I repaid my college student loan in one lump sum payment within the first year after I graduated and before any interest was due. 6 years later when my credit report was pulled i order to qualify for a home loan, it showed the loan as NOT paid and accruing interest! Since then, I have retained a lawyer, submitted copies of the original canceled check as well as all applicable paperwork and the US Dept of Education has not corrected this error. TransUnion, Equifax and Experian all told me/ my lawyer that the correction must be made by the US Dept. of Education Direct Loans people; that they cannot do anything until they correct the error.

1.) Make sure you save all of your loan contracts.
2. Make sure you save copies of all canceled checks / payments that you make FOREVER.
3. Don't accept a loan from the US Dept of Education/Direct Loans. It's not worth the "price" you will pay for the rest of your life...