Student Loan Discharge · Mesa, AZ
Yesyou can discharge student loans in bankruptcy. Let's find out if yours qualify.
The rules changed in late 2022, and most people never heard. Here’s what’s actually possible now — without the sales pitch.
You can't bankrupt student loans.
For decades, that was basically true and most people still think it is.
What changed
In late 2022, the Justice Department and the Department of Education created a new process that makes federal student loan discharge cases more predictable: a structured path of plain questions about your income, your expenses, and your history with the loan.
The math a lot of borrowers live with
You're not doing it wrong. That's how the loans are built.
These loans tend to share the same shape: older than your kids, a balance bigger than the day you left school, payments that somehow never touch the principal. If that’s your statement, you’re not doing it wrong.
FEDERAL LOAN SERVICING
Account Statement
Account #
•••• 4471
Balance history
When you left school
$48,000
Today
$61,000
9 years of payments. The balance still growing.
If that looks familiar, the questions below are for you.
One borrower’s story
A loan that outlived the career it was supposed to fund.
She came in carrying $94,000 in federal loans from a graduate program that never led to the salary she was promised. Eleven years in income-driven repayment — paying every month — and the balance had grown to $112,000. The interest was outrunning her.
We walked through the three questions. Her income covered rent and groceries and not much else. The higher salary wasn’t coming. She’d made every payment the plan asked for. The answers lined up.
We filed the bankruptcy, then the adversary case inside it. The government agreed to the discharge. The loan that had followed her for over a decade was gone.
Example Testimonial
Representative case · details composite, not a specific client
Every case turns on its own facts. This one is illustrative — your outcome depends on your loans, your numbers, and your history.
The three questions that decide it
If you're nodding along, it's worth a conversation.
One more step than a regular bankruptcy: a separate case filed inside it. The paperwork and the battle are mine, not yours. You bring honest answers. I handle the court.
I can’t promise an outcome, and anyone who does is selling something. What I can promise is a straight answer about whether your loans are worth fighting for.
Where to go from here
What's your next question?
Who I’ve helped
Situations that often qualify
Career pivot that didn't pay off
Graduate degree, lower-than-expected income. Years of forbearance haven’t helped.
Chronic illness or disability
A medical situation limits your earning capacity in ways that won’t improve.
Approaching retirement with debt
Loans that will outlast your working years. Social Security income isn’t enough.
Ballooning parent PLUS loans
Borrowed for a child’s education. Now facing loans larger than your retirement savings.
For-profit school loans
Attended a school that didn’t deliver. Debt with no corresponding career gain.
Years in income-driven repayment
Paying minimums for years and the balance keeps growing. No end in sight.
This process is for federal loans. Not sure which kind you have? Most people aren’t. We’ll figure it out in the first two minutes of a call.
A note from Mark
“Most of my student loan clients were told by someone — a servicer, an advisor, a family member — that discharge was impossible. They waited years before calling. I wish they’d called sooner.”
Mark Atchley
Bankruptcy & Student Loan Attorney · Mesa, AZ
Max Gardner Boot Camp
The premier bankruptcy litigation training — Mark trained in the methods used to fight student loan lenders in court.
NACBA
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys — Mark stays current on the latest discharge strategies and court trends.
What clients say
Real words from real people.
From public reviews, exactly as written.
“From the very first phone call, Mark put me at ease. He explained everything in plain English and never made me feel judged. I walked away with a real plan and a fresh start I didn’t think was possible.”
Danielle R.
Gilbert, AZ
“Mark and his staff are the best of the best. He’s very professional, hard-working, competent, and understanding. We felt he had our best interest in mind the entire process from start to finish. I highly recommend Atchley Law Firm.”
Carmen C.
Chandler, AZ
“Mark is a great guy that cares about his clients. Excellent attorney that knows all the ins and outs of the system and how to make the process go smoothly.”
Craig F.
San Tan Valley, AZ
The next step is just a phone call
Come talk to me.
Bring your loan details if you have them. If you don’t, we’ll find them together. First conversation’s free, and you’ll leave knowing exactly where you stand.