The short answer (and the part nobody tells you)

It’s 11:47 p.m. and you’re doing the kind of math nobody puts on LinkedIn.

Mortgage. Car note. Groceries that somehow cost more every week. A credit card balance that used to be “temporary.” And then—like an unwanted subscription you can’t cancel—your student loan payment sitting there, bold as life.

So let’s say it clean: yes, student loans can be discharged in bankruptcy. But it’s usually not automatic. You typically have to prove repayment would cause undue hardship—a legal standard that varies by court and is often misunderstood.

Myths vs. reality

Myth: “Student loans can never be discharged.”
Reality: The law allows discharge if you prove undue hardship.

Myth: “Bankruptcy wipes student loans like credit cards.”
Reality: Student loans usually require an extra legal step (the adversary proceeding).

Myth: “Only disability qualifies.”
Reality: Disability can support a case, but courts consider broader life circumstances: income ceiling, caregiving, age, chronic health issues, and whether the hardship is likely to last.

Glossary: delinquent, default, discharge

Federal vs. private loans (different battlefield)

This is the fork in the road. Same stress. Different rules.

Federal loans

These are loans owned or backed by the government (Direct Loans, many FFEL, Parent PLUS, Grad PLUS). Federal discharge requests are where the newer DOJ/Department of Education guidance can shape how cases are evaluated.

Private loans

These are from banks and private lenders. They can be more aggressive in litigation. And some “education debt” classification issues can get technical—meaning the lawyer you choose matters.

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 (what you actually care about)

How student-loan discharge works in bankruptcy

Most people don’t fail because they don’t qualify. They fail because they never try—because they don’t know the “extra step.”

That step is called an adversary proceeding. Think of it as a lawsuit inside your bankruptcy case where you ask the court to discharge your student loans based on undue hardship.

It’s paperwork, yes. But it’s also your story—told with numbers.

“Undue hardship” in plain English

Courts are basically asking three questions:

Timeline: what happens when

Should you even try? A decision guide

This isn’t about shame. It’s about odds.

What to gather before you talk to a lawyer

Cosigners, spouses, and family blowback

Middle-class debt is rarely solo. If someone cosigned a private loan, your bankruptcy doesn’t automatically erase their responsibility. If you’re married, household income and filing strategy can matter. This is where the emotional reality hits: student debt becomes a family weather system.

Credit impact and the road back

Bankruptcy can damage your credit. But so can years of juggling unpayable debt, stacking late payments, and living one emergency away from collapse.

Rebuilding is not magic. It’s boring discipline: on-time payments, low utilization, a small emergency fund, and a life that’s no longer run by panic.

FAQ: what people actually ask at 1 a.m.

The truth that hits home

Student loans don’t just take money. They take options.

They tell you what job you can’t quit. What city you can’t move to. What risk you can’t take. They make you “stable” on paper while your life is held together with duct tape and overtime.

And if you’ve been doing the responsible thing—paying what you can, juggling what you must—and it still feels like you’re sinking…

You’re not lazy. You’re not reckless. You’re living a middle-class life in an economy that charges luxury prices for basic stability.

That’s exactly it.

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