After the payments start accumulating the loan will be considered under the category of delinquency. It won't be until after nine months that the entire account will be considered in default. Keep in mind that not only you will be killing your credit score with the default, but you will also be exposing yourself to further punishment as the government will be allowed to seize tax refunds and also garnish from your wages directly, without a judges order. The worst part of falling into a default category will be dealing with collecting agencies and their incredibly large and expensive fees. I can easily understand and imagine scenarios where not being able to pay a Student Loan might be the only way for an individual to cover their main needs, but it is also keen to keep in mind there are other options to avoid getting to this point. Keep in mind that under most scenarios, both federal and private providers should allow you to take forbearance or deferment for a determined period of time. Remember that once you fall into default you will automatically lose any rights to get a more fair agreement. If possible try to manage it in a way you will stay out of default, even if it means taking an extra method like the ones mentioned above.