You may be eligible for deferment of your Perkins loan.

Deferment is a period of time during which the borrower is not required to repay the loan principal and interest, followed by a six-month post-deferment grace period. A borrower is entitled to have the repayment of a loan deferred under certain circumstances. It is the borrower's responsibility to request deferment from the school.

Deferment Circumstances

Depending on the type of loan you have, and when that loan was borrowed, you may be eligible to defer repayment of your loan if you are:

• In school (including graduate/post-graduate fellowships and rehabilitation training)
• Unemployed
• Experiencing economic hardship
• Engaging in service that qualifies you for cancellation
• Military operations

There are additional deferments under the Perkins Loan Program, but they only apply to Perkins/NFLP/NDSL/Defense loans made before July 1, 1993.

 

Deferment Terms

There is no limit to how long you can defer payment on your loan while you are enrolled:

• At least half-time in an eligible institution, or
• In a graduate or post-graduate fellowship program, or
• In a rehabilitation program for disabled individuals

You may only defer payment for up to a total of three years on the basis that you are:

• Seeking but unable to find full-time employment
• Experiencing economic hardship

You may defer payment while you are performing service that qualifies you for cancellation.

Deferment Application

Complete the appropriate form in the “ECSI Forms” section on the ECSI website and mail to:

University of Connecticut

c/o Heartland ECSI

P.O.Box 1289

Moon Township, PA 15108