Our History
In 2003, a group of Harvard Business School classmates, including Dan Thibeault, Jeff Wanic and Andrew Solomon, launched Graduate Leverage, a student-run grassroots organization with the goal of helping fellow students at Harvard and other schools manage the challenges of student loan debt.
During a field study, the HBS classmates analyzed the student loan industry and recognized a heightened sensitivity to questions involving debt management issues facing students today. Escalating tuition costs coupled with cutbacks in governmental financial support combined for dangerously high debt-to-income levels for graduates of even the top professional fields.
As the study progressed, team members from Wharton, UC Irvine, and Boston College came onboard. In consultation with experts in the financial field, the entire team developed a web information resource for managing student debt including debt refinancing, restructuring, and forgiveness. Initially targeted toward debt relief for graduates entering the non-profit arena, Graduate Leverage has evolved into a full-service student debt management service partnering with financial aid professionals to assist students across the United States.
Today, Graduate Leverage is one of the top student lending organizations in the country, having helped more than 50,000 students and serviced more than $2.5 billion in loans. Graduate Leverage is widely praised by students and respected by financial aid professionals throughout the industry.
