Most people are familiar with the three major credit scores: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. But there’s another credit score that’s just as important, and it’s one that most people have never heard of.

Few people anticipate the problems that arise from defaulting on a federal loan. Sure, there’s the obvious hit to credit reports, But did you know that defaulting on a federal loan can render you ineligible for many other types of unrelated, federally backed loans?