Interest– a percentage rate calculated on the principle of a loan charged to a borrower and paid to the lender.

Lender– an organization that made the loan initially; lenders could be a bank, credit union, or other lending institution or the Department of Education.

Loan Servicer– a company that collects payments on a loan, responds to customer service inquiries and administers the loan on behalf of the lender.

Deferment– a postponement of payment that is allowed under certain conditions, during which time the interest does not accrue.

Forbearance– a postponement or reduction of payments under certain conditions, during which time the interest accrues.

Capitalized Interest– accrued unpaid interest from a loan is aggregated and added to the principle of the original loan.

Subsidized– interest does not accrue on a loan while the student is in school or in deferment.

Unsubsidized– interest accrues on a loan, generally from the point of disbursement.

Grace Period– a period of time when the student ceases attendance (less than 6 credits), but is not yet in repayment. For Direct Loan, students are given a 6 month grace period, for Perkins, students are given 9 months before repayment begins.