2020 Best Invention

Student Loans & the Grace Period

4 minute read Upsolve is a nonprofit tool that helps you file bankruptcy for free. Think TurboTax for bankruptcy. Get free education, customer support, and community. Featured in Forbes 4x and funded by institutions like Harvard University so we'll never ask you for a credit card. Explore our free tool


In a Nutshell

Student loan repayment doesn’t start right after getting the loan. The grace period begins after you either graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment.

Written by Attorney Jenni Klock Morel
Updated June 22, 2022


Student loan repayment doesn’t start right after getting the loan. Federal student loans and even most private student loans have a grace period, which is a number of months given before monthly payments become due. The grace period begins after you either graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. Borrowers can think of the grace period as a time to find a job and get their finances in order before the first payment is due. Read on to learn more about the student loan grace period and repayment options.

What Does the Grace Period Mean for Student Loans?

The length of the grace period depends on the loan type and loan terms. Federal Direct Loans, Federal Stafford Loans, and Federal Direct PLUS loans for graduate students all have a six-month grace period. Federal Perkins loans have a nine-month grace period. The grace period of private student loans, if any, will vary by each private lender. 

Deferment vs Forbearance

During the grace period, your loans are deferred. A deferment is a temporary postponement of payment on a loan and is allowed when certain conditions are met. The grace period deferment is available when a borrower graduates, leaves school, or drops below half-time enrollment. Other types of deferment are available when eligibility requirements are met for military service, economic hardship, cancer treatment, and other situations. Federal student loan servicers must grant deferment when the borrower is eligible.

Forbearance allows the borrower to temporarily stop making monthly student loan payments or temporarily make smaller payments. Federal loan servicers are required to grant some types of forbearance, while other forbearances are left up to the discretion of the loan servicer. 

Interest & the Grace Period

Subsidized loans are federal student loans for undergraduates based on need. The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on subsidized loans during the grace period and while the borrower is in school at least half-time. Unsubsidized loans are for undergraduate and graduate students that are not based on need. Interest is charged on unsubsidized loans during grace periods and in-school deferment. 

The majority of federal student loans are unsubsidized and interest begins to accrue as soon as the loan is dispersed. Interest is charged on all loan types during forbearance.  

Capitalization is the addition of unpaid interest to the principal balance of the loan. If accrued interest isn’t paid off after a period of deferment or forbearance, it is then added to the principal balance of the loan. Moving forward interest accrues on the new loan balance, meaning that interest is being charged on interest. This is bad for the borrower. 

In response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, The U.S. Department of Education temporarily set the interest rate to 0% on federal student loans. Federal student loans are not accruing interest through at least September 30, 2021.

Consolidating Student Loans during the Grace Period

Consolidating student loans involves bringing all of your student loans under one new loan. This allows for one single monthly payment and a fixed interest rate, which may be lower than your original loans and does away with the unpredictability of variable-rate loans. You can also extend your repayment term in a consolidation. A longer loan can lower your monthly payment but lead to a higher total loan repayment amount because of interest payments over the long run. Be aware that once you consolidate, you lose any remaining grace period. 

Upsolve User Experiences

2,190+ Members Online
Fair Ebony
Fair Ebony
★★★★★ 7 hours ago
Before I cam across UpSolve, I was going to pay over 2500 to file chapter 7 bankruptcy. My chance I cam across Upsolve and had the paperwork filed for free! This is a great website for those who may want a new start and don't want to go back into debt trying to obtain it. I'm grateful for all their help!
Read more Google reviews ⇾
Dee Diva
Dee Diva
★★★★★ 2 days ago
Thank you so much to this company for helping me file by myself for a new start. As a senior citizen you're unlimited income, so this was a great great help
Read more Google reviews ⇾
Brent Scott
Brent Scott
★★★★★ 2 days ago
the court cleark said, "Are these forms from Upsolve? Great! There always perfect. Just what we need."
Read more Google reviews ⇾

Can You Extend the Grace Period on Student Loans?

If your grace period is soon ending, you can explore if you have an option to extend the grace period available to you. If not, then you can explore your available options for after the grace period ends. 

Grace Period is Available Once

The grace period is only available once per loan. If you go back to school after the grace period ends, that loan won’t have another grace period after graduation from the later program. Any new student loans taken out during a return to school will come with a grace period.

Extending Your Grace Period 

Generally, if you return to school at least half-time before the grace period ends, then your grace period clock is reset. Student loan payments will not be due while you’re in school and your previous loans will get a new six-month (or nine-month for Perkins loans) grace period when you graduate, fall below half-time attendance, or leave school. 

Another way that a federal student loan grace period is extended is through active duty military service. If the borrower is called to active military duty for more than 30 days before the end of the grace period, it will reset and the borrower will receive the full grace period upon return from active duty. 

Private student loan lenders may offer a grace period extension or other deferment or forbearance options. Check directly with your lender to learn about the repayment options available to you. 

Can You Pay Student Loans During the Grace Period?

You can make payments on your student loans during the grace period. If you can manage payments during this time, it is a wise idea. In particular, it is a best practice to pay off any accrued interest amounts when your grace period (or any deferment or forbearance period) ends so that interest is not capitalized and added to the principal loan balance. 

Be aware that any payments you make during the grace period will not count as qualifying payments in any loan forgiveness programs. 

What Happens if I Can’t Pay My Student Loan after the Grace Period? 

After your grace period, your loan servicer will put your loan on the standard repayment plan. You can request a different repayment plan at any time. If you can’t afford the payment under the standard plan, contact your loan servicer to discuss other options.

An income-driven repayment plan extends the repayment term to 20 or 25 years and bases your payment amount on your discretionary income. A graduated repayment plan starts off with a lower monthly payment and then builds over time. This is an ideal option for those beginning their career and anticipating income growth in the coming years. 

Contact your loan servicer if your grace period is ending and you are not able to make your student loan payments. If the repayment plan options don’t give you a monthly payment you can afford, you might be eligible for deferment or forbearance options. You don’t want to miss student loan payments. 

Defaulting on your student loans will harm your credit report and credit score. Also, federal student loans in default status are not eligible for deferment, forbearance, or repayment plan options, such as income-driven repayment or a graduated repayment plan. And plans to return to school could be ruined because you can’t get financial aid or federal student aid (more loans) if you default on your previous federal student loans. Loan borrowers with defaulted student loans can get relief through student loan rehabilitation or loan consolidation.    

Let’s Summarize…

Student loans come with a grace period so borrowers don’t have to start paying back the loan right away. Most federal student loans offer a six-month grace period. The student loan grace period gives you time to find a job and make enough money to pay your loan payment when it becomes due. If you’re not able to make your payment after the grace period ends, contact your student loan servicer to learn about the repayment options available to help you. 



Written By:

Attorney Jenni Klock Morel

LinkedIn

Jenni Klock Morel is a writer, nonprofit leader, and Social Justice Law Scholar. For years she practiced consumer bankruptcy law exclusively as a debtor's attorney, helping individuals and families file for Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy protection. Jenni left the practice of law to... read more about Attorney Jenni Klock Morel

It's easy to get help

Choose one of the options below to get assistance with your bankruptcy:

Free Web App

Take our screener to see if Upsolve is right for you.

Take Screener
11,002 families have filed with Upsolve! ☆
or

Private Attorney

Get a free bankruptcy evaluation from an independent law firm.

Find Attorney

Learning Center

Research and understand your options with our articles and guides.

Go to Learning Center →

Already an Upsolve user?

Read Support Articles →

News

    + Show Articles

    Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started in 2016. Our mission is to help low-income families who cannot afford lawyers file bankruptcy for free, using an online web app. Spun out of Harvard Law School, our team includes lawyers, engineers, and judges. We have world-class funders that include the U.S. government, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and leading foundations. It's one of the greatest civil rights injustices of our time that low-income families can’t access their basic rights when they can’t afford to pay for help. Combining direct services and advocacy, we’re fighting this injustice.

    To learn more, read why we started Upsolve in 2016, our reviews from past users, and our press coverage from places like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.