US Loans: how to apply

Federal Student Aid

The University of Sheffield participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Programme. You can find out more about the loans programme from their website.

Federal Student Aid website

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for these loans you must meet all of the criteria below:

• You are an American national or permanently reside in America.
• You have accepted an offer to study at the University of Sheffield for the following academic year.
• You are studying an eligible course (see below).

Programmes that are not eligible to receive Federal Student Aid

• Specific courses within the Faculty of Health, including MBChB and BDS, or any course with clinical modules. If your course is within this faculty, we will review the eligibility once you have submitted an application.
• Foundation years, this is either as a standalone year or as part of an undergraduate degree. The remainder of the undergraduate course may be eligible for Federal Student Aid. Please email our team for further information about this.
• Certificate and Diploma degrees
• First-professional degrees
• Courses of either Distance Learning or Remote Location mode of attendance
• Courses that include a period of study abroad; this includes conducting any study within the USA
• Courses off campus, ie attending City College in Thessaloniki, Sofia and Tirana
• Courses at Sheffield International College or the English Language Teaching Centre
• Visiting and exchange students or students on an Erasmus/Study Abroad programme (you should apply for funds through your home institution)
• Courses that include Erasmus/Study Abroad (please contact us to check this as some may be eligible)
• Courses run by the University of Law at the University of Sheffield campus, such as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC)
• Courses that include placement years and internships

A full list of eligibility criteria can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

If you are not eligible for Federal Loans, you may be eligible to apply for a private loan.

How much can you borrow?

The amount you can borrow is calculated by adding your tuition fee and estimated living cost together and then deducting any scholarships or other fee reductions, estimated family contributions (EFC) from your Student Aid Report (SAR).

These figures are all taken from the Cost of Attendance spreadsheet.

Federal Aid - Calculating Your Entitlement (PDF, 106KB)

How to apply for Federal Student Aid

1. Apply to FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for your loans and inform them that you intend to study at the University of Sheffield with the School Code G08398 / 00839800.

2. Once we are able to access your FAFSA via the US Federal Loan system, we will calculate your Cost of Attendance, indicating the funding available to you, and send this, along with a Funding Notification Letter, for you to complete.

3. Complete the next relevant steps online via Federal Student Aid to apply for your funding:

• Entrance counselling
• Master Promissory Note (for Stafford and/or PLUS loans)

And if you are applying for a PLUS loan:

• Apply for a PLUS loan

Please note that your application for a PLUS loan is not complete until you have submitted your application and received confirmation from them via email of approval and that your Credit Check has been completed.

4. Once you have completed these steps, return the Funding Notification Letter accepting your funding offer.

5. We will then process your loan application within 10-15 working days of receiving your Funding Notification Letter and issue your Official Loan Letter confirming your eligibility for loans.

To ensure your funds are in place for September 2023, please submit your Certification Letter by Friday 4 August 2023. You can still apply after this date; however, there may be a delay in processing your application and your funds may not be available for the start of your course.

Applying for additional funds

If you experience a change of circumstances during your studies, you may be able to apply for additional funds.

The deadline to apply for Federal Student Aid for the 2023-24 academic year is Friday 24 May 2024.

Please contact the Student Fees and Funding Team via usloans@sheffield.ac.uk if you are wanting to apply for funding during the academic year.

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Private loans

As far as the University is aware, there are only two private lenders that make loans available to US students completing a degree at a UK institution. These private loans are available from Sallie Mae Student Loans or Earnest Student Loans.

Further information about the loans are available from their websites:

Sallie Mae Student Loans website

Earnest Student Loans website

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for these loans via the University of Sheffield you must meet both of the criteria below:

• You have submitted an application with either Sallie Mae Student Loans or Earnest Student Loans and have been approved for funding.
• You have accepted an offer to study at the University of Sheffield for the next academic year.

How to apply for Private Loans

1. Apply to either Sallie Mae or Earnest Student Loans for your loans and inform them that you intend to study at the University of Sheffield. If the school code is required, please use either G08398 / 00839800.

2. Inform the University that you want to apply for loans by completing and emailing the Certification Form for Private Loans (PDF, 141KB) to usloans@sheffield.ac.uk. If you experience any accessibility issues with this form, please contact usloans@sheffield.ac.uk.

3. Within 7-10 working days of our team receiving this form, we will calculate your Cost of Attendance, indicating the funding available to you, and send this, along with a Funding Notification Letter, for you to complete.

4. We will then process your loan application within 10-15 working days of receiving your Funding Notification Letter and issue your Official Loan Letter confirming your eligibility for loans.

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Veteran Affairs Funding

The University of Sheffield has made a decision to withdraw from any further participation in the US Department of Veteran Affairs programme.

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Additional information

If you are in receipt of Federal Loans whilst you are studying at the University, we are required to report your registration status with the National Student Loan Data System for Students (NSLDS) every 60 days.

If you are not in receipt of loans but require your registration status to be reported for loan deferment purposes, please contact the Student Fees and Funding Team via usloans@sheffield.ac.uk to request this.

More information about deferment forms and other forms completed by The University of Sheffield can be found on the US loans forms web page.

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