We offer deferment of up to 36 months for clients who return to an accredited graduate school at least half-time. We currently do not offer deferment for the Peace Corps, fellowships, or other similar programs. In order to be eligible for deferment, your current enrollment status must be half-time or more. For private student loans, please check out this article (here) for program specifics.
Our team may request additional documentation to confirm your enrollment status. Acceptable forms of documentation include:
- An official letter on school letterhead confirming the start and end dates of the program you are enrolled in.
- Verification form from the National Clearing House. (This option may require a small fee).
We also require a completed request form to process a deferment request. The form is available at the bottom of this article. To apply, first download and complete the form. Then, upload the form into your Earnest profile. You can upload the form using the following directions:
- Sign in to your Earnest account.
- Click “Refer a friend” from the left-side navigation menu.
- Under "Documents & Uploads," find the "Offer Letter, Statement, or Other Document to Upload" section.
- Drop your file into the box, select the document type of "Other," and click "Upload." Please note that the maximum file capacity is 10MB.
- Review and click the green box labeled "Save Changes" at the bottom.
Send us a quick email to let us know you've uploaded the documentation, as we are not automatically notified when documents are uploaded.
All deferment requests must be received by Earnest at least five (5) business days before the date you are requesting the deferment begins. Requests received on or before the fifth business day prior to a payment due date will be implemented for your current payment. Starting on the fourth business day before, we'll file the request right away, but the change may or may not go into effect for your current payment. If filing the request at that point, please be prepared for the possibility that your auto-payment will be withdrawn or your manual payment will remain due. If you do not hear back from our team within 5 business days of uploading your form, please reach out to us immediately for an update by clicking the "Get In Touch" button found at the bottom of this article.
