The University of Southampton participates in the William D Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Programme.
At the University this programme is administered by the Financial Support Team within the Widening Participation & Social Mobility department.
There are three types of loan available to students through the Direct Loan program:
Please note that students studying at a UK Institution are ineligible to receive Pell Grants.
The amount you can borrow will be determined by the Cost of Attendance (COA) and no more:
There are some programmes at the University which are ineligible to receive funding through Direct Loans:
Students may borrow up to the Cost of Attendance (COA) set by the University.
The maximum loans you can receive cannot exceed the yearly cost of attendance, less any other financial aid you may be receiving.
This is your application to the US direct of Education for a Direct Loan, which needs to be completed for each year of study. This can be completed here.
The US Government requires you to complete Entrance Counselling to confirm understanding of your responsibilities and obligations. Please see the GOV website for more information about how to complete Entrance Counselling.
The MPNs are your Loan agreements. You will need to complete one for each type of loan you are applying for.
If you are applying for Parent Plus Loan then it is your parent that must complete the MPN. You can find information about completing MPNs on the GOV website.
We are currently processing applications for the 2024/25 academic year. Please contact [email protected] once you have submitted your FAFSA, Entrance Counselling, and MPN(s).
The University will complete the COA on behalf of the student.
We will check your COA against the Direct Loans published guidelines. If we have any concerns, we will contact you to discuss.
Once all completed, the University will originate your loan.
If you are applying for a Student visa, you will need to be able to show you have sufficient funding in place.
Once your loan has been agreed and processed we will produce a letter confirming your Federal Aid funding for the year ahead; this will be emailed to you but you can also request a hard copy to be sent to your home address.
|
|
Disbursement Date | Payment Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | ||
| Disbursement 1 | 30 September 2024 | 30 September 2024 | 26 January 2025 |
| Disbursement 2 | 27 January 2025 | 27 January 2024 | 15 June 2025 |
| From | To | ||
| Disbursement 1 | 30 September 2024 | 30 September 2024 | 26 January 2025 |
| Disbursement 2 | 27 January 2025 | 27 January 2025 | 15 June 2025 |
| Disbursement 3 | 16 June 2025 | 16 June 2025 | 28 September 2025 |
| From | To | ||
| Disbursement 1 | 30 September 2024 | 30 September 2024 | 9 April 2025 |
| Disbursement 2 | 10 April 2025 | 9 April 2025 | 28 September 2025 |
We disburse your funds to you through Convera to ensure you receive them quickly and efficiently.
Once we have set up your loan you will be contacted by Convera for your UK bank details so they can pay your funds directly into your account. If you do not have a UK bank account, then you can enter your US bank account details.
In accordance with the US Government guidelines, the University will deduct tuition payments from the disbursement. If you are living in University accommodation, the University may also deduct accommodation payments from the disbursement. Remaining funds will be paid directly to you.
All disbursements are subject to the following:
· Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is being made
· Student is enrolled at least part time (Half Time)
· Student is not in the USA
· Student has not violated any federal compliance regulations (repayment default, fraud, drugs)
US Government regulations require students who withdraw, graduate, or drop below half time attendance to complete exit counselling.
Students must complete Exit Counselling online. Once completed send a scanned pdf of the final page to [email protected]
US Government regulations require the University to ensure all students receiving Federal Direct Loans are making satisfactory progress.
Please be aware that failure of any academic year can have a major effect on your eligibility to receive funding so please contact us at [email protected] to discuss your situation in this instance.
The COA is calculated in US Dollars and the loan is borrowed in US dollars. It is exchanged into GBP at the time the disbursement takes place. Due to exchange rate fluctuations throughout the year, the University is unable to accurately fix the rate in advance so that the student gets exactly what they need. The exchange rate for all COAs in the 24/25 academic year is 1.35.
The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is the US Department of Education's central database for student aid. It receives data from a number of sources, including the participating schools.
The University of Southampton keeps NSLDS updated with changes to enrolment status of all its US Loan recipients.
NSLDS Student Access provides a centralized, integrated view of Title IV loans and grants so that recipients of Title IV Aid can access and inquire about their Title IV loans and/or grant data.
In order to prohibit a conflict of interest of an agent with respect to private education loans, all employees of the University of Southampton with responsibility for US loans are prohibited from the following:
Commercial Loans
The University of Southampton does not recommend any private lender, but is currently only able to disburse Sallie Mae loans.
Veteran’s Affairs
The University of Southampton is currently withdrawn from the Veteran's Affairs GI Bill benefits programme from 24th June 2024. We are therefore unable to certify any funding requests and your benefits cannot be used to pay for tuition fees at the university. Please contact [email protected] should you have any further questions.
Key points about US Direct Loans as well as information on the application process can be found below.