To raise your score, I would suggest you do some reading on the Rebuilding Your Credit forum. That can maybe help you with some of the collections.

The fastest way to improve your score is to pay down your credit card balances. Then you have to give the lower balances time to report.

As to private loans, many of the big banks, etc, offer them....Discover, Citi, PenFed. If you Google Private Student Loans you will find a lot of possibilities. Check locally. Start comparing interest rates and terms. Ask what their minimum FICO score is.

Have you gotten a true FICO score...or one of the "credit scores" that aren't really FICO scores? Which credit bureau?