New Students

US Loan information for new students

Please note, if you have not yet heard from us about your FAFSA for the 2023-2024 academic year, please contact us.

 

If you are intending to take out either Federal or Private US loans as a new student in the 2024-2025 academic session, please  follow the guidance below. 

 

Eligibility 

Students receiving US Federal Aid are governed by stringent US Department of Education regulations. Borrowing is intended for on campus study only.

In order to be eligible to borrow US Federal loans, you MUST:

be studying on campus be enrolled on an eligible programme of study                                                                                  

be enrolled at least half-time for the period for which the loan is originated (PhD students who have submitted

their thesis for examination do not meet this requirement)

be fully matriculated 
comply with the University's Satisfactory Academic Progression policy have a high school diploma
not be in default on an educational loan and must not owe a repayment on an adjusted federal grant be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid Social Security number
The following programmes are NOT eligible for Federal loans at the University of Edinburgh:  
All Online Learning Programmes EdD (Doctorate of Education) - distinct from PhD Education which is eligible
All PhD by Distance Programmes MSc Chinese Studies
Undergraduate MBChB All Diploma Programmes
Bachelor of Nursing All Certificate Programmes

Students wishing to arrange funding for ineligible programmes or for ineligible periods of study may have the option of arranging a Private Alternative Loan. The following are currently approved lenders with the University of Edinburgh:

Part-time study: If you are studying part time at the University of Edinburgh this may affect your entitlement for Federal Aid. Periods of study on a less than half-time basis are ineligible for Federal Aid.

If you change from full time to part-time study, this may affect your visa status. Please contact the Student Immigration Team for further information.

Visiting students attending the University of Edinburgh for one semester or for a full academic year will normally apply for Financial Aid through their home institution. Those who require a consortium agreement to be completed should email the form to the University's Financial Aid Office. Where a consortium agreement is in place, funding will continue to be arranged by the visiting student's home institution rather than the University of Edinburgh.

Checklist

Tasks you need to complete for a successful US Loan Disbursement

Document
US Loan Eligibility Flowchart (128.65 KB / PDF)
Document
Step Task Description More Information
1 Check your Eligibility
  • Apply to an eligible programme of study.
  • Does it meet the Eligibility Criteria for US Loans stated above?

Undergraduate degree finder

Postgraduate degree finder

2 Accept your offer of admission and start searching for accommodation. 

Undergraduates

  • Apply online through UCAS - Your school or college will normally be able to guide you through your application. If you are applying independently, UCAS can advise on the application process.

Postgraduates

  • Search for your chosen programme in the degree finder, look for the 'Apply' button under 'Applying'.
  • Choose the option with your preferred award, study mode and start date, then click 'Apply' to begin your application.

Accommodation

  • Apply for University Accommodation or rent privately. 

Admission Offices Contact Details

UCAS

How to apply - postgraduate study 

Accommodation Services

Rent Guarantor Scheme

3 Request a CAS
  • A CAS is a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
  • You can request a  CAS as soon as you have accepted an unconditional offer. How long it takes to receive your CAS number depends on your level of study and the time of year.
How to request a CAS number
4 Submit your FAFSA or private loan application
  • Complete a  Free Application for Federal Student Aid form using the school code G06839, 

    this code may also appear as 00683900 and applies to all students including those studying at the Edinburgh College of Art.

Apply Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Video link - Submitting a FAFSA

5 Complete a US Loan enquiry form
  • This form lets us know that you have submitted a FAFSA, completed your MPNs and Entrance Counselling or if you have applied for a Private Alternative Loan 
  • Once we receive this, we will begin processing your loan request. 
US Loan Enquiry Form 
6 Federal only - Complete your Master Promissory Note(s)
  • The electronic MPN process must be completed in an entire session. If you exit the website without completing the MPN, you will need to start over. The session should take about 30 minutes online.
  • E- sign your Federal Direct loan MPN, using your Federal Student Aid ID to log in.   Follow the five-step process to sign your MPN, either as an Undergraduate student or as a Graduate/Professional student or as a Parent of a Dependent Undergraduate student.
  • For Graduate PLUS or Parent PLUS loans a separate MPN is required, if applicable. As PLUS loans are subject to a credit check, MPNs for PLUS loans must be signed using a US postal address. An overseas address will automatically result in the credit check being pended.
Sign your MPN here
7 Federal only - Complete Entrance Counselling
  • Please choose the University of Edinburgh as your school and complete your Entrance Counselling.
Complete your Entrance Counselling here
8 Receive a Cost of Attendance (COA)
  • Based on the information from your FAFSA, and details of your program of study, Financial Aid staff will provide you with an individual COA spreadsheet. This will be based on the duration of your programme, tuition fees, visa costs, flights and living expenses. 
  • Please check and return the completed COA spreadsheet to studentfunding@ed.ac.uk, this must be returned as a pdf or excel spreadsheet attachment. 
  • Please also let us know of any scholarships/other loans you may have in place as this will impact your borrowing limit, and forward on your Scholarship Award Letter.
  • Costs relating to spouses or dependants will not be considered apart from the cost of formal childcare for dependants during class time, study time and commuting time e.g. nursery/child-minder/after school club costs.
  • Please note, the maximum borrowing amount on your COA may vary each academic year, due to a change in theoretical exchange rate, a change in programme number of weeks and visa and health immigration surcharge cost being included for New students. 

Example COAs:

Document
Example COA Graduate (916.63 KB / PDF)
Document
Example COA UG (840.14 KB / PDF)

Cost of Living Calculator

9 Receive a Funding Confirmation Letter
  • Once your loans have been originated you will receive a Funding Confirmation Letter (Financial Aid Award Letter) from the Scholarship and Student Funding Team once your loans are originated which details the loan amounts and the disbursement dates.
  • Please read the accompanying email carefully as it contains important information regarding actions to be taken before loans can be disbursed.
  • This Funding Confirmation Letter (Financial Aid Award Letter) should be used to satisfy visa requirements.
Document
Example Award Letter (543.96 KB / PDF)
10 Setting up your bank account
  • We strongly recommend that you open a traditional UK bank account.  If using some of the popular digital bank accounts, please note, there may be issues with your disbursement.
  • A number of high street banks allow you to open an account while still in an overseas country. 
  • If you do not enter bank account details, please note, a USD cheque will be issued should there be any surplus funds. We will email you to let you know that there is a cheque to be collected from the University. Please note, the cheque can take a few days to arrive to the University.

Open a UK bank account

Guide to international student bank accounts in the UK

11 Confirm how your are planning to pay your Tuition Fees
  • It is important you also confirm to our Finance Section that you are intending to take out US Loans for tuition fee purposes.  Please do this as early as possible.
Register How to Pay your Fees
12 Complete matriculation
  • In order to receive US Loans, you must be fully matriculated onto your programme of study, this involves:
    • Accepting the University Regulations
    • Confirming attendance with your School
    • Completing international check-in
    • Completing Registration
Step by step guide to matriculation
13 Federal Only - Submit Parent PLUS consent (Undergraduate only, if applicable)
  • Please can you ask the loan borrower of the Parent PLUS loan to confirm by email that they give their Parental Consent for any surplus funds resulting from the Parent PLUS loan, after the necessary amounts for tuition fees have been retained by the University of Edinburgh, to be passed directly to you. Please use the subject line for the email as: “URGENT- Parent PLUS consent”. Please note - the funds cannot be released until this has been provided.
URGENT- Parent PLUS consent
14

Submit Bank Details

  • If you are using a UK or US Bank account, you will be receiving two emails nearer to your first disbursement date to your student email account which will contain further details about how to sign up for electronic transfer.
Document
15 Request an increase or decrease or cancellation
  • If during your studies you wish to reduce, cancel or increase (up to but not exceeding the maximum amount shown on your COA) your US Loan borrowing amount, please submit an Increase/Decrease/Cancellation Request Form. 
  • We require at least two weeks notice before any scheduled disbursement to allow adequate time for any necessary changes to be made. 
  • You can do this up to six weeks before the end of the loan period end date of your programme of study.
Increase/Decrease/Cancellation Request Form
16 Federal only - Complete Exit Counselling
  • This only applies to new students undertaking a one year programme of study, or those who choose to withdraw during their first year of study. Those who are on a programme of study of more than one year, will be required to complete at the end of their programme. 
How to complete Exit Counselling

Loan Limits

The amount in Direct Loan funds that you are eligible to borrow each academic year is limited by your grade level; whether you are a dependent or an independent student; your financial need; and your cost of attendance.

You cannot borrow more than your financial need or the cost of attendance.

Annual Loan Amounts

Dependent Student                                                                                                                                                  Base Amount (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) Additional Unsubsidized Loan Total Annual Combined Maximum Amount of Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans
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
Independent Student (and Dependent Students Whose Parents are Denied a PLUS Loan) Base Amount (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) Additional Unsubsidized Loan Total Annual Combined Maximum Amount of Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans
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

Postgraduate student-                                                                                                                                            

Base Amount (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) Additional Unsubsidized Loan Total Annual Combined Maximum Amount of Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans
Any year $0 $20,500 $20,500

Direct Loan Aggregate Loan Limits

All Students                                                                    Subsidized Only                Total Aggregate (Subsidized and Unsubsidized combined)
Dependent undergraduates $23,000 $31,000
Independent undergraduates $23,000 $57,500
Postgraduate students $65,500 $138,500