How You Apply
Applications open from 2nd May 2013
Direct loan applications for the 2013/14 academic year can be submitted to the Student Funding Team from 2nd May 2013.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
The US Department of Education has issued a notice to institutions that loan applications for the 2013/14 academic year cannot be submitted to the loans system until 28th June 2013. This is to allow time for modification of US systems to support loan fee increases.
As a result the Student Funding Team cannot provide confirmation that your loan will be approved and cannot provide a loan award letter for visa purposes until after 28th June 2013. In the meantime, however, the Student Funding Team can perform preliminary checks on your application and will notify you once your application has successfully passed through internal checking procedures.
If you completed your Direct Plus Loan credit check before May 2013, you will need to complete it again before sending us your loan documents due to expiry dates.
Applications will be processed in order of receipt.
Applications Close
The deadline for loan applications to be submitted to the Student Funding Team for the 2013/14 academic year is 20th June 2014. (The 2013/14 academic year starts in September 2013).
The deadline for loan applications to be submitted to the Student Funding Team for the 2012/13 academic year was 7th June 2013. (The 2012/13 academic year started in September 2012).
- Which federal loans are available?
- Cost of attendance
- How to apply for a Direct Loan
- Further information
- Useful websites
- Useful videos
- Contact details
Which federal loans are available?
Graduates
-
Direct Loans - Direct Subsidized Loans for graduates have been eliminated for loan periods beginning on / after 1st July 2012. A graduate student will typically, be eligible to borrow up to a maximum of $20,500 each year through a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
The amount you are entitled to borrow will be determined by the information on your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) and whether you will be receiving any other funding. The maximum total debt allowed from Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans over the duration of your studies is $138,500 (no more than $65,500 of this amount may be in Subsidized Loans).
Interest is charged on Unsubsidized Loans while in school and a loan origination fee is deducted at disbursement. Current loan fees and interest rates are available on the Federal Student Aid website.
-
Direct PLUS Loan - Graduates must borrow a Direct Unsubsidized Loan first, and then they may borrow from the limit of their Direct Unsubsidized Loan up to the full Cost of Attendance (CoA). You cannot borrow more than the rest of the Cost of Attendance, or more than you can afford and this loan is subject to credit rating.
Interest is charged while in school. A loan origination fee is deducted at disbursement. Current loan fees and interest rates are available on the Federal Student Aid website.
Undergraduates:
Direct Loans - Your Direct Loan eligibility will vary based on the information from your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) and your academic level:
| Dependent Undergraduates | Yearly Amounts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Subsidized Loan | Additional Unsubsidized Loan | Combined (Maximum) Levels | |
| First Year Undergraduate | $3,500 | $2,000 | $5,500 |
| Second Year Undergraduate | $4,500 | $2,000 | $6,500 |
| Third Year and Beyond Undergraduate | $5,500 | $2,000 | $7,500 |
As a dependent undergraduate student the maximum total debt allowed from Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans over the course of your studies is $31,000 (no more than $23,000 of this amount may be in Subsidized Loans).
| Independent Undergraduates | Yearly Amounts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Subsidized Loan | Additional Unsubsidized Loan | Combined (Maximum) Levels | |
| First Year Undergraduate | $3,500 | $6,000 | $9,500 |
| Second Year Undergraduate | $4,500 | $6,000 | $10,500 |
| Third Year and Beyond Undergraduate | $5,500 | $7,000 | $12,500 |
NB: The above amounts also apply to dependent students whose parents have applied for but were unable to get a Parent PLUS loan
As an independent undergraduate student the maximum total debt allowed from Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans over the course of your studies is $57,500 (no more than $23,000 of this amount may be in Subsidized Loans).
Interest is not charged on Subsidized Loans while in school. Interest is charged on Unsubsidized Loans while in school. For both types of loan a loan origination fee is deducted at disbursement. Current loan fees and interest rates are available on the Federal Student Aid website.
Direct PLUS Loan - Parents of undergraduates can take out a Direct PLUS Loan under their name. They may borrow from the limit of the Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans up to the full Cost of Attendance (CoA). They cannot borrow more than the rest of the CoA and the loan is subject to credit rating.
Interest is charged while in school. A loan origination fee is deducted at disbursement. Current loan fees and interest rates are available on the Federal Student Aid website.
Cost of attendance
The Cost of Attendance (CoA) is the total of all fees and living costs. It is related to individual courses of study. It is for education, not for luxuries. Schools are only allowed to certify up to 'reasonable' costs and if a student chooses to live expensively the university may not certify it. The university decides the CoA but accepts that some student circumstances may vary.
- Tuition fees for undergraduate degree programs can be found in the 2013 Undergraduate Prospectus
- Tuition fees for postgraduate degree programs can be found in the 2013 Postgraduate Prospectus
It is expected that an undergraduate who is self-supporting will need around £10,575 for the nine-month period from mid September 2013 to mid June 2014, in addition to tuition fees. A graduate student is expected to need around £14,100 for the full academic year, in addition to tuition fees. These are the figures that will be used when calculating your Cost of Attendance. A breakdown of these living expense figures can be found in the Undergraduate prospectus and the Postgraduate prospectus.
If a student will be receiving a scholarship / bursary they are required to notify the Student Funding Team as the award may affect their loan eligibility.
Students who have a disability are advised to contact the Student Funding Team as an allowance for expenses related to your disability may be included in your Cost of Attendance. Students who have dependents are also advised to contact the Student Funding Team as an allowance for costs related to dependent care whilst studying may be included in your Cost of Attendance.
Example Cost of Attendance Calculation:
This example is for a postgraduate student studying for a 1 year full time MSc in Mathematics:
| Tuition Fee (£) | £13,000 |
|---|---|
| Living Expenses (£) | £14,100 |
| UK Border Agency Fees (£) | £298 |
| Two Return Flights (£) | £1,800 |
| TOTAL (£) | £29,198 |
| Exchange Rate: £1 = | $1.5880 |
| TOTAL (COST OF ATTENDANCE) ($) | $46,366 |
From 2nd May 2013 the exchange rate of £1 = $1.5880 will be used when calculating your Cost of Attendance for the 2013/14 academic year. This is the average exchange rate between January 2012 and January 2013. Please note that your Cost of Attendance cannot be altered to reflect any fluctuations in the exchange rate. This includes fluctuations that occur before you start or during your program of study.
How to apply for a Direct Loan
You need to download the Application Flowchart [PDF 57.26KB] and the Student Details Form [DOC 29.00KB].
Follow the instructions in the flowchart and complete the Student Details Form.
Then send an email with the attachments detailed in the flowchart to: M.A.Hopkins@sussex.ac.uk and O.Barker-Phelps@sussex.ac.uk
If any documents are missing from your email we cannot process your application. We need you to send all the required documents together as attachments to one email. Please do not send documents separately at different times as each email will be rejected as incomplete. The same applies if you send us your documents by post.
There are no short cuts or ways to expedite the process. The quickest and easiest way to ensure your loan application is processed is to follow the flowchart in the right order.
We will advise you when we start work on your application and when you letter is on its way. Only the original signed letter from the school on school headed paper and signed by an authorised school officer is acceptable to the UK Border Agency. The letter has been agreed with the Border Agency and nothing else will be accepted so please do not request an email or fax or scanned copy.
Further Information to help you with your application
FAFSA
Applications start with FAFSA. You will need to complete a financial aid form through the FAFSA website to generate the essential Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). This will include listing the school codes for the institutions that you wish to be able to access your information. The code for the University of Sussex is: G06699.
To complete the FAFSA electronically, you must have a Federal Student Aid PIN. To apply for a PIN if you do not already have one, or for customer service regarding a previously assigned PIN, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
Your ISIR will be sent electronically to the University three business days after you have completed your FAFSA.
Direct Loan MPN Completion
You must complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) for each type of loan you wish to borrow. The MPN is the legal document which you sign agreeing to repay the loan and agreeing to the loan terms and conditions. You will need to complete a new Direct Loan MPN for each academic year that you receive a Direct Loan.
You must complete a Direct Loan MPN electronically via the StudentLoans.gov website. You will need your Federal Student Aid PIN to complete the MPN. This is the same PIN used to complete the FAFSA.
Direct Loan Entrance Counseling Completion
You must complete Direct Loan Entrance Counseling each year before you can receive a Direct Loan.
Direct Loan Entrance Counseling is completed electronically via the StudentLoans.gov website. You will need your Federal Student Aid PIN to complete the Entrance Counseling. This is the same PIN used to complete the FAFSA.
You will need to complete Entrance Counseling for each type of loan you borrow (e.g. Direct Unsubsidized Loan and Direct PLUS Loan). Parents are not required to complete Entrance Counseling for a Direct PLUS (Parent) Loan.
Credit Check for Plus Loan
You will need to send us a screen-shot as evidence that you have done a credit check and the result. If you miss this stage you will have to wait 24 hours for the email from the USDE. If that email only states that you have done a credit check but does not give the result, you will need to go through the credit check and screen-shot again. Each application for a credit check is logged on your credit rating and may affect your credit rating in the future; you will therefore want to limit the number of times you run a credit check.
Loan Award Letter for Visa Application
Once your loan has been approved the university will send a loan award letter to the address on your Master Promissory Note (MPN). The wording and format of the letter has been agreed with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) as acceptable proof of funding. Only the original letter on headed paper and signed by an authorised university administrator will be accepted by the UKBA.
If you need to apply for a visa and are dependent on federal aid for proof of funding it is advisable not to apply for the visa until you have received the loan award letter confirming your loan and disbursement amounts and dates. Please consult the UKBA – Home Office webpage for further guidance on documentation you will be required to submit with your student visa application: http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/evidence/
The International Student Support Office at the university also provide support services for international students including immigration matters: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/internationalsupport/
Important Update – Delay in Issuing Loan Award Letters
The US Department of Education has issued a notice to institutions that loan applications for the 2013/14 academic year cannot be submitted to the loans system until 28th June 2013. This is to allow time for modification of US systems to support loan fee increases.
As a result the Student Funding Team cannot provide confirmation that your loan will be approved and cannot provide a loan award letter for visa purposes until after 28th June 2013. In the meantime, however, the Student Funding Team can perform preliminary checks on your application and will notify you once your application has successfully passed through internal checking procedures.
If you completed your Direct Plus Loan credit check before May 2013, you will need to complete it again before sending us your loan documents due to expiry dates.
Applications will be processed in order of receipt.
Useful Direct Loan Websites
For information on applying for federal aid, loan details, terms and conditions, repaying student loans and answers to frequently asked questions:
Useful Videos by Federal Student Aid
Contact Details
The Student Funding Team are responsible for administering Direct Loans at the University of Sussex. Our contact details are:
Email: M.A.Hopkins@sussex.ac.uk and O.Barker-Phelps@sussex.ac.uk
Telephone: Marie Hopkins (+44 1273 877307) and Oscar Barker-Phelps (+44 1273 872994)
Address: Student Funding Team, Student Life Centre, University of Sussex, Chichester 1, Falmer, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 9QJ, ENGLAND