Terms and Conditions

Effective date: September 5, 2026   |   Last updated: September 5, 2026

1. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms and Conditions, which we call the Terms, are an agreement between you and GradMerge, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company. They govern your use of gradmerge.com and any related pages, forms, guides, calculators, newsletters, emails, and messages we provide, which we call the Services.

By using the Services, submitting a form, subscribing to our email list, or otherwise communicating with us, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated here by reference. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

If you are using the Services on behalf of an organization, such as a school, alumni association, law firm, or servicer, you represent that you are authorized to accept these Terms on its behalf.

2. Who we are and how we are paid

GradMerge is a marketing and referral service for people with private student loans, including loans that are delinquent, in default, or charged off. We publish educational content, we help people understand what options may exist, and we introduce interested people to a licensed lender.

Loans are originated by Alt Lending, LLC (NMLS #2571325). Alt Lending is a separate company. It reviews applications, sets terms, decides who may qualify, and funds any loan. GradMerge does not make those decisions and does not participate in them.

GradMerge never charges borrowers a fee. There is no cost to you for using this site, requesting information, subscribing to our emails, or being introduced to the lender. GradMerge is compensated by Alt Lending when a loan we referred is funded. That compensation does not increase what a borrower pays, and it does not affect whether an application is approved. We disclose this so you can weigh our content knowing how we earn revenue.

We may also work with schools, alumni associations, attorneys, and other organizations who refer people to us or who let us reach their audiences. Those relationships are described in section 13.

3. What we are not

To be as clear as possible, GradMerge is not, and does not hold itself out as, any of the following:

• A lender, bank, credit union, mortgage broker, or loan servicer
• A law firm, and no one at GradMerge provides legal advice or legal representation
• A credit repair organization, debt settlement company, debt relief company, or debt collector
• A financial advisor, investment advisor, tax advisor, or credit counseling agency
• A government agency, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education or any other government body

Nothing on the Services is legal advice, tax advice, credit repair services, or personalized financial advice. Our content is general education. If you have a legal question, including a question about a lawsuit, a collection action, a settlement offer, or bankruptcy, please consult a licensed attorney in your state. If you have a tax question, consult a tax professional.

Federal student loan programs and federal borrower protections generally do not apply to private student loans. Content on this site addresses private loans specifically unless it says otherwise.

4. Eligibility

To use the Services and to submit information to us, you must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the United States, and legally able to enter into this agreement. You may only submit your own information, or information you are authorized to submit on behalf of another person.

Availability depends on where the lender is licensed and on the lender's own requirements. Some states are not currently served. As of the effective date above, the program is not available to residents of Nevada. Availability may change at any time without notice to you.

5. No offer of credit and no guaranteed outcome

Nothing on the Services is an offer or commitment to lend, an approval, a prequalification, or a promise of any particular rate, payment, term, or savings. We use words like "may qualify," "option," and "could" deliberately, because those are the honest words. We do not publish rate, payment, or savings figures, and we do not promise results.

Any calculator, illustration, or example on the Services is for education only. It uses figures you enter or figures we chose to demonstrate how something works. It does not reflect an offer, a quote, or terms available to you.

Only the lender can tell you whether you qualify and on what terms, after its own review. Loan approval, pricing, and availability are subject to the lender's underwriting guidelines, applicable state law, and the lender's licensing.

6. The information you give us

You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate, current, and complete, that it is your own or that you have permission to provide it, and that the phone number and email address you give us belong to you and are ones you are authorized to use. Please tell us if your contact information changes, because we may continue to use what we have on file until you do.

Please do not send us Social Security numbers, account numbers, or other sensitive financial identifiers through our forms or by email. We do not need them, and email is not a secure channel. The lender collects what it needs through its own secure application.

7. Your permission to contact you

This section explains what you agree to when you give us your contact information, and how to change your mind. Please read it carefully.

7.1 What you are agreeing to

When you submit a form on the Services, subscribe to our list, ask us a question, or otherwise give us your contact information, you give GradMerge, LLC and Alt Lending, LLC (NMLS #2571325) your permission to contact you at the email address, telephone number, and mailing address you provided, for both of the following purposes:

1. Follow up on your request. To respond to you, to answer your questions, to help you understand what options may be available for your private student loans, to complete or continue the process you started, and to follow up if you do not finish it. This can include more than one attempt to reach you.
2. Ongoing updates from GradMerge. To send you periodic educational and marketing communications about private student loans and personal finance, including guides and best practices, industry news and analysis, changes in the market or in the rules that affect borrowers, new options and programs as they become available, our newsletter and email course, events and webinars, and other GradMerge offerings.

Both purposes are covered by the same permission, and you can withdraw either one separately using the methods in section 7.6.

7.2 Calls and text messages

If you provide a telephone number and separately agree at the point where you provide it, you give your prior express written consent for GradMerge and Alt Lending to contact you at that number using automatic telephone dialing systems, prerecorded or artificial voice messages, and text messages, for the purposes described in section 7.1. This consent applies to mobile numbers, and it applies even if the number is registered on a federal or state Do Not Call list.

Consent to receive automated calls or texts is not a condition of any purchase, of any service from GradMerge, or of any credit decision by any lender. You can always reach us by calling 480-382-8807 or emailing info@gradmerge.com instead.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Text HELP to any message from us for help, or contact us using the details in section 28.

We do not send calls or texts to a number unless we have that separate consent on file for it, and we keep a record of when and how it was given.

7.3 Email

Commercial email from us identifies itself honestly, includes our physical postal address, and includes a working way to unsubscribe. Unsubscribe requests are honored promptly and in any event within 10 business days, and the address is added to a permanent suppression list so it is not added back later.

7.4 Messages about something already in progress

Even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you about a request you have open with us, about a transaction you started, or about something we are legally required to tell you. These are not marketing messages, and they stop when the matter is closed.

7.5 Monitoring and recording

Calls with us may be monitored or recorded for quality, training, and recordkeeping. Where the law requires it, we will tell you at the start of the call and you may ask us not to record.

7.6 How to withdraw your permission

You may withdraw your permission at any time, for any or all channels, using any reasonable method that clearly tells us you do not want further messages. We do not require you to use one specific method. The easiest options are:

• Email: click the unsubscribe link in any email, or write to info@gradmerge.com
• Text: reply STOP, QUIT, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, REVOKE, or OPT OUT to any text from us. We may send one final message confirming that texts have stopped
• Phone: call 480-382-8807 and tell us, or tell the representative during any call
• Mail: GradMerge, LLC, 4539 N 22ND ST STE N PHOENIX, AZ, 85016, USA

We honor withdrawal requests as soon as practicable and in no case later than 10 business days after we receive them. Please include the specific email address or phone number you want removed, since that is how we locate the record.

Withdrawing permission for GradMerge does not automatically withdraw it for Alt Lending or for any other company you have contacted separately. Please contact those companies directly using the details in their own communications.

8. Do Not Call and internal suppression

GradMerge maintains an internal Do Not Call and suppression list and honors it indefinitely. We also honor the National Do Not Call Registry and applicable state registries, except where you have given us the express written consent described in section 7.2. Telemarketing calls are placed only within the hours permitted by federal and state law. You may request a copy of our Do Not Call policy by contacting us.

GradMerge does not buy, rent, or scrape consumer contact lists, and we do not send commercial messages to people who have not opted in or otherwise contacted us.

9. Agreement to electronic communications

You agree that we may provide these Terms, the Privacy Policy, disclosures, notices, and other communications to you electronically, by email or by posting them on the Services, and that this satisfies any legal requirement that they be in writing. You also agree that clicking a button, checking a box, or submitting a form is your electronic signature and has the same effect as a handwritten signature.

To receive and keep electronic communications from us you need a device with internet access, a current browser, a working email account, and the ability to view PDF files and to print or save what we send. You may request a paper copy of any communication we sent you electronically, at no charge, by contacting us. You may withdraw your agreement to receive communications electronically by contacting us, though doing so may mean we can no longer provide the Services to you.

10. Credit information and consumer reports

GradMerge does not obtain, pull, or review your credit report, and we do not make credit decisions.

If you choose to continue to the lender's application, the lender may obtain a consumer report about you from one or more consumer reporting agencies, under its own authorization and disclosures, which you review and accept with the lender. A prequalification review may use a soft inquiry that does not affect your credit scores, while a full application may involve a hard inquiry that can affect them. The lender, not GradMerge, will tell you which applies and when.

Your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including the right to dispute inaccurate information, are explained by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov.

11. The handoff to the lender

When you choose to continue, we pass the information you gave us to Alt Lending so it can evaluate your request. From that point, your relationship on the application is with the lender. Alt Lending's own terms, privacy policy, disclosures, and consent language govern that relationship, and we encourage you to read them.

GradMerge does not control and is not responsible for the lender's underwriting, pricing, timing, decisions, servicing, or communications. Nothing here creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, or fiduciary relationship between GradMerge and you, or between GradMerge and the lender.

12. Privacy and your data

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information, and to opt out of certain sharing or targeted advertising. The Privacy Policy explains how to exercise those rights and how we verify requests.

We treat the information people give us as confidential. We do not sell it. We share it with our lending partner for the purpose you asked us to, and with service providers who help us operate, under contract.

13. Other partners and referrals

We work with schools, alumni associations, employers, attorneys, and other organizations. Some of them send communications about GradMerge to their own audiences using their own lists, which they control. We never receive or store their member or student records unless they specifically ask us to, and any such arrangement is governed by a separate written agreement.

Where we mention an attorney, law firm, or other outside professional, we are pointing you to someone who may be able to help. That is a referral for your convenience, not an endorsement, a guarantee of quality, or the practice of law by GradMerge. Any relationship you form with an attorney is between you and that attorney, on their terms, and we are not a party to it. Where GradMerge has a compensated relationship with a partner, we disclose it at the point where it is relevant.

14. Educational content on this site

Our guides, articles, calculators, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and webinars are general education, published in good faith and believed accurate when published. Laws, programs, lender requirements, and market conditions change, and we may not update every page when they do. Content is not tailored to your circumstances, and applying it to your situation is your decision. Please verify anything important with a professional who knows the details of your case.

15. Testimonials and examples

Any testimonial we publish is from a real person who gave us written permission to share it. Testimonials describe that person's experience only, and they are not a promise, prediction, or guarantee that anyone else will have the same experience. Where an example is illustrative or a composite rather than a specific person's history, we label it as such. Individual results vary.

16. Acceptable use of this site

You agree not to use the Services to do any of the following:

• Submit false, misleading, or stolen information, or impersonate anyone
• Submit another person's contact information without their permission
• Scrape, harvest, crawl, or copy the Services or our content by automated means, except for standard search engine indexing we allow
• Interfere with, overload, probe, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Services or the systems behind them
• Upload malicious code, or use the Services to send unsolicited messages
• Use our content to build, train, or fine tune a machine learning or artificial intelligence system without our written permission
• Use the Services in any way that violates applicable law or these Terms

17. Intellectual property

The Services, including text, guides, graphics, logos, layout, and the GradMerge name and marks, are owned by GradMerge or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. You may view, download, and print our materials for your own personal, non commercial use, keeping any notices intact. Any other use, including republication, resale, redistribution, or adaptation, requires our written permission. Third party names and marks belong to their owners.

If you send us feedback, suggestions, or ideas, you agree we may use them without obligation or compensation to you.

18. Third party links

The Services may link to sites we do not control, including our lending partner, partner organizations, government resources, and news sources. We provide links for convenience. We do not endorse, and we are not responsible for, the content, accuracy, products, security, or privacy practices of any linked site. Your use of a third party site is governed by that site's own terms and privacy policy.

19. Disclaimer of warranties

20. Limitation of liability

21. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless GradMerge and its owners, officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, and reasonable attorneys' fees arising out of your use of the Services, your violation of these Terms, your violation of any law, or your submission of another person's information without their permission.

22. Resolving disputes

22.1 Talk to us first

If you have a problem, please contact us using the details in section 28 and give us 30 days to resolve it informally. Most issues are resolved this way, and we would rather fix something than argue about it.

22.2 Arbitration and class action waiver

If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, you and GradMerge agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court, and that you and GradMerge each waive the right to a jury trial and the right to participate in a class, collective, or representative action. The arbitration takes place in Maricopa County, Arizona, or by video or telephone, or in the county where you live, at your election.

Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court instead, if it qualifies. Either party may also seek injunctive relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property.

22.3 Your right to opt out of arbitration

You may opt out of section 22.2 within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by writing to GradMerge, LLC, 4539 N 22ND ST STE N PHOENIX, AZ, 85016, USA, or emailing info@gradmerge.com, with your name, the email address or phone number you gave us, and a statement that you are opting out of arbitration. Opting out does not affect anything else in these Terms, and it does not affect your use of the Services in any way.

Nothing in this section prevents you from filing a complaint with a government agency or regulator.

23. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to its conflict of laws rules, except that the Federal Arbitration Act governs section 22.2. Where arbitration does not apply, the state and federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona have exclusive jurisdiction, and you and GradMerge consent to that jurisdiction. If your state's consumer protection law gives you rights that cannot be waived, those rights still apply.

The Services are directed to users in the United States. We make no claim that the Services are appropriate or available for use elsewhere.

24. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms as our business, our partners, or the law changes. When we do, we update the effective date at the top of this page. If a change is material, we will give notice through the Services or by email before it takes effect where practical. Continuing to use the Services after a change means you accept the updated Terms. Please check this page from time to time.

25. Ending your use of the site

You may stop using the Services at any time, and you may ask us to remove you from our communications as described in section 7.6. We may suspend or end access to the Services for anyone who violates these Terms or where we believe it is necessary to protect the Services or other people. Sections that by their nature should survive, including sections 17 and 19 through 23, survive the end of this agreement.

26. Accessibility

We want this site to work for everyone, including people using assistive technology, and we work toward the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. If you run into a barrier, or you need information on this page in another format, please tell us using the details below and we will help you and fix the problem.

27. General provisions

These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and GradMerge about the Services, and they replace any earlier understanding on the subject. If a provision is found unenforceable, it is modified to the minimum extent needed or severed, and the rest stays in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent, and we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. There are no third party beneficiaries except as stated in section 21. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control. Headings are for convenience only.

28. How to reach us

Questions about these Terms, requests to withdraw permission, accessibility issues, and complaints all go to the same place, and a person reads them.

To report a concern to a regulator, you can contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or your state attorney general.

GradMerge is a marketing service, not a lender. Loans are originated by Alt Lending, LLC (NMLS #2571325), subject to lender approval, terms, and state licensing. GradMerge never charges borrowers a fee. This site is an advertisement. Nothing on it is an offer or commitment to lend, and nothing on it is legal, tax, or personalized financial advice.

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