Please see the Federal Student Aid pages for further information. 

US Loan Application Process‌ [PDF]

The standard loan application process is as follows:

  1. fill in a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), listing º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s school code is G08458.
  2. check your Student Aid Report (SAR). Once your information has been processed, you will be emailed a copy of your SAR. Review the information carefully ensuring that it includes an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and the details of any previous loans.
  3. contact º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to confirm you have been made and accepted an offer to study with us and to notify us that you have completed the application for US Federal Aid.
  4. fill in COA spreadsheet. This will be sent to you after you have contacted the university with full instructions on how to complete it.
  5. go to the Federal Student Aid website and log in using your PIN. E-sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). The MPN allows º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to provide your data to certain bodies (eg US Gov.) and it is important that it is fully completed as we cannot complete the assessment if not.
  6. complete Entrance Counselling. Entrance counselling is required to prior to the first loan cycle regardless of whether you have received a loan before. See counselling section for more details.
  7. if successful you will receive a Loan Confirmation and Acceptance letter (Award Letter) detailing the amount of aid available and asking you to confirm how much you would like to borrow. See below for more details.

Ensure that you understand the terms and conditions under which the loan is offered, these can be found on the William D. Ford website and click 'Repaying Loans'. You should also familiarise yourself with the repayment requirements of your loan.

Our Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) ID Number is 008458-00.

Our School Code is G08458.

Your Loan will be disbursed in three equal instalments.

Each instalment is paid directly to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in US dollars. This is then converted into British pounds using the current exchange rate on the day of transaction.

The money will be used to pay your tuition fees and, if you have agreed with the DPA, your accommodation fees if you are residing in University run halls. After your tuition and accommodation fees have been paid if there are any remaining funds these will be paid to you.

You will need to open a UK bank account in order to receive any remaining loan amounts.

You will be notified by email, before each disbursal date, of how much of your loan is being disbursed and how much you will receive.

Before your last loan instalment is disbursed we will require you to complete exit counselling. This can done by logging into your direct loan account. We will remind you of this prior to the disbursement date.

Dates of dispersal

Each instalment will be disbursed by the end of the fourth week of each term.

If you decide to withdraw or take a leave of absence, in addition to completing the appropriate forms, you need notify the DPA of your decision. Depending on when you withdraw/go on leave of absence, some of your loan may have to be returned to the USDE. The DPA will advise you of this when you inform them of your wish to postpone or terminate your studies. This will be based on the Policy for Return of Title IV Funds for Federal Aid recipients (please see LU R2T4 Policy‌).

In addition to speaking with your personal tutor, you may also find it helpful to speak to someone in the student support centre. Further information can be found on the following webpages:

Student Enquiries Postgraduate

Student Advice and Support Service website.

You should use the US Loan Confirmation Letter you receive to support your student visa application.

Unless you have proof of sufficient funds from other sources, we strongly recommend that you do not begin your Visa application until you have received your US Loan Confirmation Letter. This letter has been written in consultation with the UK Borders Agency, US Department of Education, and UK universities and has been approved for the purposes of supporting visa applications.

You need to have a UK bank account

To enable the university to transfer your living costs disbursement on to you, you are required to have a UK bank account and should therefore ensure that you bring sufficient funds with you to enable you to do so.

Disbursement conditions

There are certain criteria that you need to meet before each instalment of your loan is disbursed. This includes completing entrance/exit counselling, being in attendance on at least a half-time basis and making satisfactory progress (please see LU SAP Policy‌). This will be checked prior to each loan disbursement. For more information on the conditions expected of you please see the Federal Student Aid Basic Eligibility Criteria page.

Entrance Counselling

Entrance counselling is a requirement set by the US government that every borrower must complete before they receive their loan. It is a process that ensures understanding of the terms and conditions of your loan. It also provides advice on how to manage the financial expenses of attending university and looking for other means for funding your education.

You can undertake it at the StudentLoans.gov site, under Manage My Direct Loan. Once you have finished, save a copy of your completion certificate or print screen the completion page and send it to the DPA (see contact details for more information).

If we haven’t received any proof of you successfully completing entrance counselling we will be unable to disburse your loan to you.

Exit Counselling

Similar to entrance counselling, exit counselling is a requirement made by the US government on all loan borrowers to complete before leaving their school.

The DPA will email you prior to your final loan disbursement to remind you to complete your exit counselling. Once you have done so you will need to send the DPA confirmation of this.

You will not receive your final disbursement before you have completed your exit counselling and notified the DPA.

Exit counselling can be completed at the StudentLoans.gov site, under Manage My Direct Loan.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is not currently registered with the Internal Revenue Service and so does not have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) which would make it possible to complete a 1098-T form for tax purposes.

A student's enrollment in a program of study abroad approved for credit by the home institution may be considered enrollment at the home institution for the purpose of applying for assistance under the title IV, HEA programs.

Where the programme is delivered in collaboration with another eligible institution, or a consortium of eligible institutions (for the purpose of Federal Aid) a written arrangement of the agreement will be provided to the student at the commencement of the programme.

The University is unable to process an application for a US Federal Loan for students on the following distance learning programmes:

  • MA Leadership in Sport
  • MA Storytelling
  • MBA Business Administration
  • MBA Sport Management
  • MSc Renewable Energy Systems Technology
  • MSc Water and Environmental Management
  • MSc Water Engineering for Development
  • MSc Water Management for Development
  • PG Dip Water and Waste Infrastructure and Services Engineered for Resilience
  • Pre-sessional Programmes