<prompt> Human: Hey rPersonalFinance,To make a long story short, from 2009-2010 I had one ill-fated year at private university before I realized what a fool I was to pay so much for a liberal arts education which could come with dedicated practice of my art. In 2011 I was contacted by the university regarding my student loan and they were really pretty awful about it for a school which presents a front of being so caring. They basically demanded every penny up front and I managed to talk them down to a payment of 500 a month, which slayed me, but meant that by April 2012 all I owed was to the federal government--or so I thought. Fast forward to yesterday, I open the mail and what do I find but a notice from stating Im 60 days past due on a loan I have no idea Id had. They havent contacted me at all since I paid the promissory note--no phone calls, no notice. Ive moved three times since then and each time have set up mail forwardingupdated my address with the government, so Im baffled as to why they werent able to find it until just now. I should add that this letter was not forwarded, but sent directly to my current address, where Ive resided since February 2014. The debt collectors were literally no help, I called them to figure out why I havent heard anything about this and what the debt is for, and they directed me to the school. Evidently its for 500, but for what, I have no clue at all. Im extremely concerned that this is going to have a negative effect on my already-spotty credit, and Im just baffled by its existence to begin with. Should I call the school to request the debts validity, or write to them? Why wouldnt they have simply added this 500 to the Perkins Loan I paid back in 2011-2012, or even have mentioned it while I was dealing with the Perkins bullshit? Is it even legal that I havent heard a thing about this debt and yet am now allegedly 60 days late on it? If it is legal--I wouldnt be surprised if it was--how do I prevent this from effecting my credit? Right now Im working freelance and its barely enough to cover my bills, and though I can maybe squeeze out an extra 150 for a few months Im super pissed about this situation and am frankly disgusted by the universitys practices and policies regarding student debt. I know that dealing with debt collectors can be a delicate dance, so I defer to you, rpersonalfinance, for your esteemed opinion.tl;dr: Dont go to Hollins University, they act all friendly and then turn into the worlds most incompetent thugs the minute you graduate or decide the school isnt for you.  <response>: A few months ago I found this sample letter on debt verification on this subreddit. I know very little about this topic, but heres a link to a letter I hope I wont have to use. I hope this helps! 