USA student funding

As a US student, you may be able to access different types of funding to complete a University of Leeds programme.

You may be eligible to access funding from: 

• national federal loans 
• regional federal loans 
• private loans  

Comparing funding

Federal loans offer more competitive rates and repayment benefits. 

Compare federal and provate loans.

Certifying private loans

We certify educational loans from private lenders who lend to students at international universities. 

Distance-learning students can apply for private loans such as Sallie Mae’s Smart Option Student Loan or Earnest loans.

US federal aid loans

As a student at an international university, you are eligible to apply for: 

• Stafford loans 
• Federal Parent PLUS loans if you are an undergraduate 
• Federal Graduate PLUS loans if you are a postgraduate 

You cannot apply for the Pell Grant. 

As a University, we are not able to approve US Federal loans for: 

• distance learning courses 
• Medicine 
• Nursing 
• PGCE 
• Dentistry 
• any Advanced Diploma course. 

VA Education Benefits

You cannot use VA Education Benefits to enrol in any University of Leeds programmes on or after 26 April 2024.

Federal Aid eligibility

To be eligible for Federal Aid, you must: 

• be a US citizen or permanent resident  
• have a valid US social security number 
• hold a high-school diploma or equivalent 
• be registered for Selective Services if you are male, or be exempt from registering 
• be accepted onto at least a half-time programme of study at the University of Leeds and hold a valid student ID number. 

 You must not: 

• be undertaking any amount of study or research in the US during part of your program 
• have any previous convictions for drug-related offences 
• be in default on any prior student loan or owe a refund on any grant. 

Undergraduate funding loans

Postgraduate loans

Loan interest rates and charges

Find out more about interest rates and fees for Federal Student Loans.

For private loans, contact your lender as they dictate the interest rates. You should direct any questions to them.

Consumer information

Because the University of Leeds offers Federal Student Aid, by law we must provide you with consumer information. 

This is part of the William D Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Standards for Participation). 

Apply for US federal aid loans

You can apply for federal funding through the Direct Loan Program. 

To assess your eligibility you should complete the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  

You need to complete a new FAFSA for each year of study. The information from your FAFSA creates your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).  

Get help with federal loans

To complete your Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you may need to enter University of Leeds specific codes: 

The University of Leeds school code for FAFSA is G06692.

The campus code (if required) is 00.

Talk to someone 

You can contact the US Loans Adviser in the Funding Team for queries about studying at Leeds with US Federal Loans. 

You can get: 

• information about the process 
• a flowchart explaining the process 
• a spreadsheet to help you calculate Cost of Attendance (COA) 

Cost of Attendance

The total amount of money that you as a student need for educational purposes is known as the Cost of Attendance (COA).  

Federal law allows your COA to include: 

• tuition fees 
• an allowance for books, supplies and transport 
• an allowance to cover room and board, rent or hall charges 
• an allowance for dependent care if necessary 
• an allowance to assist with any disability 
• coverage of any charges or premiums associated with a Federal Loan. 

Calculating Cost of Attendance

You will complete your COA document during the Federal Loan application process. Your COA estimates the cost of you studying at Leeds University for one year.  

Every student gets an individual calculation. 

When calculating your COA, the University sets some costs based on averages. These are general living allowances. 

General living alowances for COA

The 2024-25 academic year University of Leeds weekly general living allowances, are:  

• Accommodation £194
• Travel £28.80
• Utilities such as gas, electricity and food £115
• Personal costs such as clothing and leisure £56
• Books and photocopying £15.50
• Mobile phone £12

The 2024-25 academic year University of Leeds annual general living allowances, are:  

• Flights £2,000
• Via application £490, first year only
• Healthcare £776, or £2,716 total for a three-year course
• Computer equipment and software £550

How to calculate Cost of Attendance

To calculate your COA, you should use the document we send you.  

The document is a MS Excel spreadsheet but you can also open it using OpenOffice.  

Complete the COA document by working through the tabs from left to right.  

Make sure to enter your: 

• full name 
• date of birth 
• social security number. 

You must include any extra aid you’ll get in your calculation. It might affect your student funding entitlement. 

You must include:  

• bursaries 
• grants 
• sponsorships 
• scholarships 

The total value of your loans within an academic year must not exceed your COA estimate for that year. 

If you have any special requirements that you think may affect your COA, email the US Loans Advisor in the Funding Team at usloans@leeds.ac.uk.

Register with the US loan website

You must register with the US loan website and carry out the following tasks for your Federal Aid application.  

You must: 

• complete entrance counselling  
• sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN) 
• complete your Plus loan MPN (PLUS loan only) 
• complete your credit check (PLUS loan only) 

After this, you must email the US Loans Advisor in the Funding Team. In your email, you need to include: 

• screenshots of Master Promissory Notes 
• PDF of Master Promissory Notes 
• your completed COA spreadsheet.

After your Cost of Attendance submission

If you get a Federal Student Aid award after you submit your COA, you need to notify the US Loans Advisor in the Funding Team. The Loans Advisor will then adjust your COA and loan. 

Payment periods and term dates 

Your course of study will set the dates we use to define your payment periods.  

Getting your loan in Leeds

When you arrive in Leeds you should make sure you have enough money to cover your immediate living costs. it could take a few weeks for you to get your loan. 

Getting your loan on time will help you pay for tuition and accommodation on time. 

To help make sure you get your loan on time you should follow the correct course registration process.

Registration  

You cannot get a loan payment until after you register as a student.  

Before you can receive your loan or register for your course you must complete a Manual Credit Agreement Form for your tuition fees. 

The form matches your fee payments to your loan disbursal dates. There are 2 instalments for undergraduates and 3 instalments for postgraduates. 

After submission the form should take a maximum of 48 hours to process. You will then be able to complete your registration. 

Taught students can register online. 

Research students must register at the Student Services Centre counter.

Receiving your loan

Federal Loan funds are paid to the University. We use the money to cover your tuition and/ or accommodation fees and then pay what’s left into your UK bank account.  

Before the start of term you will get an email asking you to confirm you wish to take the loan.  

If you do not confirm, you could have a funding delay. 

Paying your accommodation fees

You are responsible for paying your accommodation costs. If you’re staying in University halls, we can deduct your residency costs from your loan instalments. 

Satisfactory Academic Policy

To continue receiving your loan payments, you must meet the University’s Satisfactory Academic Policy (SAP).

Taught students

You must pass every module.

Research students

Your course supervisor must agree that you are making satisfactory progress.

Course withdrawal

Before you make a decision about withdrawing from your course you should email the International Student Office at globalcommunity@leeds.ac.uk for immigration advice. 

You need to follow the University’s leaving procedure so we can accurately calculate any tuition fee refund. 

If you withdraw from the University and receive Federal funding then you may need to return some of the refunded fees to the US Federal Aid Program. 

It is more likely you will need to return fees to the US Federal Aid Program if you are 60% of the way or more through the loan period. 

How we charge tuition fees 

We don’t charge fees in the first two weeks of attendance. 

After the first two weeks, undergraduate and postgraduate fee charges are weekly,  (pro rata). 

If you withdraw from your course you will not receive any further funding.   

For further details, see the University’s written policy on the return of Title IV funds.