For now…

Jared and Joshua Kushner, two Harvard alums, recently started a company called UniThrive, a student loan company that works in a new way.

Students who register at the website request a loan of up to $2,000. Alumni then search for students, pick the ones they like, and pledge some money to loan in order to fulfill the students’ requests. The best part is that all the loans are 0% interest.

Sounds pretty awesome right?

Unfortunately, you’re shit out of luck… if you go to Penn State that is. The site is currently restricted to students with a valid fas.harvard.edu email address.

Good news may be on the way however.  According to the FAQ on the site, in the coming semester, additional colleges will be added to the website. Fingers crossed State is on the list?

Of course, the important part about the loans is that they are zero interest, so students graduate with less debt after college. The concept behind UniThrive is not new. Kiva.org is another company that comes to mind, but that one’s not for Harvard kids, instead it’s for impoverished entrepreneurs in third world countries. It’s an interesting business model to say the least. How do the Kushners plan to make money off of this venture? Someone should email them to lobby for Penn State to be added to the site. There is certainly a large enough alumni base.

[IvyGate][UniThrive][Kiva]

About the Author

Eli Glazier

Eli is a junior majoring in International Politics. He enjoys paninis and books.