Debt types
Private Student Loans
Important scope note: this page is about private student loans only — loans from a bank or private lender. Federal student loans (Direct Loans, FFEL, Perkins) are governed by an entirely different framework — the Higher Education Act and Department of Education servicing rules. Nothing on this page applies to federal student loans.
Rehabilitation right
15 U.S.C. §1681s-2(a)(1)(E)
If a lender offers a private-education-loan rehabilitation program, a consumer who successfully completes it may request that the lender remove the reported default from their credit report — available once per loan.
This isn't automatic — the lender has to offer a rehabilitation program in the first place, and you have to complete it. If your lender offers one, ask specifically about this option and how it affects your credit report.