Once you are officially registered at the Law School, you may be eligible to defer the repayment of educational loans you received for your prior studies.
- Columbia University submits enrollment data to the National Student Loan Clearinghouse to process deferments requiring academic certification.
- Enrollment data will be submitted electronically to the Clearinghouse several times each semester, beginning in September for the Fall semester and January for the Spring semester.
- Students eventually will stop receiving requests from lenders for deferments on FFELP loans (Federal Stafford, Federal Graduate PLUS), and Federal Direct Loans (Federal Unsubsidized, Federal Graduate PLUS).
However, for deferment of Federal Perkins loans, and for some other loans, you may be required to have deferment forms submitted to your lender(s) as frequently as each semester. The University’s Student Service Center certifies student enrollment status and processes deferment forms.
Contact the lender/holder/servicer of your prior educational loans for specific information on deferment procedures.