National Legal Aid & Defender Association

About National Legal Aid & Defender Association

Student Defense, also known as the National Student Legal Defense Network, is a non-profit legal-advocacy organization dedicated to advancing students' rights to educational opportunity and ensuring higher education serves as a pathway for economic mobility. Through impact litigation, regulatory advocacy, policy development, and strategic communications, the organization protects students and student loan borrowers from predatory, deceptive, and abusive practices in higher education. Student Defense holds institutions and government actors accountable across the student lifecycle, including recruitment, educational quality, student supports, debt relief, and repayment. The organization also works to improve access to public benefits for students and operates the SHAPE AI initiative to promote ethical and responsible uses of artificial intelligence in higher education institutions.