How to Get Your Prior Loans Deferred

Loan Deferments

A deferment is a period of time during which your lender (the institution loaning you the money) or loan servicer (the agency servicing your loan for the Department of Education) postpones your regular loan payments. You will need to work with the appropriate agency to apply for deferment. You should keep making payments on your loan until the deferment is in place.

If your loan is provided as part of the Federal Student Aid (FSA) program, visit the StudentAid.gov website for details, including a list of circumstances that may make you eligible for a deferment. You can also log into the My Federal Student Aid portal to see a personalized summary of all your FSA loans and loan services.

Keep in mind, interest continues to accrue during the deferment period of an unsubsidized loan and PLUS loan. Students have the option to continue making payments on the interest and/or principal while their loan is in deferment. Interest does not generally accrue during the deferment period of a subsidized loan.

In-School Deferment for Half- or Full-Time Students

You may be able to defer payments on your prior FSA student loans if you are attending at least half time in an academic semester format. To enroll in semester format, you must  establish an FSA academic year. This step is necessary because we have course offerings every month, and students are not enrolled in a semester format unless they submit this form.

• Log onto the AMU or APU ecampus to complete your request for an academic year within the FINANCE CENTER located under the Federal Student Aid (FSA) menu.
  • If you plan to use Federal Student Aid (FSA), select “My FSA Academic Year.”
  • If you only plan to defer prior loans and not use FSA, select “Deferment of Loans.”
• You can also establish an academic year through the registration process. Within the registration flow, you will be prompted with questions to determine if you intend to apply for Federal Student Aid or process a deferment on any prior federal student aid loans you have received.
• Register for all courses you intend to take in the semester. You must be enrolled at least half-time for “In-School” deferment purposes (a minimum of 6 credits each semester as an undergraduate student or 3 credits as a graduate student).
• Your enrollment data will be submitted directly to the National Student Clearinghouse on the 16th of each month that you are enrolled in classes. There is no need to take action to get your in-school deferment, as long as you are enrolled in eligible, credit-hour courses.
• If you have received a paper loan deferment form from your lender, please scan and email the form to [email protected] or fax to 304-724-3802 for processing.

If you have questions regarding the FSA or Deferment Academic Year form, email us at [email protected].

If you need to check on the status of your loan deferment, please contact the National Student Clearinghouse. Otherwise, you should contact your lender or loan servicer for additional assistance regarding deferment.

Expedited Deferment Process

If you need to provide your enrollment status to your lender before the monthly clearinghouse reporting process is complete, please request a deferment form from your lender and submit the form using one of the following methods:

• Email to: [email protected] (preferred)
• Fax to: 304-724-3802 
• Mail the form to the following address:

APUS
ATTN: Office of the Registrar
111 W. Congress Street
Charles Town, WV 25414

Your enrollment verification or In-School deferment cannot be processed until the start of week 2 of your first course in the term. You must have attended a course beyond the first week before any loan deferments or enrollment verifications may be processed.

Military Deployments

If you are an active-duty service member scheduled for deployment, contact the financial aid team if you have payment deferment questions by emailing [email protected] or calling 855-731-9218 (Mon – Fri 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sat – Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET).

You can find more information on federal student loan benefits available to members of the U.S. Armed Forces at StudentAid.Gov.

Obtaining Enrollment Verification

The university processes all requests for enrollment verification through the National Student Clearinghouse. APUS submits your current enrollment data directly to the National Student Clearinghouse on the 16th of each month that you are enrolled.

Your enrollment verification or In-School deferment cannot be processed until you are in week 2 of your first course in the term. You must have attended a course beyond the first week before any loan deferments or enrollment verifications may be processed.

To obtain enrollment verification:

1. Access the National Student Clearinghouse website using the following link: National Student Clearinghouse.
2. Select “Verify Now”
3. Enter the required information (your school’s name, your name, and your date of birth).
4. You will be presented with an official Enrollment Verification Certificate that can be printed out and provided to organizations requiring proof of your enrollment status.

If you need assistance, email [email protected] and include your student ID number in your email.

Troubleshooting Data

• If the information in the National Student Clearinghouse does not match your APU or AMU student record, please contact us at [email protected] to fix this for you. This may happen if you drop or add courses after the initial registration deadlines.
• Graduates who are reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as full-time during the beginning of their semester, then drop their second registration for that semester to be half-time, may be reported as withdrawn for the remainder of their semester. If this occurs, please contact [email protected] to have this issue corrected.