FAFSA Parent Plus loan repayment started 3 months after graduation instead of 6 - did policy change?
I'm completely thrown off by our student loan repayment timeline. For years I thought it was standard that student loans don't require payments until 6 months after graduation. My daughter graduated in May, but we just got notices that both her federal loans AND my Parent Plus loan are due in August - only 3 months after graduation! I called the loan servicer but was on hold forever and gave up. When did this 3-month rule start? Was I totally misinformed about the 6-month grace period? We're scrambling to adjust our budget since neither of us planned to start repayment this soon. My daughter just found a job but hasn't even received her first full paycheck yet. Has anyone else experienced this shorter timeline? Is there any way to request an extension back to the 6-month period I thought was standard?
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Liam McConnell
This doesn't sound right. Federal Direct loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) still have a 6-month grace period after graduation before repayment begins. This is standard policy and hasn't changed. However, Parent PLUS loans are different - they typically enter repayment once they're fully disbursed, but you can request deferment while your daughter is in school and for 6 months after she graduates. You should double-check whether you selected the in-school deferment + 6-month post-graduation option when you originally applied for the Parent PLUS loan. If you did, there might be an error in their system.
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Mei Zhang
•Thank you! I'm going to look for my original paperwork this weekend. I was SURE I requested that deferment option, but maybe I missed something? It's bizarre that her loans are also starting at 3 months though...
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Amara Oluwaseyi
the same exact thing hapened to me last year!! my loans started after 3 months and i was like wtf?? turns out some of my loans were private not federal. check if youre daughter has private loans too because those dont follow the same rules. my mistake was not reading the fine print lol
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Mei Zhang
•Oh my gosh, that might be it! She did take out one smaller private loan her junior year when her housing costs went up. I'll have her check what kind of loans are coming due. Thank you!
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CosmicCaptain
There are a few things to investigate here: 1. For federal Direct loans (what most students have), the 6-month grace period is still standard policy. This hasn't changed. 2. For Parent PLUS loans, repayment typically begins 60 days after full disbursement, BUT you can request deferment while your student is enrolled and for 6 months after they graduate/drop below half-time enrollment. This deferment isn't automatic - you must request it. 3. Private loans follow whatever terms are in the loan agreement - some have no grace period at all. 4. Federal loan servicing has changed companies for many borrowers in the past couple years. Sometimes these transitions cause errors. I'd recommend: - Log into studentaid.gov to check the specific loan types and their status - Contact the loan servicer directly (keep trying despite the wait) - If your daughter has multiple loan types, check each one as they may have different terms If there's truly an error, you have the right to have it corrected.
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Mei Zhang
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! I'm starting to think it's a mix-up of loan types. I'll have my daughter log into studentaid.gov to check her federal loans, and I'll check my Parent PLUS paperwork. Really appreciate the help.
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Giovanni Rossi
I graduated last December and my loans didn't start until June (6 months) so the policy definitely hasn't changed! Something's wrong with your loan setup.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
Been there with the endless hold times! After trying to reach Federal Student Aid for THREE DAYS about a similar repayment issue, a friend recommended using Claimyr.com to get through. It actually worked! You just enter your phone number and they call FSA for you, then call you back when they have an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Definitely worth checking your loan types first like others suggested, but if you need to speak with someone at FSA to fix an error, this might save you some headaches.
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Mei Zhang
•I've been trying for days to get through to someone! I'll check out that service if I still can't reach anyone after trying again tomorrow. The hold music is driving me insane at this point.
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Dylan Mitchell
The loan servicers are NOTORIOUS for messing this up. They tried to start my daughter's loans after 2 months and I had to fight with them for weeks to fix it. The 6-month grace period is FEDERAL LAW for Direct loans. Don't let them bully you - if they're federal loans, demand they honor the correct timeline and report them to the Dept of Education and CFPB if they won't fix it. For Parent PLUS, you should have had the option for in-school deferment plus 6 months after graduation, but you had to SPECIFICALLY request it. Some servicers are shady and 'lose' that paperwork.
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Liam McConnell
•This is good advice. I'd also recommend getting everything in writing when you do reach someone. Take notes during any phone calls (date, time, representative name) and follow up with an email summarizing what was discussed. Unfortunately, you sometimes need a paper trail to hold loan servicers accountable.
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Sofia Gutierrez
When you applied for the Parent PLUS loan, did you check the box requesting deferment? It's not automatic - many parents miss this and are surprised when repayment begins immediately after disbursement. Check your Master Promissory Note (MPN) if you still have access to it.
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Mei Zhang
•I thought I did check that box! But honestly, it was 4 years ago and I was filling out so many forms that maybe I missed it? I'll try to find my MPN. Thank you for mentioning this.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
maybe check if the loans got sold to a different company?? my brothers loans got moved to a new company and they messed up his start date too. took like 5 calls to fix it
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CosmicCaptain
Update? Were you able to determine what happened with your loans? If your daughter's federal loans truly are starting at 3 months, that's an error that needs to be corrected immediately.
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Mei Zhang
•YES! Mystery solved. My daughter's federal loans ARE on the 6-month schedule. The notification she got was just a "heads up" that payment would begin in November (which is 6 months after May graduation). For my Parent PLUS loan, I apparently DIDN'T check the deferment box on the original application (found my paperwork). BUT I was able to call and request administrative forbearance for 3 months to align with her repayment schedule. The representative was actually really helpful once I finally got through. Thanks to everyone who helped me figure this out! Such a relief.
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Noah Irving
So glad you got this sorted out! This is actually a really common source of confusion that trips up a lot of families. The "heads up" notifications from loan servicers can be super misleading - they often make it sound like payments are due immediately when they're really just giving you advance notice. Your experience is a perfect example of why it's so important to distinguish between federal and private loans, and to understand the specific terms of Parent PLUS loans. Thanks for sharing the resolution - I'm sure this thread will help other families who run into the same issue!
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