This article on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website is particularly helpful for those that have forgotten whether they have federal or private student loans. It provides a link to the National Student Loan Database System for Students (NSLDS) where anyone with a student loan can retrieve their loan information. This is particularly helpful for those that are having difficulties keeping up with their loan payments. If you have a private student loan, an experienced attorney in debt negotiation will be able to help reduce that debt much more than if you have a federal loan. Therefore, the first step in getting help is knowing what kind of loan you have in the first place.
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/students/defaultoptions/#ques1