What is USDOE/GLELSI on my credit report?

USDOE/GLELSI means “U.S. Department of Education/Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc.” It’ll appear on your credit report if you have a federal student loan managed by Great Lakes Loan Services. Next to it, you should see the status of your student loan and whether you’ve paid it on time.

Here’s what USDOE/GLELSI means on a credit report:

• USDOE/GLELSI stands for U.S. Department of Education/Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc. Great Lakes is one of the largest student loan servicers in the U.S. And it was recently bought by an even bigger company, Nelnet.
• Student loans may appear on your credit report right away. But the status will just appear as “deferred” until your payments come due and your lender starts reporting monthly payments to the credit bureaus. If you pay on time, it will benefit your score. If you don’t, your score will take a hit.
• The only reason you’d see USDOE/GLELSI on your credit report is if you’ve taken out a student loan. If you haven’t, that might mean that someone else has fraudulently taken one out in your name. If you suspect fraud, you should call Great Lakes at 1 (800) 236-4300 and file an identity theft report.

Like all types of credit, it’s important to make your student loan payments on time in order to keep a good credit score. And the sooner you pay them off in full, the less interest you have to pay.

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