Did you know that one of the most googled student loan questions is; “Can you discharge your student loans in bankruptcy?”

In 2005, Congress passed, and President George W. Bush signed, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which exempted federal and private students loans from discharge.

Prior to 1976, you could discharge your student loans in bankruptcy.

Then, student loans were dischargeable if they had been in repayment for five years. Subsequently, that period was extended to seven years. In 1998, Congress removed dischargeablility except if a debtor could show that paying back the student loans would create an undue hardship. In 2005, Congress extended this protection to private student loans.

In order to have a student loan discharged through bankruptcy, an Adversary Proceeding (a lawsuit within bankruptcy court) must be filed, where a debtor claims that paying the student loan would create an undue hardship for the debtor.