If you take 2 or 3 loans a term/semester, you end up with a lot of separate accounts (I think I had 15 at one time). Does opening many new accounts ding your credit at all? (Because of short time since last recently opened account, lowering the average account age, or something along those lines.)

i never noticed a significant difference, with either adding a student loan tl or at payoff.
i'm starting to think they do not have much bearing on your scores, unless there is negative information.