Student loans on credit report

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

pediatrichospitalist

New Member
5+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I am an attending physician and recently checked my Equifax credit report and have some questions about the way my student loans are showing up on my credit report. I have only Stafford loans, some of which are consolidated. One of my consolidation loans shows a Debt-to-Credit Ratio of 117%. How can I have a debt-to-credit ratio for a student loan--it's not like a credit card where I have a credit limit and am making monthly purchases. I have been paying my loans as required every month, so my balance should only be decreasing. It lists a "High Credit" of $49435 and a current balance of $57790, which gives the Debt-to-Credit ratio of 117%. Is this a reporting error by my student loan servicer or a problem with the way Equifax is reporting student loans?
 
Could be a mistake, but probably happened is that it is comparing your current balance to the initial principal. If your initial principal was the $49K, then it built up some interest to say $60K, and now you've paid it down to $57K, it could read that way.