it does with your information.
• Service providers. We use vendors to run this site and our communications, and they may process your information only on our instructions. These currently include our hosting and content delivery provider, our database provider, our email delivery provider, our consent management provider, and the video platform that hosts videos embedded on our pages.
• Legal and safety. We may disclose information if the law requires it, to respond to lawful requests, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of GradMerge, our users, or others.
• Business transfers. If GradMerge is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may transfer as part of that transaction. We will require the recipient to honor this policy or give you notice and a choice.

How we are paid, and what that means for your data

You never pay GradMerge a fee. Our revenue comes from our lending partner, not from you. Because we are compensated in connection with referrals, some state privacy laws define the referral of your information to that partner broadly as a "sale" or a "share." We do not sell your information to data brokers, to advertising networks, or to anyone else outside the referral described above, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. If you would rather we did not pass your information along, do not submit the questionnaire, or tell us at info@gradmerge.com and we will honor that.

Calls, texts, and emails

When you check the box agreeing to be contacted and give us your phone number, you agree that GradMerge and Alt Lending may call or text you at that number about your options, including with automated dialing technology or prerecorded messages. Consent is not a condition of receiving any product or service, and message and data rates may apply. You can stop text messages by replying STOP, stop marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link in any message, and ask us to stop calling by telling us at any time. We will still send you messages needed to complete something you asked for.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to make the site work and to record your privacy choices. Videos embedded on our pages are served by a third-party video platform, which may set its own cookies when you play them. You can manage your choices through the privacy preferences link on this site and through your browser settings. We honor the Global Privacy Control signal where your browser sends it.

How long we keep your information

We keep submissions for as long as we need them for the purposes above, and then no longer than required by law. Inquiries that do not lead anywhere are kept for up to two years so we can recognize you if you come back and so we can show the consent you gave. Records connected to a referral are kept longer where lending, advertising, or telemarketing rules require it. You can ask us to delete your information sooner, as described below.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Know what personal information we hold about you and get a copy of it.
• Correct information that is wrong.
• Delete information we hold about you.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, and of targeted advertising.
• Not be treated differently for exercising any of these rights.

To make a request, email info@gradmerge.com or call 480-382-8807. We will ask for enough information to confirm you are who you say you are, and we will not use what you give us for verification for anything else. An authorized agent may submit a request on your behalf with written permission. We respond within the time your state's law allows, generally 45 days, and we will tell you if we need longer. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision, and we will explain the outcome in writing.

Financial privacy

Some of what you tell us relates to a consumer financial product, and information you give to a lender in connection with a loan application is governed by that lender's own privacy notice under federal financial privacy law. Ask Alt Lending LLC for its notice before you complete an application.

Data security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted connections and access controls on the systems that hold submissions. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's privacy

This site is meant for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Where we operate

GradMerge is based in the United States and our services are intended for people in the United States. Information you give us is stored and processed here.

Other websites

Our site links to other websites, including our lending partner's and government resources. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Read their policies before you give them information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The date at the top reflects the current version. If we make a change that materially affects how we use information you already gave us, we will tell you before it takes effect.

Contact us

Questions about this policy, or about information we hold? Email info@gradmerge.com, call 480-382-8807, or write to GradMerge, LLC, 4539 N 22ND ST STE N PHOENIX, AZ, 85016, USA.