Can I defer or forbear?

Yes! One of the greatest benefits of federal student loan consolidation is that you retain all your federal borrowing privileges, such as:
Deferment of your consolidation payments when you return to school
Forbearance of your consolidation for up to 36 months without losing borrower benefits
Forgiveness of your entire loan if you pass away

How do you defer? Once you consolidate, you will receive paperwork for your payment schedule. At that time, you can request a deferment or forbearance form.

To get forms, click here!

Did you know that your deferment and forbearance clock resets when you consolidate? It's true! If you've already used part of a deferment or forbearance on your existing federal student loans, when you consolidate, it's essentially a new loan, so your deferment and forbearance clocks reset, giving you a clean start!