 TITLE: How to Get Started With Credit for the First Time CONTENT: How Do You Get a Credit Score?\n------------------------------\nUnless you have previous experience with credit or debt, you won't have a credit score or credit report. None of us are born with credit, and you aren't assigned a credit score at birth or automatically given one when you reach a certain age.\nOnce you encounter credit for the first time, whether that's when a parent adds you as an authorized user on a credit card, you take out a student loan or something else, a credit file is created in your name at the three consumer credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax).\nWithin six months, you'll typically have enough history to get your first credit score. It won't be zero, and it probably won't be 300, which is the minimum score possible from FICO® and VantageScore®, the most common credit scoring models. (Credit scores typically range from 300 to 850.) Your score may, however, start on the low side, tracking upward as you add to your history and make responsible financial decisions.\nAlso keep in mind that once you start building credit, you'll probably have many credit scores. That's because not all scoring models weigh credit report information the same way. That said, your credit scores from FICO® or VantageScore will likely be similar, and it's really most important to know which credit range you fall into when it comes time to apply for new credit. END