A NOTE TO STUDENTS . . .

The Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) has been helping students for over 117 years. It started in 1889, when the doors of the Hebrew Orphans’ Asylum opened in Atlanta, not far from what is now the site of Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. The Asylum — later renamed the Hebrew Orphans’ Home — was established to house, feed, educate and provide religious instruction to children who had lost one or both of their parents or whose parents could not care for them. These children came from all over B’nai B’rith District No. 5, which stretched from Washington, D.C., to the tip of Florida.

The Hebrew Orphans’ Home closed its doors in 1930, but the organization behind it never stopped providing services to Jewish youth. The organization became first the Jewish Children’s Service and then, in 1989, the Jewish Educational Loan Fund.

Today, the Jewish Educational Loan Fund gives interest-free loans to Jewish students throughout the Southeast for post-secondary education, including college, graduate school and vocational courses of study. Since 1961, JELF has granted over $5.3 million to over 2,700 students.

JELF’s loans are based solely on need, and the students who receive them come from a variety of backgrounds. Some come from families that just can’t afford to fully fund a college education. Some families are struggling with hardships: illness, death, divorce or natural disasters, such as the hurricanes that recently devastated parts of the Southeast. Some students come from formerly comfortable homes beset by unemployment or other economic ills that have eaten into savings for college. Others are recent immigrants who are legal residents or new citizens but have not yet established themselves financially.

The Jewish Educational Loan Fund strongly believes that money should not stand between a student and the education that he or she needs to excel in life. We know that without a post-secondary education — at minimum, an undergraduate education or vocational training — the door to many of life’s opportunities slams shut.

We hope that the loans granted by JELF will help each of the students we fund become a success in life. We also hope that with the economic fruits of that education, someday our loan recipients will, in turn, be able to help future Jewish students in need.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The interest-free loans funded by the Jewish Educational Loan Fund come from two sources: donations (from individuals and foundations) and income generated by an endowment fund, which is replenished by repaid loans. The loans granted by JELF are “last dollar.” That means they provide the final dollars that a student needs to go to school. In 2008, the average undergraduate loan was $4,300 and the average graduate loan was $7,000. Students who apply for the loans must meet several criteria, which are detailed below.

JELF’s central office is based in Atlanta, but its loan program is administered in 15 member communities. They are:

VIRGINIA: Richmond and the Tidewater area (Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton)
NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte, Durham-Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Raleigh
SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston and Columbia
GEORGIA: Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah
FLORIDA: Jacksonville, the Gulf Coast (Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Pinellas County), Miami (Miami-Dade County residents only) and Tampa

JELF serves students primarily from those communities. However, students who live in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Florida but not in one of the 15 member communities can still apply for a loan.

There is no fee to apply for a JELF loan.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a JELF loan, the following qualifications must be met:

You must be Jewish.
You and your family must have resided for at least one year in a community that is affiliated with the Jewish Educational Loan Fund. If you live outside a member community, JELF will consider your application if you are a permanent resident of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Florida for at least one year and if a member community agrees to service your application.
You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
You must demonstrate financial need.
You must be enrolled in a post-secondary institution that is accredited and located in the U.S. and be enrolled full time in a program leading to a degree or professional certificate.
Loans from JELF can be used for undergraduate study, graduate study or special post-secondary training (vocational courses, for example). Loans may also be used by those already in the workforce.
Students make their own educational plans and determine whether to attend a public, private, in-state or out-of-state institution. However, the Jewish Educational Loan Fund has a limited amount of funds available each year for interest-free loans. Therefore, in considering funding, JELF looks for students who make sound educational choices for their fields of study and take into account, among other things, financial considerations.
JELF considers undergraduate applications before considering graduate applications.
The Jewish Educational Loan Fund's interest-free loans provide "last-dollar financing" for students (i.e., the dollars that bridge the gap between a student's total financial resources and the cost of attending school). For that reason, you must demonstrate that you have sought and accepted financing from all available sources, including government and other loans, scholarships, family contributions and personal earnings. (Information on government loan programs is available at www.studentaid.ed.gov.)
You must provide at least one co-signer -- one or both parents, a legal guardian or spouse -- for JELF loans. The co-signer must be credit worthy and have the ability to repay the full amount of the loan if the borrower fails to do so. JELF reserves the right to request a second co-signer. JELF also reserves the right to contact co-signers and run credit checks on co-signers, with their permission.
Students receiving JELF assistance must be in good academic standing and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 to be eligible for continued funding.

If you have questions about whether you meet any of the above criteria, contact your local JELF administrator for further information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS YOUR APPLICATION FEE?

There is no fee to apply for a JELF loan.

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO LIVE IN THE SOUTHEAST TO OBTAIN A JELF LOAN?

JELF loans are available to students who have lived in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida for at least one year immediately preceding the application deadline. JELF does not consider a student who is living temporarily in any of the five JELF states to be a resident unless the student also grew up in those states. Also not eligible for JELF assistance are students who grew up in any of the five states but have established residency outside of them. When there are questions about your residency, JELF will consider, among other things, where you (or your parents, if you are a dependent) filed your state income tax return.

WHAT IF I LIVE OUTSIDE A MEMBER COMMUNITY?

JELF will consider an application from a student who lives outside a member community if the student lives in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Florida and if a member community agrees to service the application. These students should contact the nearest member community to request this service. If a student cannot find a member community to accept his or her loan application, the student should contact JELF’s central office. (Note: Out-of-community applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis. JELF reserves the right to refuse to service an applicant who lives outside a JELF-affiliated community.)

HOW HIGH A GPA MUST I HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A JELF LOAN?

JELF’s loans are based on financial need, not grade point average (GPA); there is no minimum GPA required to obtain a loan. However, loan recipients are required to be in good academic standing and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 for continued funding.

HOW DO I DEMONSTRATE FINANCIAL NEED?

JELF looks at your parents’ tax returns and your tax return as well as the additional financial information you provide on the loan application. We evaluate all the information available to us from the loan application because we understand that financial circumstances can change from year to year. For example, your parents may have had a high income in the previous tax year, but the major wage earner may have suffered a job loss or a major illness since then.

IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT ON WHO CAN APPLY FOR A LOAN?

JELF has served students from age 17 to over 50. The majority of our loan recipients are in their late teens and 20s, but some are older students who, in these difficult times, must learn new skills to remain competitive in today’s ever-changing job market. Some of our students return to school to get advanced training, others to get an additional degree, still others to completely change careers.

DOES IT MATTER WHICH SCHOOL I ATTEND?

No, although JELF expects that you would have made a sound decision in choosing a school based on your field of study and economic considerations. JELF would not, for example, fund a student going to the University of Colorado because the skiing is good in that area.

DOES IT MATTER WHETHER I AM AN UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE STUDENT?

JELF has a limited amount of funds to loan out each year. Because an undergraduate degree is generally considered to be the basic requirement for a job these days, JELF’s first funding priority is undergraduate students. After assisting all qualified undergraduate students, JELF will assist graduate students if it still has funds available to loan out.

HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT I’M APPLYING FOR “LAST DOLLARS”?

JELF expects you to apply for and accept all possible scholarships and other loans before turning to JELF. For that reason, you are required to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and accept any government loans for which you qualify, such as the Stafford Loan, whether subsidized or unsubsidized.

JELF expects you to contribute to the cost of your education by working during the summer and, when possible, during the school year. We also expect that you will use earnings from past years, as well as money set aside in savings, to finance your education.

WHAT ABOUT PARENT PLUS LOANS?

Repayment of Parent Plus loans begins immediately, and JELF recognizes that many parents in need of assistance for their children’s education cannot meet that payment schedule. For that reason, JELF does not require that parents take on Parent Plus loans.

HOW LARGE A LOAN CAN I GET FROM JELF?

That depends how much your schooling — including tuition, room and board, fees, computer usage and transportation — will cost and how much you have in financial resources. JELF subtracts your total financial resources (all scholarships, government and other loans, what you and your parents are contributing) from the total costs of attending school to determine your JELF loan amount.

WHAT KIND OF EXPENSES DOES JELF INCLUDE FOR THE COST OF SCHOOL?

JELF takes into account the cost of tuition and fees (but not social fees, such as fees for sororities and fraternities), books and supplies, computer costs, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses (which are budgeted at $100 per month). Students may include the cost of a computer only once during the course of study, and JELF expects students to make prudent and cost-effective system choices. JELF will cover the cost of off-campus housing only to the extent that it does not exceed the cost of on-campus housing. JELF also accepts the round-trip cost of going to and from school up to four times a year (to school at the start of the academic year and back to home at the end of the academic year; for Thanksgiving break; for winter break; and for spring break).

JELF does not expect students in financial need to have a car at school and will not cover any related costs unless there is a compelling reason for a student to have a car at school.

HOW MANY SEMESTERS WILL JELF COVER AT A TIME?

JELF’s funding cycle is August to August. Generally speaking, JELF will accept applications that request financial assistance for the fall 2009, spring 2010 and, when applicable, summer 2010 semesters.

SHOULD I APPLY TO JELF AS A DEPENDENT OR INDEPENDENT STUDENT?

A dependent student is one who is under age 25 and is claimed on his or her parents’ income tax form(s) for the previous year. (For example, you are dependent for the 2009-2010 school year if (one or both of) your parents claimed you on their 2008 income tax return.) An independent student is one who is over 25 or, if under 25, is not claimed on his or her parents’ income tax form and receives no support from them. If you are under 25 and state that you are an independent student, JELF will require that you submit your parents’ tax returns for verification.

DOES JELF REQUIRE CO-SIGNERS FOR ITS LOANS?

Yes. The co-signer is usually one or both parents, a legal guardian or a spouse. The co-signer of the loan is legally responsible for its repayment if the loan recipient defaults. JELF reserves the right to contact co-signers and run credit checks on co-signers, with their permission.

WHO WILL KNOW THAT I HAVE APPLIED FOR A LOAN?

Only the local JELF administrator in your home community (usually a social or community worker at your local Jewish social services agency, such as a Jewish Family Services) and the appropriate staff at the Jewish Educational Loan Fund will know that you have applied for a loan. We are sensitive to the issues that cause people to seek financial assistance, and we therefore ensure your privacy by assigning you a code number when your application reaches the JELF office. We never disclose the names or sell lists of our loan applicants to outside parties.

DOES JELF ONLY GRANT LOANS?

JELF only grants loans in order to ensure that its loan program will be around to help other students for many more years. When the monies from the loans are repaid, they are “recycled” to help future students in need.

BEFORE YOU APPLY: OTHER SOURCES OF FINANCIAL AID

The Jewish Educational Loan Fund provides interest-free loans to students who still need assistance after investigating and accepting all other sources of financial aid. For that reason, before you apply to JELF, applicants are required to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the first step in obtaining federal assistance. (Federal assistance includes Stafford Loans, Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans and Parent PLUS Loans.) The FAFSA is generally available on January 1 for the following school year.

To assist students in finding financial aid before applying to JELF, the following links should be helpful:

www.studentaid.ed.gov
This Department of Education website offers information on federal assistance for students. Under “Publications,” you can download or order “The Student Guide,” which details each assistance program, how much it offers and who is eligible for it. The guide is free.

www.fafsa.ed.gov
This is the official website for filling out and filing the FAFSA.

www.sreb.org
The Southern Regional Educational Board administers the Academic Common Market, which allows a student to enroll in a program at an out-of-state university without paying out-of-state tuition if that program is not offered in the student’s home state university system. All five states served by JELF are members of the Academic Common market.

www.fastweb.com
This is a free financial aid search tool, including clear and concise instructions.

www.finaid.com
This website offers a comprehensive financial aid program, including a glossary of financial aid terms, links to other sites and a listing of aid based on specific interests.

www.collegenet.com
This site provides information about individual schools, financial aid and scholarship information. It also provides a search feature that allows you to search by state or major interests and includes hyperlinks to colleges selected by the user.

www.collegeboard.com
This site focuses primarily on the College Board exams and includes financial aid information, with a financial aid calculator and scholarship search capabilities.

LINKS FOR STUDENTS IN GEORGIA

www.gacollege411.org
This new website from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, subtitled “Helping Students Plan, Apply and Pay for College,” offers information on Georgia’s colleges and universities. It includes a complete listing of state and federal financial aid resources.

www.gsfc.org
This is the website of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the agency responsible for administering student financial aid programs provided by the State of Georgia. It is a free service which administers a variety of scholarship and grant programs, including the HOPE scholarship. The GSFC also makes low-interest federal Stafford and PLUS loans to students and parents, and GSFC is the only lender in Georgia providing service-cancelable loans to encourage students to train for careers in critical need areas such as teaching and health care.

LINKS FOR STUDENTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

www.sccollegeaid.org
Hosted by the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation, this website provides a comprehensive list of financial aid information. It provides links to loans, grants and scholarships, including South Carolina’s Life scholarship program.

www.sciway.net/finaid.html
This college financial aid directory for South Carolina residents provides links to state financial aid programs.

LINKS FOR STUDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA

www.cfnc.org
The College Foundation of North Carolina provides a free informational website that offers links to federal programs as well as the North Carolina EXTRA Education Loans.

LINKS FOR STUDENTS IN FLORIDA

www.fldcu.org
This site, provided by the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Colleges and Universities, contains information on financial aid programs including the Florida Bright Scholarship Program.

www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org
The website of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance, this agency administers Florida’s scholarship and grant programs.

LINKS FOR STUDENTS IN VIRGINIA

www.explorevirginiacolleges.com
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia website provides information on paying for college and offers links to other financial aid resources. Be sure to check out the Scholarships & Grants Quicklist.

www.vipnet.org
The Virginia Information Providers Network offers free financial aid information for state residents. Click on “Family and Education” and then “Education” to arrive at financial aid information. There are links to state and federal financial aid resources.

4-STEP APPLICATION PROCESS

Both students who are applying for the first time and students who have previously received JELF loans are required to submit an application each year. There are no automatic renewals for students who have received loans in the past.

JELF uses an on-line loan application. The application for the 2009-2010 school year will be available on this website in late February 2009.

Please note that a personal interview is required for all loan applicants.

STEP ONE - Complete application and schedule personal interview.

When the on-line application is available on the website, log in to register and create an account. At some point during completion of the application, contact the local JELF administrator (LJA) in your home community to schedule your personal interview. (Note: The interview is usually held after you submit your loan application; however, since interviews are conducted at the community level, it is up to the local JELF administrators to decide when to schedule their personal interviews.)

STEP TWO - Submit application and initial supporting documents to local JELF office.

Fill out the on-line application completely and submit it by the application deadline, April 15. In addition to submitting your application by April 15, you must also submit a number of required supporting documents to your local JELF office, either by mail or in person. (They should not be faxed because faxes are not always readable.) The required supporting documents due at the same time as the application include:

If you are not currently a student, final transcript from the school you last attended.

Acceptance letter from the school you will be attending if you are an entering student.

Proof that you have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Parents’ tax returns and schedules (Form 1040) if student is listed as a dependent or if the student is under 25 years of age.

Student’s tax return and schedules (Form 1040)

If student is married, spouse’s tax return and schedules (Form 1040).

STEP THREE - Attend personal interview.

Attend a personal interview with your local JELF administrator.

STEP FOUR - Submit final supporting documents to JELF central office.

After you have submitted your on-line application and the initial required supporting documents and have had a personal interview with your LJA, the LJA will complete his or her part of the application and then forward it to JELF’s central office (Atlanta).

When JELF’s central office receives your application from your LJA, an Atlanta staff person will contact you by mail with a list of the documents still needed to complete your application. The additional documents, due to JELF’s central office by June 15, include (but are not limited to):

If you are currently a student, the final transcript for the 2008-2009 school year.
Financial aid award letter from the educational institution you will be attending in the 2009-2010 school year.
From the educational institution you will be attending, a copy of the costs of attending for 2009-2010.
The Student Aid Report (SAR) received after filing a FAFSA.

Without these documents, your application will be considered incomplete. It is your responsibility, not the responsibility of your LJA or JELF, to ensure your application is complete. JELF will not consider incomplete applications for funding.

THE APPLICATION

APPLICATION FOR 2009-2010 SCHOOL YEAR

Deadline: April 15 to your local community

NOTE: LOAN APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2009-2010 SCHOOL YEAR ARE NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED. PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE IN LATE FEBRUARY 2010 FOR THE 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR.

access on-line application

WHERE TO APPLY

Once you have started completing your application, contact the local JELF administrator (LJA) in your home community to let him or her know that you are applying and to make an appointment for a personal interview. Please note that a personal interview is required for all students. The interview is usually held after you submit your loan application; however, since interviews are conducted at the community level, it is up to each LJA to decide when to schedule their personal interviews.

If you do not live within one of these communities, contact JELF’s central office at (770) 396-3080 or e-mail info@jelf.org.

Applications should be submitted to the local JELF administrator.

FLORIDA

Gulf Coast JFS
Ms. Sharyn Tanner/Ms. Sue Charlip
14041 Icot Blvd.
Clearwater, FL 33760
(727) 479-1806
stanner@gcjfs.org

Jacksonville JFCS
Ms. Renie Levin
6261 Dupont Station Court East
Jacksonville, FL 32217
(904) 394-5721
rlevin@jfcsjax.org

Jewish Community Services of S Florida
(Miami-Dade County residents only)
Ms. Laurie Turner
11155 S.W. 112 Avenue
Miami, FL 33176
(305) 271-9000 ext. 266
lturn50@bellsouth.net

Tampa JFS
Mr. Justin Roth
13009 Community Campus Drive
Tampa, FL 33625
(813) 960-1848 ext. 4108
justinr@tjfs.org

GEORGIA

Atlanta JF&CS
Ms. Yael Stein
4549 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30338
(770) 677-9305
ystein@jfcs-atlanta.org

Augusta Jewish Federation
Mrs. Leah Ronen
898 Weinberger Way
Evans, GA 30809
(706) 228-3636 ext.227
augustafed1@knology.net

Savannah Jewish Federation
Mr. Larry Dane-Kellogg
5111 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31405
(912) 355-8111 ext. 218
larry@savj.org

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte JFS
Ms. Lynda Woodburn
5007 Providence Road, Suite 105
Charlotte, NC 28226
(704) 364-6594
lynda.woodburn@jfscharlotte.org

Durham-Chapel Hill JFS
Ms. Debbie Zoller
Suite 6002
3622 Lyckan Parkway
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 489-5335 ext.14
dzoller@shalomdch.org

Greensboro JFS
Ms. Betsy Gamburg
5509-C W. Friendly Ave.
Greensboro, NC 27410
(336) 852-4829 ext. 225
bgamburg@shalomgreensboro.org

Raleigh JFS
Ms. Beth Boldt/Ms. Miriam Sichel
Suite 104
8210 Creedmoor Road
Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 676-2200
beth.boldt@rcjf.org
miriam.sichel@rcjf.org

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston JSS
Mrs. Slava Tsveer
1645 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd.
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 571-6565
slavat@jewishcharleston.org

Columbia JFS
Ms. Elysa Sexton
306 Flora Drive
Columbia, SC 29223
(803) 787-2023 ext. 219
elysas@jcccolumbia.org

VIRGINIA

Richmond JFS
Ms. Ellen Glass
6718 Patterson Avenue
Richmond, VA 23226
(804) 282-5644 ext. 224
eglass@jfsrichmond.org

Tidewater JFS
Ms. Michelle Walter
260 Grayson Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
(757) 459-4640
mwalter@jfshamptonroads.org

NOTIFICATION AND FUNDING

After you have submitted your on-line application and the required supporting documents due at the time of application to the the local JELF administrator (LJA), the LJA will complete his or her part of the application and then forward it to JELF’s central office (Atlanta).

When JELF's central office receives your application from the LJA, an Atlanta staff person will contact you by e-mail with a list of the documents still needed to complete your application. Those documents are due to JELF by June 15. If they are not received by that date, JELF will not go forward with your application.

At JELF’s central office, you will be assigned a code number. Information from your application will be transferred to a summary form on which you will be identified only by your code number.

In July, members of JELF’s Educational Loan Committee will spend a full day reviewing and evaluating all the summary forms. During this meeting, the committee will determine which applicants will be granted loans and for how much. While JELF would like to fully fund all qualified applicants, this is not always possible.

In the days immediately following the Educational Loan Committee meeting, JELF's central office will contact all the LJAs to let them know who has received loans and for how much. The LJA will then contact you.

If you are granted a loan, you will receive half the loan amount in early August and half in December. Both in August and December, you and your co-signer(s) must fill out and sign a promissory note; the LJA will then witness it.

As soon as your promissory note is fully filled out and signed, you will receive your loan check from your LJA or it will be mailed to you at your home address. To obtain your December loan check, you must also submit a transcript that includes your fall grades to demonstrate that you are in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

The promissory note will be sent to the central office by your LJA to become part of your file. One copy of the promissory note will be sent to the LJA and one copy will be sent to you.

REPAYMENT

WHEN DOES REPAYMENT BEGIN?

Repayment begins approximately six months after either graduation or after you have terminated your course of study. For example, if you graduate in May or June, your first payment will be due January 1 of the following year.

HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN IT IS TIME TO BEGIN REPAYMENT?

Soon after graduation, you will receive a letter from JELF notifying you that repayment will begin in six months. About two weeks before your first payment is due, you will receive a bill from JELF. For example, if your first payment is due January 1, a bill will be sent to you on the previous December 15. Bills are sent on the 15th of each month for payment on the first of the following month.

HOW LONG CAN I TAKE TO REPAY?

The repayment period is eight years.

HOW MUCH WILL I PAY EACH MONTH?

JELF’s repayment program is graduated so that in your first years after graduation, when your income is likely to be at its smallest, you will make the smallest payments.

In both years 1 and 2 of repayment, you will repay 5% of the total amount you have borrowed. In years 3 and 4, you will repay 10% each year of the total borrowed amount; in years 5 and 6, you will repay 15% of the total borrowed amount each year; and in years 7 and 8, you will repay 20% of the total borrowed amount each year. Say you owe $10,000 by the time you graduate:

Repayment Year	Percentage	Annual Amount	Monthly Payment
Year 1	5%	$500	$41.67
Year 2	5%	$500	$41.67
Year 3	10%	$1,000	$83.34
Year 4	10%	$1,000	$83.34
Year 5	15%	$1,500	$125
Year 6	15%	$1,500	$125
Year 7	20%	$2,000	$166.67
Year 8	20%	$2,000	$166.67

CAN I PAY MORE EACH MONTH THAN WHAT IS REQUIRED?

Yes. You are welcome to accelerate your repayment as much as you would like.

IS THERE A PENALTY FEE FOR PAYING BACK MY LOAN EARLY?

No.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I CANNOT MAKE THE MONTHLY PAYMENT?

Contact us immediately, before your loan becomes past due! We will try to work with you to determine a comfortable solution.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY LOAN IS PAID OFF?

We will send you a letter of congratulations — we call it our “mazel tov” letter! — together with your final promissory note stamped “Paid in Full.” You will then join the ranks of JELF’s “alumni” and, we hope, become part of JELF in your local community. We also hope you will consider becoming a JELF donor so that you can extend a helping hand to the next generation of students who face the same difficulties in affording a higher education as you once did.

DEFERMENT

Deferment is an agreement made between the loan recipient and JELF's central office in which the loan recipient does not have to make payment for a specified period of time. The decision to grant deferment is at the sole discretion of JELF’s central office.

Deferment will be considered under the following circumstances:

Continuation of education. If a student is continuing or resuming his or her education without further assistance from JELF and is enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours, he or she may be considered for deferment until that education is completed. Proof of enrollment is required.
Medical or personal emergency.
Financial hardship. This generally applies to unexpected unemployment or a temporary, unpaid maternity leave.

To be considered for deferment, the loan recipient must contact JELF’s central office. He or she will be asked to put the request for deferment in writing.

IMPORTANT DATES

JANUARY 1, 2009	Opening date for filing the FAFSA for 2009-2010 school year
APRIL 15, 2009	Deadline for submitting JELF loan application and initial supporting documents to local JELF administrator (see “Where to Apply”)
JUNE 15, 2009	Deadline for submitting final documents for loan application
JULY 19, 2009	JELF Educational Loan Committee meets to consider requests for student loans
JULY 21, 2009	Local JELF administrators notified of Loan Committee’s decisions
AUGUST 7, 2009	Promissory notes, loan checks for fall semester sent no later than this date to local JELF administrators; promissory note must be executed by student and co-signer(s) before check is released
DECEMBER 11, 2009	Promissory notes, loan checks for spring semester sent no later than this date to local JELF administrators; before check is released, promissory note must be executed by student and parents and transcript including fall grades must be submitted to LJA