How to Get a Student Loan Deferment

How to Get a Student Loan Deferment Qualifying Circumstances Before applying for a deferment, you'll first need to consider if the reason you need a break from making payments on your student loan is one that qualifies for this type of postponement. There are a number of situations under which federal student loans can be deferred. Related Articles Direct Student Government Loans Direct Student Government Loans Student Loan Repayment Student Loan Repayment Is Consolidating Student Loans and Credit Cards a Good Idea? Is Consolidating Student Loans and Credit Cards a Good Idea? Deferments for most student loans- including Direct, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Perkins loans - may be possible when you are: Enrolled half-time or more in a college or career school Enrolled in a graduate fellowship program Enrolled in rehabilitation-related course of study related to a disability Unemployed Unable to secure full-time employment Experiencing economic hardship Serving in the Peace Corp Deployed on active military duty Recently returned from qualifying active duty military service Additionally, for Perkins loans only, you may also be eligible for a deferment when engaged in service that, when completed, will result in the cancellation or discharge of the loan. Examples of such service include working as a firefighter, law enforcement officer, Head Start educator and many other situations. For Parent PLUS loans, deferments are possible when the student on whose behalf you borrowed the money: Is enrolled in school half time or more Has graduated from school within the past six months Has reduced school enrollment to less than half time within the past six months Application Process Do not assume that a deferment will be put into place simply because you find yourself in a qualifying situation. You must apply for a deferment in order to be considered, and this is something that you should do before you become delinquent on a payment. Where to Apply Deferment applications must be submitted to the organization that services your loan, which is the company to which you make student loan payments. Your loan servicer is listed on the documentation you received regarding loan repayment, and you can also find this information by logging in to your official Federal Student Aid account. For Perkins loans, if you are unsure of who your servicer is, you will need to start by contacting the financial aid department of the school through which the loan was issued, as the school may be handling this function in-house. The financial aid representative can let you know if this is the case, or if your loan has been assigned elsewhere for servicing.