About USA Funding

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.  

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. 

Federal Stafford loan 

A Federal Stafford loan from the US Government has subsidised and unsubsidised  components.   
The US Government pays the interest during your periods of study, plus a six-month grace period.   

Your grace period begins when you:  

• complete your study  
• withdraw from your course or   
• drop below half-time attendance.  

The amount of Financial Aid that you are eligible to receive depends on:

• your year of study.  
• whether you are a dependent or independent student.  

Federal Aid eligibility in your first year of study     

Dependent:

Total: $5,500 
Subsidised: $3,500 

Independent 

Total: $9,500 
Subsidised: $3,500 

Federal Aid eligibility in your second year of study 

Dependent 

Total: $6,500 
Subsidised: $4,500 

Independent 

Total: $10,500 
Subsidised: $4,500 

Federal Aid eligibility in your third to fifth year of study 

Dependent 

Total: $7,500 
Subsidised: $5,500 

Independent 

Total: $12,500 
Subsidised: $5,500 

Federal Parent PLUS Loan 

If you are a dependent student, your parents can apply for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan. You can use this to cover any shortfall on your cost of attendance after your Stafford Loan.   

If you are unable to take a Parent PLUS Loan, you may be able to increase the amount you borrow through a Stafford Loan. 

If you are an independent student, it may be possible to borrow up to the increased limits.

Private loans 

Private loans are credit based. 

You may not need a loan co-signer but having one could improve the loan’s interest rate. 

Federal Stafford Loan 

You may be eligible for up to $20,500 per year, which is all unsubsidised.

Federal Graduate PLUS Loan 

You can apply for a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan without involving a parent. You may be able to get an amount that covers the full cost of attendance.  

Private loans 

Private loans are credit based. You may not need a loan co-signer but having one could improve the loan’s interest rate. 

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).   

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  

For queries about studying at Leeds with US Federal Loans, email the US Loans Adviser at usloans@leeds.ac.uk.

You can get:  

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

Federal Loan funds are paid to the University. We use the money to cover your tuition fees, and if you’re staying in University halls, we can deduct your residency costs too. We will 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 may not receive your funding on time. 

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

Undergraduates  

If you are an undergraduate student, we will use the semester dates from the university Almanac.   

International taught postgraduate fees  

International taught postgraduate students usually need to pay a tuition fee deposit before starting a course.   
But if we have confirmation that you are eligible for a US Federal Loan, you will not need to pay a tuition fee deposit. You will be automatically exempt from paying it.  

Taught postgraduates

If you are a taught postgraduate student we will use term dates that run from September to September. The exact start and end dates vary.   

Research postgraduates

If you are a research postgraduate, your programme dates for fees start on the 1st of the month you begin study. Your year will be split into 2 periods of 6 months.

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 two instalments for undergraduates and three 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.  

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.

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

Taught students must pass every module. 

Research students must have their course supervisor agree that they are making satisfactory progress.

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.

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).  

Research students must register at the Student Services Centre counter.