<prompt> Human: So after college I didnt really handle money or debts well. Well at one point I wasnt able to afford my tuition and I the only loans I could get were private so I opted to try to just pay tuition as I went along. Well after not doing great in school and not paying my tuition it went to a collection agency 2009. I have been paying off other things so this was on the back burner. I logged into a credit site today and noticed that in April it was removed from open collections. Anybody have some insight to what may be going on?EDIT: Did not default on loan, it was tuition due to the school. Updated above.Assistant: You need to get serious advice about this.If old debts are gone due to statute of limitations, then they are gone. However, business will buy old debt and harass you about it. It is my understanding that if you ever make any payment at all on one of these expired debts, then that reopens the account and it is no longer gone.IANAL, so I suggest talking to someone with expertise who can help. Also, if a shady business is harassing you and illegally files damaging credit reports, you can sue them for slander of credit.Human: Except most student loans never go away, so they may be off your credit report but you might suddenly find your wages or tax return garnished. The goal would be paying them but making sure they dont show up on your credit report again.Assistant: depends. statute of limitations would possibly apply to private student loans. Human: It was not a student loan. Sorry I updated that above. It was tuition due to the school. The statute of limitations in my state and the originating state different are both 6 years across the board. Where exactly would I find somebody with expertise in this matter? Seems like kind of a odd situations, would this be a lawyer?  <response>: It is extremely likely that you legally owe nothing now and after 7 years it cant be reported on your credit. Making a payment will not only result in the debt becoming valid again, but could adversely affect your credit. Doing nothing is likely the best response. Be careful. 