I already have student loans, can my student loans be deferred while I am incarcerated?

Yes, you can have your loans deferred, but you must apply for a deferment. Deferment is a process that permits your to temporarily put your loan payments on hold for up to three years, depending on your loan provider and circumstances.

    If you have: Federal Perkins Loans then contact the school that made your loan or the school’s servicing agent.
    If you have: Direct Loans or Direct PLUS Loans then contact the Direct Loan Servicing Center at 1-800-848-0979 or online at www.dl.ed.gov.
    If you have FFEL Loans (includes FFEL PLUS Loans) then contact the lender or agency holding your loan. For the phone number of the agency in your state, contact FSAIC at 1-800-4-FED-AID.[2924]

If you cannot get in touch with your student loan provider, you can ask a trusted person on the outside to send you the necessary forms for deferment from your loan provider. Ask the prison staff for proof of your incarceration so you can provide that to the loan providers along with the other paperwork.

NOTE: If you took out student loans so that you could attend WyoTech, Everest College, or Heald College, you may be able to discharge any associated student loan debt. Following the closure of all 28 Heald, Everest, and WyoTech campuses in California, the Departent of Education created a expedited process for former students of these schools to discharge their debt based on defense to repayment. For more information, go to https://oag.ca.gov/corinthian.

  1. 2924

    US Federal Student Aid Office, “Frequently Asked Questions ABOUT FEDERAL STUDENT AID from Incarcerated Individuals” (available at http://www.ceanational.org/PDFs/FAQ%20Incarcerated%20Individuals%20FINAL%2011.26.07.pdf). ↑