Lady Justice with no blindfold, Storey County Courthouse, Virginia City, Nevada
Student Loan Survey (possible questions for future survey - please add)
This survey is strictly confidential. The information gathered here will hopefully be used to help economists and lawmakers formulate some answers to the student loan problem. You may provide your email, in case we have any questions, but it is not required. I understand some of the questions are very sensitive and want to assure you they are vital to understanding the problem and finding ways to deal with it. Please do not be embarrassed or concerned about your privacy - your answers will go straight to a spreadsheet for statistical computation - no one will have access to them, except expert academics trying to solve the problem. Thanks in advance for your time and effort in helping us with this project. If you have questions that you think would help effect change, please submit them. If you wish to recieve a few emails from us (NEVER a flood!), but want to protect your privacy for the survey, just go to another page and fill out a comment form for the email submission. Thanks again for your help and try to be as thoughtful and honest as you can with your answers.
Are you male or female? y/no
Or prefer not to say?
Are you of Hispanic origin? y/no
or prefer not to say?
Check all that apply:
caucasion?
african-american?
american indian?
asian?
middle-eastern?
hispanic?
prefer not to say?
What year did you start school? ______
How much did you borrow, total?______
Did you finish school? y/n
How many years did you attend? _____
Did you get a job in your chosen field? y/n
If so, did it pay enough for you to live and pay your loans? y/n
What is the status of your loan today? ___in re-payment __deferment __forbearance___default ___none - I'm in school
If not, what happened? ______________________________
Did you default? y/n
If so, how long were you in default? _____
How much do you owe now? ______
Have you been harassed by creditors? y/n
_____________________________
Did anyone from the school or the bank explain the terms of your loans to you in the beginning? y/n
Did they explain the consequences of non-payment, late payments, forbearance, and default to you? y/n
Did anyone give you information about your career and salary prospects? y/n
Did anyone explain the course requirements and the odds of you graduating? y/n
Did they explain income-based repayment options to you when you started getting behind? y/n
______________________________
Have you had 1 or more of the following (check all that apply)?
parent plus loans
private bank loans
studied and worked at a public service job that qualifies for loan forgiveness
worked in the military? y/n
if so, what education plan were you under? ___________
ever had a default
deferment
forbearance
consolidation
forgiveness
sale of your loan
garnishment of wages
" of tax refunds
" of SSI or SSDI
" of SS
" of VA disability
" of VA retirement
" of VA pension
" of disaster relief funds
bankruptcy?
Has your professional license taken for non-payment of loans?
Been fired from a public service job for non-payment?
Been put on one of the income-based repayment plans?
if so, do you think this payment is fair?
Have you tried to discharge your loan through disability
" " " " " " bankruptcy
"""""""""" tried to sue for non-disclosure, predatory loans, or fraud?
talked to a lawyer about your situation?
talked to an ombudsman?
talked to a get-out-of-debt guy?
_________________________________
Do you suffer from depression or stress over your debt?
Do you feel you could have tried successfully to do something else with your intellect if given another chance? y/n what? _____________
Did your situation keep you from getting married sooner?
" " " " " having kids?
" " " " " buying a house?
" " " " buying a car?
Were you forced to move back in with your parents?
What would you advise new borrowers to do? ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What would you advise new grads facing their first payments to do? __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you could change 3 things about the student loan system, what would they be? _______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you were shed of your loan today, what would you do differently? _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you never had the loan, what would you have done differently? __________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fountain of Justice by Romerberg - Frankfurt, Germany, 1887