US Federal Loan Eligibility

How to Apply

US citizens or permanent residents with a valid social security number may apply for Direct Loans. To be eligible to apply applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent qualification and must not have defaulted on any previous student loans.

You must meet the criteria set by the US Department of Education to be eligible for US loans. The basic eligibility criteria are listed on the Federal Student Aid website. There are additional criteria for foreign schools, which is outlined briefly below.

Other prerequisites for eligibility include that you must:
• be studying an eligible, degree-bearing programme
• be enrolled and continue to be enrolled at least half-time at Swansea University
• maintain Satisfactory Academic Performance during your studies - see our SAP Policy for further details
• undertake your study and/or research within the UK, including your writing-up period (unless mentioned below).

Further information on these eligibility criteria is provided below. These rules and regulations are set by the US Government. The University does not have any discretion to change these regulations.

The eligibility criteria for US loans are subject to change at the US Department of Education’s discretion and are beyond the University’s control. You should check the latest eligibility on the Federal Student Aid website.

In order for your loans to be progressed with us, an unconditional offer for a place on an on-campus degree at Swansea University must be accepted.

Courses Ineligible for Federal Loans

US law implemented by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA) means there are restrictions on the University's ability to offer federal loan funds to students on certain programmes. Ineligible programmes include those which are less than half-time, are not degree-bearing, include any online element or distance learning, or with a limited exception, programmes offered in whole or in part in the United States by a US institution (see ‘Undertaking Study or Research Outside of the UK’ and ‘Study Abroad Students’ below).

A foreign institution is not prohibited from offering a programme in whole or in part in the United States. However, any such programme is not recognised for Direct Loan Program purposes if the institution in the US is not eligible to administer Federal Student Aid, and/or the credits undertaken in the eligible US school is more than 25% of the maximum credits undertaken for the whole programme. As a result, students attending that programme may not receive Direct Loan Programme funds for any part of the programme.

The following programmes/degrees at Swansea University, where partial instruction is provided by another institution are ineligible for Title IV borrowers:

Joint/Collaborative Research Degrees, Dual and Double Degrees, Joint/Collaborative Masters Degrees, Validation Degrees, Franchised Degrees and Flying Faculty degrees. This includes our University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) Collaborative PhD Programme.

Swansea University is prohibited from offering Federal Student Aid for their medical instruction programmes that lead to a degree of medical doctor, doctor of osteopathic medicine, their Nursing programme or the equivalent.

The US Loan Officer will advise applicants on whether courses are ineligible when you apply to Swansea University and submit your FAFSA. Students on such programmes may however be eligible for a private student loan.

Study Abroad Students

Inbound Students

If you are an American citizen attending Swansea University through a Study Abroad programme sponsored by your U.S. domestic school, your Federal student aid application for a short term, or a study abroad programme is processed by your 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 programme in which the student is enrolled in the U.S.

Outbound Study/Work Students

Students in receipt of, or eligible for US Financial Aid can go on Outbound Exchange to any institution outside of the US that is either eligible or ineligible to administer Federal Student Aid, as all of our Outbound Exchange programmes do not offer more than 25% of the maximum credits undertaken for the whole programme (that is one complete year of a four year Study Abroad programme at Swansea University). If the Outbound Exchange is to a US institution that is ineligible to administer Federal Student Aid, then the whole programme cannot receive Direct Loan Programme funds at any time. 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.

Our Financial Aid administrators can be contacted at: USloans@swansea.ac.uk

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

In terms of international work placements, students can return to the USA on their placement as long as they are not able to achieve more than 25% of the maximum credits undertaken for the whole programme (all of our placements have QAA oversight which allows this).

Enrolment Status

You must be enrolled and continue to be enrolled at least half-time at Swansea University to remain eligible for federal loans. We will only be able to request your loan funds from the US for the scheduled disbursement if you are fully enrolled. Please note that students who suspend, withdraw or drop below half-time enrolment must email the US Loans Officer immediately. You need to also read our Suspend or Withdraw guidelines.

Undertaking Study or Research Outside of the UK

It is not normally possible for students in receipt of US loans to undertake any part of their study (unless mentioned above) or research in the US. However, independent research conducted by an individual student in the United States for no 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. Please email the US Loans Officer before applying for your loan so that your eligibility can be assessed first.

If any part of your programme includes anytime outside of the UK, please email the US Loans Officer immediately as this may affect your eligibility for US loans.

Professional Judgement – Special and Unusual Circumstances

Professional Judgement

The Federal regulations governing the administration and disbursement of US Federal Loans determine the majority of the decisions that the Financial Aid Administrators (FAAs) at Swansea University make. However, in certain circumstances, we may exercise discretion under Professional Judgement (PJ). For example, we may be able to consider a student’s special circumstances to make small adjustments to their calculated Cost of Attendance or Expected Family Contribution (EFC). (Allowed COA components are determined by law and specified in statute). We are also able to perform a dependency override for an undergraduate student, under Professional Judgement.

Swansea University has statutory authority to use PJ to adjust the COA (HEA Section 479(a) and 480(d)(7).

Students may pursue an adjustment based on special or unusual circumstances and Swansea University will consider, make and document all such PJ requests on a case by case basis without regard to how broadly an event may affect its student population.

Please note a student has no appeal rights.

Special circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify the FAAs at Swansea University considering adjusting data elements in the student’s COA or in the EFC calculations under PJ.

Unusual circumstances refer to the conditions that justify the FAAs at Swansea University making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation, more commonly referred to as a ‘Dependency Override’.

They can determine that a student who does not meet any of the basic independence criteria should still be treated as an independent student.