US Federal Loans

• Direct loan - Subsidised Stafford (undergraduate students only)
• Direct loan - Unsubsidised Stafford
• Direct loan - PLUS loans (Graduate PLUS loans or Parent loans for dependant undergraduate students)
• Private student loans such as Sallie Mae

If you are a graduate you can apply for a PLUS loan in your own right. If you are an undergraduate student you cannot apply for the PLUS, but your parents can apply on your behalf. PLUS loans are credit based.

Foreign institutions are NOT eligible to administer PELL grants or Work-Study funds.

Information and advice on how to apply is available on our Eligibility and Loan Application Process pages. Please read through these information pages before starting the loan application process. You may find that the UK process is very different to previous applications made at US institutions.

The sum of your Federal and any Private loans cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance, so you should think carefully should you decide to take out both loans. Also see your loan limits depending on whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student. 

Federal student aid services offered by the Department of Education and its student loan services are free.

Such services include:

• Consolidating federal student loans;
• Changing repayment plans;
• Resolving defaults;
• Filing requests for borrower defence loan cancellation; and
• Other benefits and services that students are entitled to receive at no charge

Please be aware of so called debt relief companies. These debt relief companies may utilise sophisticated strategies to target unsuspecting borrowers and inappropriately use the Department of Education’s logo or other identifying information to give the impression that they are working with or for the US Government. These companies may also state or imply that the company is working with a post-secondary institution to provide benefit to student loan borrowers, so please be extra vigilant, as students do not need to pay for loan benefits for Federal student loans.

There are four warning signs of third party debt relief companies that student loan borrowers should avoid, including:

• Pressure to pay high upfront fees;
• Promises of immediate loan forgiveness or debt cancellation;
• Demands that you sign a ‘third party authorisation’ or
• Requests for a student’s Federal Student Aid PIN or FSA ID

Students in receipt of Aid are expected to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

SAP Policy applies to all students taking federal loans (also known as 'financial aid' and 'Title IV aid') at Swansea University, specifically Direct Subsidised, Direct Unsubsidised, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans. It applies to all federal loan recipients.

SAP is assessed as follows:

• Qualitative standard (grades): Students must achieve minimum standards as required by the academic department and supervisor/tutor, equivalent to a C grade, and academic standing consistent with graduation requirements. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 which is equivalent to a C grade at Swansea University and equates to a minimum mark of 50%.
• Quantitative standard (pace): Students must progress through their course at a pace which ensures that they will graduate within the maximum timeframe. The maximum timeframe for completion is 150% of the standard, published timeframe for a course, e.g. 18 months for a 12-month MA or MSc, 4.5 years for a 3-year BA or BSc, and 6 years for a 4-year PhD. Students must also be studying at least half-time in order to be eligible for federal loans. Students must therefore maintain a minimum cumulative completion rate of two thirds of the credits attempted to ensure the programme of study will be completed within the maximum time frame allowed (for example, completing their programme after attempting a maximum of 180 credits for a 120 credit programme).

Credits transferred from all other credit sources will be considered as attempted/completed credits in the evaluation of the completion rate standards, but these do not affect the calculation of the grade point average.

For example:

• 40 accepted transfer credits
• 40/40 is 100% pace of progression
• Student takes 24 credits in first year and completes 12.  That’s 12/24 or 50%
• Required pace of progression is 67%
• Cumulative pace is 52/64 = 81%
• Both the qualitative and quantitative SAP standards are reviewed and evaluated annually towards the end of the programme of study. Undergraduates’ Summer term, i.e. June to July, MA, MSc and PhD September to October.

Full details of the SAP process and the procedures to be followed if a student fails to meet SAP Policy

Different types and amounts of loans are available depending on the course you applying to.  Further information can be found here.

This is a long process. You can get help with filling-out your FAFSA here: Filling Out the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid. Your completed FAFSA must be received by 1st September in order for us to be able to process it for payment on the first disbursement date. Any applications made throughout the academic year must be received at least one calendar month before the next disbursement date. Please note however that we cannot guarantee that applications will be processed within these timescales especially if there are outstanding issues with your loan application, so the sooner we receive your FAFSA the smoother the processing will be.

Remember, you will also need proof of funding for your visa application, and this cannot be posted to you until your loans have been fully certified and originated.

You can find a step-by-step guide to the application process here.

If you would like to find out more about how and when you will receive my federal loan disbursements please click here.

Download the Consumer Disclosure Information which will be updated regularly.

Download our Leave of Absence Policy (only applicable to PhD students)

How do I apply for a loan?

Please see our Loan Application Process pages for our application steps. 

When should I apply for my loan and how long will it take to process?

You can apply for your loan from October 1^st each year for the following academic year e.g. 1st October 2018 for the academic year 2019/20.

However, applications will need to be received a minimum of one calendar month before the next disbursement date to receive funds on that disbursement date. This applies to the first disbursement date as well as to any applications made throughout the year. The disbursement dates are normally the first week of October, end of January and the middle of April. Click here for the exact dates link to Disbursement of funds.

It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete loan application is submitted in a timely manner, as the timescale for processing will increase if individual queries need investigation first. We cannot guarantee that applications will be approved within the four week timescale if there are outstanding matters relating to the loan(s).

I have completed my FAFSA but I have not heard anything – what should I do?

There are several steps to completing a loan application after completing your FAFSA. As a foreign school, we are not notified when you complete your FAFSA and so therefore have to check periodically on the US systems. Remember, you must complete all of the steps on our Loan Application Process pages in order to notify us that you are applying for a loan.  link to this from here

If I am attending Swansea University through a “Study Abroad” programme sponsored by my domestic school, do I apply for federal student aid through Swansea University?

No. Federal student aid for a short term, or a study abroad programme is processed by the student’s home institution in the U.S.

Swansea University is not authorised to certify student loans or deferments for U.S. study abroad students who only plan to attend for a semester or for a one year study abroad experience to earn credits that apply toward or transfer into a degree program in which the student is enrolled in the U.S.

I am a US Citizen who can access Federal Aid to fund my study in the UK, and I plan to apply for a degree programme at Swansea University that will include a study/work abroad year/semester. Will I be eligible for Federal Aid at Swansea University for the duration of my programme?

Students in receipt of/eligible for US Financial Aid can only go on Outbound Exchange to another institution that is eligible to administer US Financial Aid. As such if students are interested in going on an outbound exchange they must notify one of the Financial Aid administrators at Swansea University in advance of applying for the degree that includes this option so that they can identify the eligible institutions that students may attend. 

Emai the loans administrator here: USloans@swansea.ac.uk

If you attend a study/work abroad year/semester at an institution abroad that is ineligible to administer Federal Aid or is in the US, then your whole degree programme becomes ineligible for Federal Aid funding.

Please note that students in receipt of US Financial Aid cannot go on an Outbound Exchange to the USA.

In terms of international work placements again students cannot return to the USA on their placement.

The regulations are as follows:

Under §600.52, a foreign institution may not permit students to enrol in any course offered by the foreign institution that takes place in the United States, including research, work, internship, externship, or special studies. Despite this prohibition, independent research done by an individual student in the United States for not more than one academic year is permissible if it is conducted during the dissertation phase of a doctoral program under the guidance of faculty and the research can only be performed in the United States. (Additional guidance on the Title IV program ineligibility of foreign institution programs offered in the U.S. can be found in Dear Colleague Letter GEN-11-18.) Under §600.54(c), an eligible foreign institution may not enter into an arrangement under which a Title IV-ineligible entity provides any portion of the eligible institution’s programs (except for affiliation agreements for the provision of clinical training for foreign medical, veterinary, and nursing schools).

How do I contact the US loan Administrators at Swansea University?

If you have not found the information you are looking for, please email USloans@swansea.ac.uk or call (+44) (0) 1792 602365 or (Monday to Friday, between 9am and 4pm, UK time)

Do Swansea University complete 1098T tax forms?

No, we do not currently complete 1098T tax forms for our students as we are not registered with the IRS.