Loan acceleration means the lender makes your entire unpaid student loan balance due immediately, instead of just the past‑due monthly payments. In other words, once your loan is accelerated after default, you no longer have the right to simply “catch up” with a few missed payments; the lender can demand the full remaining principal plus any interest that has already accrued.

What loan acceleration means

  • The repayment schedule is “collapsed,” so you owe the full remaining balance right away, not over the original years-long term.
  • The amount due usually includes:
    • All unpaid principal
    • Interest that has already built up, and sometimes late fees or collection costs, but not the future interest you would have paid over the rest of the loan’s life.

Why it happens after default

  • Many student loan contracts say that if you default (often after several months of missed payments), the lender can “accelerate” the loan and call the entire balance due.
  • For federal loans, acceleration typically happens automatically after a set period of nonpayment (often around 270 days), while for private loans it depends on the terms in your promissory note.

What acceleration means for you

  • The lender can move much faster toward serious collection actions, such as suing for the whole balance in one case instead of just a few missed installments.
  • Your credit report will usually show the loan as in default with the full balance due, which can sharply damage your credit score and make it harder and more expensive to get other credit for years.

Can acceleration be reversed?

  • With federal student loans, there are programs like rehabilitation or consolidation that can sometimes remove the default and effectively undo the acceleration over time.
  • With private student loans, once a loan is accelerated, going back to normal monthly payments usually requires the lender’s agreement, often through a settlement or a modified arrangement.

TL;DR: “Loan acceleration” as a consequence of default means your lender stops treating your debt as a monthly bill and instead treats the whole remaining student loan as immediately due in one lump sum.