JELF – Jewish Educational Loan Fund

 

Jewish students living in Palm Beach County can turn to Alpert Jewish Family Services for help in accessing interest-free, need-based loans to supplement their financial resources and give them the opportunity to attend full-time accredited post-secondary educational programs.

Applications for the Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) interest-free loans for higher education (college, graduate school and vocational programs) are available to Jewish students in the Palm Beach area for the 2019-2020 school year. These are need-based loans to help bridge the gap between a student’s total financial resources and the cost of attending school. The deadline is April 30th. For more information about eligibility criteria, you can refer people to the JELF website, www.jelf.org. or to the local JELF Loan Coordinator, Olivia Tartakow at 561-684-1991 or [email protected].

JELF’s 2019 Loan Application (available on the JELF website, jelf.org) will be open March 1 -April 30. The application covers the terms fall 2019, winter/spring 2020, and– if needed– summer 2020 (only for full time enrollment). It does not include summer 2019. JELF’s loans are “last dollar”—they are only meant to supply final funds that a student needs to attend school after gathering all other financial resources.

To be eligible for JELF assistance you must meet the following criteria:

Be in good academic standing and have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA

    • Be enrolled full time in undergraduate study, graduate study, or special post-secondary training (vocational courses or prerequisite programs) at a U.S.  accredited institution; your studies must lead to a degree or professional certificate
    • Demonstrate financial need (2019 FAFSA required)
    • Demonstrate that you have sought and accepted financing from all available sources, including government and other loans (this includes Stafford subsidized and unsubsidized), scholarships, grants, family contributions and personal earnings
    • Have at least one co-signer; JELF reserves the right to request a second co-signer and to request co-signer taxes to verify income.