Student Loans
Learn about student loans and how to deal with them. (Hint: you may have options you don’t know about.)
Student loan debt can be eliminated by bankruptcy but it is hard to do. If you need relief from your student loans, learn about all of your options.
This page is your home base for learning about how to deal with student loan debt with and without bankruptcy.
Navigating Financial Aid During and After Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide
Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated September 19, 2025
Filing for bankruptcy doesn’t block you from getting federal student aid. Most federal loans are based on financial need, not credit history. That means even if you’ve filed Chapter 7 — or are currently in a case — you can still apply for grants, loans, and other aid through FAFSA. Private student loans are a different story. Many lenders look at your credit, so a recent bankruptcy might affect your chances of getting approved or lead to higher interest rates. But it may still be possible.
Read More →Can You File Bankruptcy on Student Loans? Yes. Here's How.
Written by Attorney Tina Tran. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 9, 2026
If you're eligible, you may be able to get certain federal student loans discharged through Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. After you file your bankruptcy case, you must take an additional step to start an adversary proceeding to have your loans discharged. In recent years, this process has been streamlined, and many filers with federal student loan debt have been able to do this on their own without hiring a lawyer to help. Only federal Direct Loans or Direct Consolidation Loans held by the Department of Education can be discharged through bankruptcy. Also, you must be able to show that you are unable to make payments but have made a good faith effort to do so in past years.
Read More →How To Fight Student Loan Debt in Bankruptcy: Adversary Proceedings Explained
Written by Ben Jackson. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated August 27, 2025
If you want to get your federal student loan debt discharged as part of your bankruptcy case, you’ll need to file an adversary proceeding (AP). An AP is a legal process used in bankruptcy court to resolve specific issues or disputes that arise during a bankruptcy case. Due to changes in late 2022, APs for federal student loan discharge may look different than other APs. Under the 2022 guidance, discharge proceedings are meant to be simpler and more efficient for bankruptcy filers. If you’re filing an adversary proceeding to discharge federal student loans, you may be able to handle it yourself, without hiring an attorney. This article explains how APs work for bankruptcy filers seeking to discharge student loan debt through bankruptcy.
Read More →Can I Discharge Private Student Loans in Bankruptcy?
Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 13, 2025
In rare cases, filing bankruptcy can help you get rid of private student loans, but they are much harder to get rid of than other kinds of debts like credit card debt or medical bills. To have your private student loans discharged you will need to prove that your loan was a qualified education loan and that paying off the loan would cause you “undue hardship.” You prove undue hardship as part of an adversary proceeding. This is an additional proceeding on top of your bankruptcy case. For private student loans, these proceedings are run a lot like a civil lawsuit. To file bankruptcy on private student loans successfully, many people chose to hire an experienced bankruptcy attorney.
Read More →Can You Get Student Loan Forgiveness if You Drop Out?
Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer.
Updated September 2, 2025
Most people go to college with hopes of getting a degree and creating a good life for themselves. Unfortunately, unforeseen hardships — often financial — lead many students to drop out before they finish their degree. If that’s you, know that you have options to deal with your student loan debt! You may still qualify for student loan forgiveness programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), or loan forgiveness after paying on an income-based repayment plan. If you need a temporary repayment pause while you find work or figure out your next steps, you can apply for forbearance or deferment.
Read More →Using the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) To Get Your Federal Student Loan Information
Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated June 24, 2025
You can find all of the info you need to know for your federal student loans in the National Student Loan Data System. This central database contains all of the information you will need to understand your federal student loans including: your loan balance, due dates, eligibility for new loans, and more. If you need to download an NSLDS report, log in to your account on studentaid.gov using your FSA ID and password. Once you're in your account, hover over your name on the top right of the screen and select "My Aid." From there, you can select "Download My Aid Data." Your data will be downloaded as a .txt file.
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