Is it Discrimination If One Doesn't Qualify For a Job Strictly Because of Their Credit History?

My cousin qualified for a job that doesn't require him to handle money or company credit cards. He has the experience, and scored highly on all four tests that were given. But as soon as they ran a credit check and saw that he's still paying on a number of college loans and owes $2,000 in credit card debt, he was denied the position. I feel the same way as he. How is a person supposed to rise out of their financial situation if they can't get a good paying job? Having bad credit doesn't necessarily mean that one is irresponsible, especially if he had been working two and three jobs to pay them off before it made a bad imprint on his credit. I feel bad for him.