According to the Education $1.61 trillion in outstanding debt. If you have student debt, you must be asking yourself this crucial question — How will removing student debt from my credit profile impact my credit score?

Can You Remove a Student Loan From Your Credit Report?

You can not remove a student loan from your credit report; however, you can have certain negative information removed. Not having it removed is a good thing because if you make all your payments on time, you will have a positive payment history on your credit report for ten years, which means a good credit score.

However, late student loan repayment remains on your credit account for seven years, damaging your credit report. And you will have a hard time getting financial approvals in the future.

When you review your credit report, check all three reports since their information may differ. Look for late payments and other negative marks that should not be there. If you find any mistakes or outdated information, dispute them with the credit reporting company and ask for them to be removed from your credit report.

How to Remove Late Payment or Student Loan Default from Your Credit Report

Have you tried to file a dispute and failed? If yes, you can try to remove the default status on your student loan, and here are some ways to do this.

Apply for a Student Loan Rehabilitation

A student loan rehabilitation program helps you erase the default status on your student loan. The process takes ten months, and if you make nine on-time monthly payments within 20 days of the due date, your loan will have a good standing.

After the ten months, you will repay on income-driven loan repayment terms. You are also eligible to apply for temporary postponement through loan deferment or forbearance.

Ask For a Goodwill

You can also send a goodwill letter to your lender if you have been making regular on-time payments but defaulted along the way due to a hardship. The goodwill letter is an emotional appeal to your lender, asking them to remove late repayment entries. However, for this to work, your story has to be convincing while explaining what happened, and you must have paid your debts.

Apply for Loan Forgiveness

You can check if you are eligible for student loan forgiveness if you can’t wait for the seven years to elapse, and you have been repaying your loan. Check the Federal Student Aid website to find out if you are eligible for student loan forgiveness.

Fully Pay Your Student Debt

If all others fail and you want to have a good credit score, one sure way is to pay your student debt in full. This helps you qualify for mortgages, car loans, and other loans with good interest rates because your credit score will improve.

Many lenders see student loan debt as a negative factor to consider when making lending decisions. This is particularly true of mortgage lenders, which generally view student loan borrowers as riskier than those without student debt. It’s certainly possible to get a mortgage with student loan debt, but you’re likely to pay more for it than someone without any outstanding loans. Pay your student loan if you want to have a positive credit report!

How Student Loans Impact Your Credit Score

The impact your student loans have on your credit score depends on several factors, including:

Age of your loan. A long history of loan repayment has a positive impact on your credit report. Lenders see you as someone who knows how to manage finances and will consider you when you are looking for financing. However, you have to ensure that you are paying your loans on time.

Whether or not you’re current on the loan. If you’re “in good standing,” meaning you’re making payments on time and staying current with any other requirements, that will have a positive impact on your credit score. If you are consistent in repaying, outstanding student loans have less of an impact on your credit score.

However, if you’re not in good standing, that has negative consequences for your credit score. The good news is it will only stay on your credit report for seven years. However, if you are looking for financing from lenders, you will be seen as a high risk. If the lender still chooses to give you a loan, it will be at a higher interest rate than those with a good repayment history.

How much you owe. The average student debt balance in the U.S. is $37,113 as of 2022. If you don’t owe much and have a good history of making payments on time, your credit score won’t take a significant hit from holding onto that loan.

But if you owe a lot and have a spotty payment history or haven’t made any payments toward what you owe, your credit score will be hurt. If that’s the case, paying off your student debt can help improve your credit score if you pay it off in full and on time.

Our Bottom Line

A sure way to raise your credit score fast and have a good credit score is to make your student loan payments as agreed. If you don’t make payments as promised, your account could go into default, and your balance may be submitted to collections. This means your credit score will most likely take a hit.

A more positive outlook toward a more financially secure future starts today. Give the Ascent Network a call today at 1-877-871-2400. Ascent Network helps consumers all over the United States and is available locally in Huntington Beach, CA, Coachella Valley, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Thousand Palms.