US Federal Direct Loans

Under U.S. regulations, all schools participating in Title IV programs are required to report enrolment information about students who appear on their NSLDS Roster file.  NSLDS will include on the Roster file undergraduate and graduate federal student aid recipients enrolled at SFU, including students who have received Title IV aid at another school and that the NSLDS knows or has reason to believe is enrolled at SFU.

When added to our NSLDS Roster file, SFU will automatically report your enrolment status every 60 days (i.e., every odd-number month).  This will continue until your enrolment changes to less than half time or you withdraw from Simon Fraser University. 

NOTE:  Updated enrolment status done on the NSLDS website defers U.S. federal student loans only.  If you have private/other loans, please complete the ‘Borrower’ section of the In-School Deferment Request form, and send to us for completion.  If your private/other lender requires a different form, complete your section and forward to our office for completion.

It is recommended that you follow up with your Student Loan Servicers (Lenders) on a term by term basis to confirm your enrolment status is up-to-date with them.  You can also check the status of your previously-borrowed U.S. loans on the NSLDS website.

Review your Annual Student Loan Acknowledgment on a yearly basis.

If you have never had a deferment done for you by SFU, you must make an initial request for a deferment. You can make this request by providing us the following information: Your full name, your SFU student #, your U.S. Social Security Number.  You can provide this information by phone, or reach out by email to usloans@sfu.ca.

Unless you have prior Perkins or U.S. Private Loans, we do not need the paper deferment form because we will process automatically through the NSLDS website. This applies to both Direct Loan and FFELP loans.

You can still obtain a deferment with distance education and/or online course(s) on your SFU record. HOWEVER, you will no longer be eligible for any U.S. Federal Direct Loan funding (now or in the future) towards the same program or credential at SFU. More information is available at US Federal Direct Loans: Distance Education and Online Courses.

Once we have processed your deferment request, we will email you (to your SFU email) to confirm the deferment is completed. Your name will then be added to the enrolment status report automatically submitted by SFU until you graduate or withdraw. It is your responsibility (or your Parent’s responsibility, in case of a Parent PLUS loan) to follow up with your previous lenders/servicers to ensure your study period end date has been updated according to the school’s enrolment information.  

If you were an SFU student receiving US Loans or US Deferments, and you withdraw but later return to SFU, you must contact us immediately so that we can update your enrolment information accordingly.

During a deferment, you do not need to make payments. If you have a subsidized loan, the federal government may pay the interest on your loan during a period of deferment. The government does not pay the interest on your unsubsidized loans (or on any PLUS loans). You are responsible for paying the interest that accrues (accumulates) during the deferment period, but your payment is not due during the deferment period. If you don’t pay the interest on your loan during deferment, it may be capitalized (added to your principal balance), and the amount you pay in the future will be higher.

Visit the U.S. Department of Education website more information about deferments.

If you have a US private loan or a Perkins Loan, then it is not included in the online NSLDS enrolment Roster information. To update your private loan, please submit an in-school deferment form by email to usloans@sfu.ca.  

Parent PLUS loans are not automatically deferred through the deferment process. The parent (as the Borrower) has to request a deferment while the student is in school. The parent borrower can also request a deferment for an additional six months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. Complete the Parent PLUS Borrower Deferment Request Form and send it to usloans@sfu.ca to start the deferment process.

It is your responsibility to inform SFU Financial Aid and Awards in writing and/or the U.S. Department of Education of any changes to your original applications that may impact your eligibility as a borrower or the amounts you are eligible to borrow.  This would include, but is not limited to:  (i) the amount of Financial Aid you received or expect to receive; and (ii) changes to your registration/course load. 

You are also required to keep up-to-date, consistent contact information with the U.S. Department of Education, SFU and your Servicers/Lenders. 

TIP:  Your address in the NSLDS system would be your permanent (usually a) U.S. address.  In the student information system, your home/permanent address is where you would enter your permanent, U.S. address (this should match the address you have in NSLDS).  Your mailing address in the student information system should indicate where you currently live. 

• National Student Loan Data System, NSLDS website.
• Simon Fraser University Student Information System (SIS), go.sfu.ca.
• Student Loan Servicers (Lenders):  If unsure, to find out who your Student Loan Servicers (Lenders) are, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243.  Further details and information can be found here.