 TITLE: Do Student Loans Help Build Credit? CONTENT: Student Loans Can Benefit Your Credit\n-------------------------------------\nA student loan is a type of installment loan—a loan that you'll repay with regular (often monthly) payments over a predetermined period.\nStudent loans can help you build credit by adding new accounts to your credit reports and, over time, increasing the length of your credit history. Additionally, if you don't already have an installment loan (such as an auto loan or personal loan) in your credit history, the student loan will add to your credit mix, which also helps your credit.\nHowever, as with other loans, part of the impact can depend on whether you make your payments on time or fall behind on your bill. On-time payments can help improve your credit, while late payments will hurt it. END