How to apply

There are some key differences to the process of applying for Direct Loans to fund your study at a Foreign Institution compared to applying for funding at an American institution.

Outlined below is the process for applying for Direct Loans for study at the University of York. If your course is longer than one year, you will need to follow this process for every year of your course.

FAFSA applications for 2025/26 are now open. You should complete your FAFSA as early as possible, as this will determine your loan eligibility.

If you would like to apply for a Direct Loan for the current academic year, you must contact Student Financial Support before the first Friday in May, so that we can advise what will be required from you and deadlines.

1. Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form

To access your online FAFSA form, please visit the Federal Student Aid webpage.

Please ensure you record the University of York as your place of study and include our School Code which is G06700 or 00670000, depending on the form you are filling in.

Once you have completed your FAFSA application, we will receive a copy of your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) after approximately three working days.

For additional information and help with your FAFSA application, please visit the Student Aid website (studentaid.ed.gov).

2. What happens when you receive my ISIR?

We will begin to process ISIRs for the new academic year from May.

From May, we will contact you to confirm that we have received your ISIR and are in the process of calculating your cost of attendance. When we contact you, we will also ask if you have any other additional funding from scholarships, other financial aid or sponsorships (including from the University of York), as well as requesting any other relevant supporting documents.

Once your loan package has been calculated based on your personal circumstances, we will notify you of the maximum amount you are eligible to apply for. You will need to confirm back to us how much you would like to borrow before we can process your loan. We may also ask you to provide the documentation outlined below (depending on the type and amount of loan you wish to borrow).

3. Documentation

Additional Funding

Additional funding from scholarships, bursaries, other financial aid or sponsorships (including from the University of York) impact your loan calculations.

Any scholarship or funding from another provider will impact the amount of loan available to borrow, dollar for dollar. We will ask you to provide evidence of the amount and source for all sources of additional funding.

This does not relate to funding you are receiving from your family, your own personal earnings, or funding from Americorps or Veterans Affairs.

Sign your Master Promissory Note(s)

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a legal document in which you commit to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees.

All Direct Loan applicants must sign a MPN with the US Department of Education. You will need to:

sign a Subsidised/Unsubsidised MPN for your Subsidised and/or Unsubsidised Loans
ask your parent(s) to sign a Parent PLUS MPN if you are taking out a Parent Plus Loan (undergraduate students only)

Complete Loan Entrance Counselling online

It's a legal requirement to complete entrance counselling if you take out a Subsidised and/or an Unsubsidised loan. This isn't anything to worry about, it's just a process to make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your loan. You can do this on the US Department of Education website.

Complete a credit check for your Parent PLUS loan

If you want to take out a Parent PLUS Loan, your parent must complete a credit check via the US Department of Education. Credit checks are valid for 180 days. If you completed a credit check before April 2025, you will need to complete another one.

4. How long will it take?

We process ISIRs for the new academic year from May, and start to originate loans from mid-June.

We aim to process your Direct Loan application within three weeks of receipt of all the relevant documentation, but this can take longer in busy periods.

Once the US Department of Education has approved your loan(s), we will email your Direct Loan confirmation letter to you.

5. How do I apply for a visa?

UK Visas and Immigration will accept your Direct Loan confirmation letter as proof of funding for visa applications.

You should not book your appointment for your student visa until you have received your official confirmation letter. Unless you have proof of sufficient funds from other sources, you will need to have received your letter before booking an appointment.