Eligibility
Find out if you’re eligible for a Federal Student Loan.
Financial aid for US students
Federal student aid is available to students from all walks of life and financial backgrounds. Our eligibility certificate permits the University to provide financial aid for Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degree programmes. Read the elibility requirements below carefully to find out if you can qualify for federal student aid.
The following programmes are not eligibile for financial aid:
- Certficates and Diplomas
- Complusory Study Abroad Year – courses with a compulsory study abroad year include programmess with an American Studies component, a dual-language major, or a joint major involving a language. If you are in receipt of, or applying for, financial aid you cannot transfer on to a programme with a compulsory study abroad year
- Placements - including assessed placements, dissertations with a placement, integrated placements, research placements, internships, externships, industrial placements, professional placements and work-based placement
- Distance learning (Doctoral (PhD) degree students – if any part of your funding, at any time, is through USA federal Direct Loan funds, you will be registered on a separate version of your doctoral degree which does not include the possibility of distance learning which is prohibited under USA federal regulations)
- Foundation Year Courses
- International Study Centre (Study Group) programmes – including students progressing on to a three year degree programme at Sussex from the International Year One (IY1) Programme
- Partner Institutions
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)
- Visiting & Exchange and Summer Schools
- Undergraduate optional Study Abroad period – programmes with a voluntary (optional) study abroad period are not eligible for financial aid. If you are in receipt of, or applying for, financial aid you cannot transfer on to a programme with a voluntary (optional) study abroad period.
- Undergraduate optional Placements – programmes with a voluntary (optional) placement cannot be undertaken in the United States if the number of credits for the placement exceeds 25% of the total credits for the programme. If you are in receipt of, or applying for, financial aid you cannot transfer on to a programme with a voluntary (optional) placement in the United States if the number of credits for the placement exceeds 25% of the total credits for the programme.
Enrolment status and eligibility for financial aid
To be eligible for Federal Student Aid you must meet the US Department of Education's eligibility criteria.
USA federal regulations state that you must have a secondary school completion credential (high school diploma) or the recognised equivalent of a secondary school completion credential to be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid. If you are enrolled at the University under the mature student provision (on the basis of your life and work experience rather than formal qualification) you will not be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid.
If any part of your funding, at any time, is through USA Federal Direct Loan funds, you are prohibited under USA federal regulations from returning to the United States to undertake fieldwork, research or to write your thesis. Placements (including internships and externships) also cannot be undertaken in the United States if the number of credits for the placement exceeds 25% of the total credits for the programme.
The only exception to this is if you undertake independent research in the United States during your dissertation (write-up) phase of a doctoral programme under the guidance of faculty and the research can only be conducted in the United States. Please note that prior approval must have been given by the Financial Aid Office and you can only do this for a maximum of one academic year.
If you’re a PhD student, you will drop to below half-time status at the University after have submitting your thesis, until your viva. Once you have dropped to below half-time status you will become ineligible for any further loan disbursements.
Employment is not provided as part of the financial aid package at this University.
Eligibility requirements may vary if you instead choose to take out a private loan through a private education lender.
Further help
The Federal Student Aid YouTube channel has lots of useful videos you can watch, including help with your Direct Loan application and information about repayments.
Contact
The Financial Aid Office are responsible for administering Federal Direct Loans at the University of Sussex. Get in touch by emailing: usfinancialaid@sussex.ac.uk.