:: Teacher Shortage Area Deferment ::
This deferment is for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. Contact your loan servicer to discuss your options and download an Teacher Shortage Area Deferment Request Form PDF. You must continue making your payment until you're notified that a deferment has been granted.
Eligibility Criteria
Maximum Time Limit: 3 years
To qualify for this deferment, you must have an outstanding balance on a FFELP loan made before July 1, 1993. The Teacher Shortage Area Deferment, or the Targeted Teacher Deferment, is available if you teach full-time in a public or nonprofit private elementary or secondary school in a geographic region, grade level, academic, instructional, subject matter or discipline classified shortage area as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.
To receive the deferment, you must get certification from the chief administrative officer (principal) of the school where you teach, verifying you're teaching in a shortage area.
The U.S. Department of Education has designated the following areas as teacher shortage areas for Oklahoma during the 2012-2013 school year:
- Business
- Elementary Education
- English
- Foreign Language
- Mathematics
- Music
- Science
- School Counselor
- School Psychologist
- Special Education
A current and historical listing of teacher shortage areas can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Shortage webpage.
