USA Direct Loans for postgraduates 2022/3

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for a Direct Loan to study with us you must:

• be a US citizen
• be physically present at the University of York for your studies (this rule has been relaxed during the current covid pandemic)
• be continuously enrolled at least half-time at the University of York
• make satisfactory academic progress during your course: Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy (PDF , 124kb)

Courses ineligible for Direct Loans

We are not able to offer Direct loans for the following courses:

• courses which are less than half-time
• courses which are not degree-bearing
• courses at the Hull York Medical School (HYMS)
• courses in nursing or midwifery
• online courses
• distance-learning courses

If your course is ineligible for Direct Loans, you may be able to take out a private loan.

Studying or working outside the UK

Any periods of study or work placements outside the UK will adversely affect your loan eligibility for the time you are away, even if you have academic approval. You must contact Student Financial Support if this applies to you.

Studying in the USA

Periods of study in the USA during your course will adversely affect your loan eligibility for your entire course, even if you have academic approval. You must email sfsu@york.ac.uk if you intend to return to the USA for any period of study.

We don't recommend any one lender over another and can't advise on the suitability of any loan product. Make sure you carefully research the terms and conditions (including repayment obligations, interest rates, deferral options, etc) and consider the implications on your specific circumstances before going ahead with any loan.

Students enrolling on postgraduate courses can be considered for:

1. An Unsubsidised Loan up to a maximum of $20,500 per academic year, subject to previous borrowing levels and limits. These are not based on financial need and their interest rate is reviewed annually.
2. A Graduate PLUS Loan from Direct Loans, to cover costs of attendance above $20,500. This is subject to a credit check.

Private loans

If Direct Loans are not available, or don't fully cover your costs of attendance, you may be able to apply for a private loan.

• Private loans

The Federal Student Aid website has detailed information on borrowing under the Direct Loans programme.

You can borrow up to your cost of attendance. We calculate this based on your estimated living, study and travel expenses, plus one year's tuition fees.

These figures are provided as an indication of the maximum amount available. Your cost of attendance will vary based on a number of factors:

• the tuition fees for your course
• which year of your course you will be studying
• the total length of your course
• previous loans
• whether you are in receipt of any other financial aid, eg sponsorship, scholarships or bursaries.

Postgraduate fixed cost of attendance

These amounts do not include Origination fees of 1.062 per cent on Unsubsidised Loans and 4.248 per cent on PLUS Loans. These are deducted by the U.S. Department of Education before loans are paid out. These are the fees for 2021/22 as the 2022/23 fees have not yet been released. They are unlikely to change significantly.

Part-time study

The costs of attendance quoted above are for students studying full time. If you intend to study part time please contact Student Financial Support for further information.

Borrowing more than the fixed cost of attendance

In specific circumstances you may be able to borrow more than the fixed cost of attendance. For example, you could have childcare costs for dependent children, or you may need to travel to undertake research.

To apply for additional funds, make a written request to Student Financial Support. You should explain your circumstances and include evidence of additional costs if available. Where possible you should make this request at the same time as you apply for your loan for the academic year.

Your cost of attendance is calculated to cover your tuition fees plus living costs including:

• accommodation (on campus) and college fees
• insurance for your possessions
• food, toiletries and laundry
• course-related costs such as field trips, textbooks, printing
• social and sporting activities
• mobile phone and TV licence
• travel to and from the UK and travel while at university
• visa costs and NHS surcharge (first year only)
• a computer and printer (first year only).

How we calculate your living costs

Notes

1. Course costs can vary and include such items as text books, photocopying, equipment and field trips. Your academic department may be able to provide a more accurate estimate relating to your specific course. If you have a placement as part of your course costs may differ substantially, particularly due to travel costs.
2. It may be helpful for you to check whether you are covered by your parent's household insurance before taking out insurance of your own. If you live in University accommodation, you will be covered by our contents insurance policy (endsleigh.co.uk).
3. This covers two washes a week on campus.
4. Social costs are indicative only. The actual amount spent on social activities can vary widely in accordance with your lifestyle choices. See sample social costs.
5. You will need a TV licence if you watch television (whether through a television or on a computer or laptop) in your accommodation (even if living on campus). Find out more about getting a TV license.
6. For the purposes of the cost of attendance we have included an approximate cost for a premium ensuite room in University on campus accommodation. The actual cost of your accommodation will depend on your choice, the availability of rooms and whether you choose to live on campus or in private accommodation. These differences can be reflected in the amount you choose to borrow.
   
   We have many different room types and facilities available - see more about accommodation on-campus. Please email accommodation@york.ac.uk if you need advice on living on-campus or in the private sector. You can also have a look at help with private sector accommodation and specific advice for international students.
   
   In private accommodation it's often necessary (particularly international students and students with families) to pay rent in advance (up to six months in advance on occasion). You may also need to provide a deposit of at least one month's rent on signing the tenancy agreement. It may also be necessary to arrange a UK Rent Guarantor - doing so may reduce the requirement for payment of rent up front.
7. Change to Student Bus Passes are available on the First York website. If you're living away from York, the costs for travel will be higher. Cost of travel between campuses is free, but this does not include travel for students studying at King's Manor (for undergraduates, this is primarily if you're studying Archaeology).
8. Visa costs are only included in cost of attendance calculations for the first year of your course. £880 is provided for visa costs and the cost of any flights required to attend interviews. NHS surcharges vary depending on the length of your course.
9. This amount is only included in cost of attendance calculations for the first year of your course.
10. Your cost of attendance includes the actual tuition fees for your programme of study for the relevant year. The cost of non-­standard fees may be more or less than indicated here, depending on undergraduate and postgraduate fees.
11. We take the exchange rate once a year and apply it to all cost of attendance calculations. We don't revise our calculations throughout the academic year to account for small fluctuations in the exchange rate.

You will need to make a separate application for each academic year that you need a loan. Applications for each academic year usually open in May.

If you wish to apply for a loan for the current academic year please email sfsu@york.ac.uk.

You can also manage your loans and make any changes to existing ones.

Deferring repayment of existing loans

If you apply for a Direct Loan to fund your studies then repayments on existing loans will be deferred automatically while you're at the University of York.

If you're remaining in education but not applying for a new loan you can still defer your payments - email sfsu@york.ac.uk and ask us to report your enrolment. We will need your Social Security number and date of birth.

We report your enrolment on the USA National Student Loan Data System so you should direct your lender to that system for confirmation of your enrolment so you can defer your loan repayments.