Student Loan information for students from the USA
Unfortunately the University of Huddersfield is no longer offering federal funding for new students from January 2025. Applicants who are holding an offer for the university can apply for Sallie Mae funding, further information is available at Sallie Mae.
The University of Huddersfield participates in the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program administered by the United States Department of Education for current students only. The US government requires institutions that participate in the federal student loan program to disclose the following consumer information:
- Code of Conduct
- Institutional and Financial Assistance Information
- Institutional Information
- Safeguarding Customer Information
Further details can be found in our Consumer disclosure document.
Guidance on applying for your loan
Please ensure that you read the following information carefully as US Federal loan regulations are not the same for overseas schools. So how things worked for your loans in USA will not be the same at Huddersfield and it is important to follow the instructions on this page.
Our school code is G12978 which you will need for your application.
Applicants starting in September should not start the process until June otherwise your documents may have expired when you go for your visa interview.
You may borrow up to the Cost of Attendance which is one of the files below which you will need to download. For details of how much subsidised/unsubsidised you can borrow, go to the Federal Student Aid website.
The University is also authorised to certify loans from private loan providers, although at present this is only Sallie Mae. Currently we do not approve loans under the Veteran Affairs/GI Bill.
It is important to note that the University of Huddersfield does not have an EIN number and is therefore unable to provide students with a 1098T although a similar tax letter can be provided on request.
The instructions tell you how to complete the spreadsheet, apply to FAFSA and what other documents you need to collect in order to send us a complete loans application package. If we do not receive the complete pack, we cannot start to process your loans.
US loans are administered by Joanne Ryan, Head of International Operations based within the International Office.
Direct enquiries can be sent by email to Joanne Ryan.
Disbursements
For students starting in the September, loans will be disbursed in three instalments. The first payment will be in October, once you have enrolled, followed by a disbursement in January with the final one in April. Non-standard intakes will usually receive two disbursements over an academic year.
Please be aware that each disbursement will be the same value in accordance with Federal regulations (allowing for currency fluctuations).
To be eligible for US Federal Loans you must:
- be an eligible citizen or legal alien (green card holder)
- have a valid Social Security Number (SSN)
- if male, you must have signed up for selective service or have an exemption certificate
- have a high school diploma or equivalent
- be taking an eligible course – degree courses only and with no time in USA
- be studying “at least half time”
- be declared “eligible for aid” after annual application to FAFSA
- continue to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Satisfactory academic progress
All students applying for or receiving US Federal Aid (subsidised, unsubsidised and PLUS) must progress satisfactorily towards completion of their chosen academic programme in order to remain eligible to receive Title IV Direct Loans. The policy on satisfactory academic progress (SAP) can be seen in the guide Satisfactory Academic Progress.
You should ensure you have read the relevant full policy on academic progression, which applies to all students and is available within the Regulations for awards (taught) or Regulations for awards (research) .
Satisfactory progression to retain Title IV Direct Loans is separate from the academic requirements to remain on your programme of study and does not guarantee the outcome of your programme.
Withdrawals and refunds
If a student who receives Title IV funding withdraws, interrupts for more than 180 days or drops below half time attendance then the University will follow the requirements of returning funds laid down by the federal code of regulations. This will be applied alongside the University’s withdrawal and refund policy and will be processed by the International Office. The International Office will use the Return of funds calculator provided by the US Department of Education (R2T4) to determine how much of the loan may be retained and how much must be returned.
Return of Funds by the University
A student ‘earns’ aid on a daily basis and therefore if a student withdraws any ‘unearned’ aid for that payment period will need to be returned. Once the amount the University and the student needs to return has been calculated, the required amount due from the University will be sent to the US Department of Education and the student notified if they need to return any funds.
Loans are returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidised Stafford
- Subsidised Stafford
- PLUS (Graduate or Parent)
A first year undergraduate, receiving aid for the first time who withdraws within the first 30 days of a programme will be deemed not to have earned any aid.
If, under this policy, a student owes funds to the University once the money has been returned to the lender, the student will be notified directly in this instance.
Return of Funds by the Student
If the student is notified that there are loan funds that must be returned (by the student) the student should repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, scheduled payments are made to the holder of the loan over a period of time. Students who have received a refund of their loan proceeds before withdrawing may be required to return part or all of those funds to the lender.
Further information on the University’s Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) policy can be found here - Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) Policy.
Any questions on US Federal Student Aid should be directed to Joanne Ryan, Head of International Operations at j.ryan@hud.ac.uk.
