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Higher Education.
For Adults with Higher Expectations.

Student Loan Deferrals

To be eligible for student loan deferment, students must be enrolled in a currently ongoing TESU term with at least 6 undergraduate credits* or 3 graduate/doctoral credits (half time) per term. All courses* must be approved by an academic advisor and applied to the degree program being pursued to qualify for a deferment. Students not enrolled in TESU courses* at the time of the deferment request are not eligible for deferment.

If you were sent or have requested a deferment form from your lender, you must upload the completed deferment form to the Office of the Registrar, where it will be reviewed and forwarded to the National Student Clearinghouse for processing. Do NOT send the form to the National Student Clearinghouse yourself, it must go through the Office of the Registrar first. Before presenting it to TESU, you must complete Section 1 and the fields titled Borrower's Signature, Date and where to send the completed deferment request. If you do not enter your loan holder or servicer’s name, your form cannot be processed. Processing time can take 3-5 business days if you are a current student in an active term.

Enrollment Reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse and National Student Loan Data Servicing Center (NSLDS)

Thomas Edison State University reports student enrollment to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) for purposes of Federal Title IV program administration. For Federal Title IV program purposes only, the University reports enrollment status of full-time, part-time, or less than half-time to the National Student Clearinghouse using the prescribed definition based on the number of TESU online, Guided Study or Accelerated course credits being taken at any given time. Registration or enrollment in TECEP® examinations, Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and e-Pack® courses are not reported to the National Student Clearinghouse nor do they qualify a student for financial aid or student loan deferment. This definition should be used for the inquirers needing enrollment status for Title IV program purposes only, such as financial aid eligibility and student loan deferment.

Thomas Edison State University reports

  • graduate and doctoral student enrollment to the NSC two times a month, during the second and fourth week, during each term
  • undergraduate student enrollment to the NSC weekly during each term

Please note that for undergraduate students taking any session courses, either nursing or accelerated courses, enrollment status is determined as a sum of the number of credits in all TESU online, Guided Study or accelerated courses in which students are enrolled in the full term, over the 12-week term as well as any of the sessions. For example,

  • For Nursing courses, a student who is in one 3 credit course in Nursing Session 1 and one 3 credit course in Nursing Session 2 is enrolled in a total of 6 credits and will be reported at half time for the term.
  • For Accelerated courses, a student who is in one 3 credit course in Accelerated Session 1, one 3 credit course in Accelerated Session 2 and one 3 credit Guided Study course in the full 12-week term is enrolled in a total of 9 credits and will be reported as quarter time for the term.

If a student drops or withdraws from a course in either the full term or any session, the enrollment status will be reported retroactively as less than half time or half time respectively as of the drop/withdrawal date. Only TESU online, Guided Study or Accelerated course count toward the calculations.

Undergraduate programs (Bachelor’s, Associate’s and Undergraduate Certificate programs) (Online, Guided Study and Accelerated courses only per term)

  • 12 credits = Full time status
  • 9 credits = Quarter time status
  • 6 credits = Half time status
  • 5 credits and below = Less than half time status

Graduate and Doctoral programs (Online courses only)

  • 6 credits = Full time status
  • 3 credits = Half time status

FAQs about Enrollment for Federal Title IV Programs

  • Am I eligible to have my student loans deferred while I am a student at TESU?

    To be eligible for student loan deferment, students must be enrolled in a currently ongoing TESU term with at least 6 undergraduate credits* or 3 graduate/doctoral credits (half time) per term. For Federal Title IV program purposes only, the University reports enrollment status of full-time, part-time, or less than half-time to the National Student Clearinghouse using the prescribed definition based on the number of TESU Online, Guided Study or Accelerated credits being taken at any given time.

    Please note: TECEP® examinations, Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and e-Pack® course enrollments and individuals who use the Individual Learning Account service are not reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as they do not make you eligible for student loan deferral.

  • Is my loan eligible for deferment if the University extends my course by eight weeks?

    No, course extensions do not contribute to the credit amount and enrollment status for a student’s loan deferment eligibility. Students are not eligible for student loan deferments after the original term ending date even if the student has been approved for an extension on the course.

  • My lender has asked for a deferment form to be completed. Where should I send it?

    If you were sent or have requested a deferment form from your lender, you must upload the completed deferment form to the Office of the Registrar, where it will be reviewed and forwarded to the National Student Clearinghouse for processing. Do NOT send the form to the National Student Clearinghouse yourself, it must go through the Office of the Registrar first. Before presenting it to TESU, you must complete Section 1 and the fields titled Borrower's Signature, Date and where to send the completed deferment request. If you do not enter your loan holder or servicer’s name, your form cannot be processed. Processing time can take 3-5 business days if you are a current student in an active term.

  • What if the National Student Clearinghouse reports that “no enrollment information is available”?

    Students for whom the National Student Clearinghouse report “no enrollment information is available” are either not enrolled at Thomas Edison State University or may be enrolled at the University for courses in which the methods of earning credit do not entitle the student to loan deferment, such as TECEP® examinations, Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and e-Pack® courses. In these cases, neither the University nor the National Student Clearinghouse is able to complete deferment verification forms since these methods of earning credit do not entitle the student to loan deferment.