U.S. Federal Loans for U.S. Citizens and Eligible Noncitizens

These are now Federal Direct Loans that are provided by the US Government and are available to US citizens and eligible non-citizens who have accepted an unconditional offer to study at the University of Salford.  Federal Direct Loans consist of Subsidised and Unsubsidised Loans.

PLUS loans are federal loans that graduate/professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students can use in addition to Subsidised and Unsubsidised Loans.

Parent PLUS loan is in the parent’s name and the parent is responsible for repayment of the loan. 

Eligible Programmes

The University of Salford is approved to certify federal loans for degree courses only. 

The University of Salford is approved to: 

• permit written arrangements with an eligible institution in the United States to provide no more than 25 percent of a student’s programme. 
• permit written arrangements between a foreign institution and an ineligible entity for no more than 25 percent of a student’s programme, provided that the ineligible entity satisfies definition of ‘‘foreign institution’’. The Department is declining to permit stacking of the allowance for a student to complete up to 25 percent of their programme at an eligible institution in the United States under proposed § 600.52. However, an exception is permitted for independent research done by an individual student in the United States for not more than one academic year for research conducted during the dissertation phase of a doctoral program (where the research can only be performed at a facility in the United States) under current § 600.51 

The following types of courses are excluded: 

• PGCE 
• PG diploma/certificate courses 

Ineligible Programmes:

• Programmes offered in whole or in part via the distance learning route 
• Anything less than half time, (continuous) part time  
• Nursing programmes 

Students on these courses may be eligible for private loans. Please contact us if you are unsure whether your course meets the criteria. 

Annual Maximum Direct Loan Eligibility Table

Please follow this link for information about interest rates and fees. 

Sallie Mae is the only lender providing private education loans to American students studying at a foreign school.  If you apply for a private study loan, you must email usloans@salford.ac.uk to confirm the amount of loan that you require.  Loans can only be disbursed after you have enrolled on an eligible course at the University of Salford.

• More information about Sallie Mae Loans. 

Sallie Mae loans are paid by to your bank account in the UK or US, in a single disbursement after the start of your course. From your Sallie Mae loan, we will deduct the full balance of your fees and refund any excess funds to your bank account, which you will be asked to provide to Convera (formerly known as Western Union) if being paid into a UK account.  Should you wish to be paid into a US bank account, you will need to provide the US Loans Administrator with your US bank details.  This should be sent to usloans@salford.ac.uk in an encrypted document. 

Your first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This process generates your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Your FSS is required to determine your eligibility to receive a Federal Loan and the amount you are eligible to borrow. Salford’s School Code is G09006. 

You should not follow the next steps until you can actually submit your application as your credit check is only valid for a limited time. 

The US Department of Education will process your information and generate an FSS. You can review/amend your FSS online once it has been processed. In order to certify your Federal Loans, the University must be able to access your FSS.   

Please contact us and provide the following details: 

• Full name 
• Your University student ID (if you have been issued with one) 
• Date of Birth 
• How much you wish to borrow 
• If you have been awarded a scholarship by the University of Salford. Please send your letter showing your scholarship to the US Loans Administrator at usloans@salford.ac.uk. 

Upon receiving this information, the US Loans Administrator will be able to access your FSS electronically and calculate the amount of funds you will be able to borrow. 

We will notify you via email of the amount you can borrow via a “Funding Notification Offer” that will include specific information about any loan that we plan to disburse under your MPN, and the expected disbursement dates and amounts. 

You should evaluate the aid offer carefully.  In the case of loans, keep in mind that whatever amount you borrow must be paid back with interest.  If your living expenses are not as high as the standard allowance projected by us, you may not have to borrow as much as the amount in the loan notification email. 

You have the right to decline the loan or to request a lower loan amount. 

Once you have accepted your loan, by returning your signed Funding Notification letter, confirming the amounts you would like to borrow, we will ask that your deposit fee is waived, if relevant, so that you can accept your unconditional offer.

At this stage you must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN).  You can complete the MPN online.  

The MPN is a legal document in which you promise to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to the Department.  It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan(s). 

Please be aware you will need to complete a new MPN for each year of your studies if you continue to receive Federal Student Aid.  Foreign Schools cannot use multi-year MPNs. This applies also to any previous MPNs you may have completed before. They will not be accepted, and your loan will be rejected. 

If you are applying for a Direct PLUS as a graduate/professional student, you will need to complete and sign a PLUS MPN that is separate from the one that you use for your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans. 

Except for Parent Direct PLUS Loan borrowers, it is a Federal requirement that any US student who receives a Federal Loan should first complete Entrance Counselling. 

The University of Salford requires that you complete the counselling each academic year even if you have had a Federal Loan previously. 

The PLUS loan requires a credit check.  If credit is declined then you will need an endorser to take a Credit Check.  An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct PLUS Loan if you do not repay the loan. 

As the credit check is only valid for 90 days, please do not complete it until just before you are ready to submit your application to The University of Salford. The opening date is 1 June. 

If you are a parent borrowing on behalf of your dependent student, the endorser may not be the student on whose behalf a parent obtains a Direct PLUS Loan. 

In order to receive aid, you must be enrolled at least half-time and meet the requirement of our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. You must read the SAP Policy.

Disbursements 

Before we can process your payments, you need to be fully enrolled on your course. 

During online enrollment, you will be asked how you intend to pay your course fees. Choose the sponsored category. Your Funding Notification Offer from the US Loans Administrator acts as a sponsor letter.

We use Convera (formally known as Western Union) to process the loans. 

Managing the flow of these direct loans is accomplished as follows.  

• The university deposits funds to a Convera USD bank account.  
• Convera then converts the funds from USD to the university currency and deposits the funds to the university's holding balance.  
• The university then instructs Convera to deposit applicable funds to the university (for student tuition, residency, fees, etc.) and disburses the remainder to the student.  
• The students are paid via electronic payment.  Convera will email you to ask for your UK bank details, if you don’t have these you can send your US bank details in an encrypted document to the US Loans Administrator.

Please ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover your expenditure until you receive the refunded portion of your loan for study and living expenses after fees have been deducted, if relevant. 

If you do not have enough loans to cover the full cost of your fees, it is your responsibility to ensure all your fees are paid by the due date. 

Convera will disburse your loan money by crediting it to your university account in order to pay tuition fees.  If the loan disbursement amount exceeds our charges, Convera will pay the remaining balance directly to your UK or US bank account.     

Each loan instalment is in USD.  As the exchange rate will be different on each disbursement date, each loan instalment will be a different amount after it has been converted from USD to GBP.  Your tuition fee will be taken in two or three instalments, two for undergraduate students, three for postgraduate students.  

The University of Salford accepts no responsibility for any variation in currency exchange rates. 

This applies to US Federal Direct Loans and variations between the points of a calculated Cost of Attendance, loan origination, and between the first, second, and third disbursements. As per US Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.164, the University of Salford is bound to supplying this statement (and if appropriate issuing any remaining funds) no later than 14 calendar days after it initially disburses the originated funds. 

This also applies to US Private loans which may be subject to exchange rate variations between certifications and the negotiation of funds received from lenders/sponsors for US Private Loans. 

We will notify you each time we disburse part of your loan money and will provide information about how to cancel all or part of your disbursement if you find you no longer need it. 

Parent PLUS loans will be returned to the parent, unless the parent provides written permission to provide funds directly to the student. 

The programme leader or supervisor is required to confirm SAP, upon request from the US Loans Administrator, at the end of trimesters 1 and 2 of study, and at the end of trimester 3 if a student is required to re-sit any assessments.  This applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. If SAP is not met, future disbursements may be affected.   

Before we make your second and, if postgraduate, your second and third disbursement, we will require certain information from you.  We need to check that you are enrolled at least 50% of the time, as well as proof that you are making satisfactory academic progress (SAP), as specified in University Policy.  

The School*1 must annually distribute a notice of the availability of consumer information to all enrolled students 

The US government requires [under 34 CFR 668.41(a)] that this publication is provided to an individual on a one-to-one basis through mailing or publication. Hence it is being included within our website as well as being emailed to students when they have registered with the University of Salford.  

Where information disclosed is on a website, the notice includes the electronic address and the University will provide a paper copy on request. 

We are also required to include information about student rights under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).  

The School is subject to UK law where data and privacy is controlled by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

Staff Availability 

The number of students receiving Title IV is too small to justify a full-time available member of staff dedicated to administration of Title IV loans. 

However loans are administered by the Students Loans Administrator and all enquiries can be directed to USLoans@salford.ac.uk.  

Financial Aid Information and Application 

Our Bursaries and Scholarships, as well as International funding contain information about financial assistance available to students.  

Information specific to US Loans can be found on our US Loans webpage. 

The School must describe the rights and responsibilities of students  

Receiving federal student aid 

The criteria for continued eligibility in your academic and loan program for your government are described on the Federal Student Aid website.

The School's eligibility criteria are that you 

• continue to make satisfactory academic progress (SAP)  
• continue to be enrolled at least half time
• complete any counselling you are required to take (entrance at the start of your studies, exit counselling before your final disbursement each year, and when you complete your studies. 

Rights and responsibilities regarding your loans are fully described in the compulsory entrance and exit counselling you will be required to undertake as a condition of your loans and which will be audited.  

Similarly:

• Terms and conditions of any loans 
• Sample repayment schedule for sample loans 
• Necessity of repaying loans 
• Student loan information published by the Department 

Disbursements dates are provided in your loan notification letter. 

You will be advised of the maximum amount of loan you are entitled to once the School has completed your Cost of Attendance.  

There are no conditions and terms applicable to any employment provided as part of the financial assistance package as there is no employment provided as part of the financial assistance package. 

Eligible Programmes 

The University of Salford is approved to certify federal loans for degree courses only.   

The University of Salford is approved to: 

• permit written arrangements with an eligible institution in the United States to provide no more than 25 percent of a student’s programme. =
• permit written arrangements between a foreign institution and an ineligible entity for no more than 25 percent of a student’s programme, provided that the ineligible entity satisfies definition of ‘‘foreign institution’’. The Department is declining to permit stacking of the allowance for a student to complete up to 25 percent of their programme at an eligible institution in the United States under proposed § 600.52. However, an exception is permitted for independent research done by an individual student in the United States for not more than one academic year for research conducted during the dissertation phase of a doctoral program (where the research can only be performed at a facility in the United States) under current § 600.51 

The following types of courses are excluded: 

• PGCE 
• PG diploma/certificate courses 

Ineligible Programmes:

• Programmes offered in whole or in part via the distance learning route 
• Anything less than half time, (continuous) part time  
• Nursing programmes 

Students on these courses may be eligible for private loans.  

Please contact us if you are unsure whether your course meets the criteria 

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)  

Before we make your second and third disbursement (Undergraduate students’ will receive two payments, Postgraduate students’ will receive three payments, per academic year) we will require certain information from you.  We will ask your tutor if you are making satisfactory academic progress, as specified in University Policy.  You will be advised of this by email prior to your second and third payments. 

The School must make available information about the cost of attending the school 

We will advise you the maximum Cost of Attendance (CoA) that you will receive.   

The CoA will cover:- 

• Tuition and fees  
• Living Costs 

These estimated costs have been incorporated in the COA which is completed by the School to determine applicant’s borrowing limits.  There may be occasional additional costs for your course, if so these will be outlined by your department. 

• Advice for International Students

More information about refunds and R2T4 can be found within the Return to Title IV Funds Policy.

The full details of R2T4 are included in the FSA Handbook.

For a detailed assessment of the financial implications of withdrawal, contact the US Loans Administrator.  

Academic Programmes 

Programme information for prospective students is available on our website. 

The University of Salford is one of the degree-awarding bodies recognised under S.214 of the Education Reform Act 1988. It is listed on the Recognised bodies government webpage. 

The University’s Charter gives Salford its degree awarding powers. 

Salford’s main regulatory body is the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS is the body which is responsible for safeguarding the standard and improving the quality of UK higher education.  In addition, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) checks that students working towards a UK qualification get the higher education they are entitled to expect. 

A complete list of Schools is available on our Schools and colleges webpage. 

Crime statistics 

For full and independent details of all campus crime, go to:

• UK police website
• UK Crime Stats website

and enter the school's postcode or the postcode of your residence to see details of all crimes in those areas. 

Additional Disclosures 

Admissions policy and any policies regarding transfers  

The Admissions and Retention Policy and the Academic Regulations for Taught Programmes provide information about admissions and transfers.  

Services and facilities for students with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities 

The School has a wide range of facilities for students with disabilities.

Education Records and Privacy 

The School is subject to the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

Information required to be disclosed under Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 34 C.F.R Part 99 is under US Law. The school is solely subject to UK Law.  

Education Loans Code of Conduct  

In order to prohibit a conflict of interest of an agent with respect to private education loans, all agents at the University with responsibility for US loans are prohibited from the following:

• Revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender
• Receiving gifts from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer
• Contracting arrangements providing financial benefit from any lender or affiliate of a lender
• Directing borrowers to particular lenders, or refusing or delaying loan certifications
• Offers of funds for private loans
• Call centre or financial aid office staffing assistance
• Advisory board compensation.

 All agents with responsibility for US loans are reminded at least annually of the code. 

Private Loans Disclosures 

US Ed Dept regulations require that students are given Notice that terms/conditions of Title IV loans may be more favorable than private education loans. To get more information about The GEMS Smart Option Loan by Sallie Mae you can go to their website.

Schools are also required to inform students of all private loan lenders that are willing to make loans to its students. The only lender willing to lend to students attending foreign schools is Sallie Mae. As this is fewer than three lenders, this is not considered a preferred lender list. The School is not endorsing this lender and the borrowers may choose any lender they can find which is willing to lend to students at foreign schools without any financial obligation on the part of the school.

More information on private loans can be found on these pages which are designed to specifically assist students and families who are looking at private loan options while attending an institution outside the United States.

My Global Ed has a page with three categories of loans for undergraduate, postgraduate or parent.  

Specific products - Under postgraduate there are different loans for different types of students and you may want to list the direct link.

Gainful Employment  

The school does not teach any "gainful Employment" courses for which students with loans are eligible. Loans are only eligible for degree courses and degree courses are not "Gainful Employment" courses. 

NSLDS 

National Student Loan Data System - details of students taking out loans at the University will be submitted to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). This data will be accessible to guaranty agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorised users of the data system. 

1098T Forms 

The University of Salford does not complete 1098T tax forms for its students, and do not have an EIN.  The Income and Treasury Department will provide a statement of paid tuition fees if required.