Financial aid for US students

All students must provide proof of Entrance Counselling for Stafford loans and (if applicable) PLUS loans as part of the loan application process.  During your final semester, or if you leave before completing your programme, or if you cease to be enrolled full-time, you must complete Loan Exit Counselling. This can be completed online and you will need to provide evidence to the University of Stirling that this has been done.

The Exit Counselling session will make sure that you are aware of your anticipated loan repayment amounts, the different repayment plans which are available and how to avoid debt-management problems which could damage your credit rating. After you cease to be enrolled at least half-time, you will need to begin the loan repayment schedule. The Exit Counselling session will give you information about how this works and should tell you whether there is a ‘grace period’ on your loan so that you have time before beginning the repayments.

If you withdraw from your degree programme or fail to attend, the University of Stirling will inform your lender and any ‘unearned’ part of your loan has to be immediately repaid. You ‘earn’ the loan money by attending your course of study so the ‘unearned’ part of your loan is calculated from how much of the payment period you have attended.

If you withdraw during the year, you must notify the Student Programmes Office and the Federal Loans Team; you will owe the University of Stirling the tuition fees for the remainder of that academic year. These fees will not be covered by your loan, which will cease from the date of withdrawal. Please email fedloans@stir.ac.uk for more information.

The University of Stirling is required, in accordance with Federal Regulations, to report the details of your mode of attendance (e.g. full time, less than half-time etc) and any changes to your enrolment status, or academic programme, to the US Department of Education. The University uses the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for this purpose. Any information contained within NSLDS will be accessible by other loan servicers for whom you may have had previous education loans.

If you need to suspend your studies for personal or health reasons and it will be for more than 180 days, you will be reported as ‘W’ (withdrawn) in NSLDS. This does not mean that you are considered withdrawn from the University of Stirling.

When you receive your degree award, you will be reported as ‘G’ (graduated) in NSLDS.

If you are a postgraduate student at the end of your academic year you will be reported as ‘L’ (less than half-time) until your graduation is confirmed, at which point your status will be changed to ‘G’ (graduated).

If your mode of attendance is reported as less than half-time, withdrawn, or graduated, you will no longer be eligible for any in-school deferment requests and your loans will enter repayment.

There are several steps to this process so please read these instructions carefully before you start.

Remember:

We cannot start processing your loans until you have been made an unconditional offer of admission by the University, or until you have met the conditions of a conditional offer.

We cannot start processing your loans until we have received all the necessary paperwork from you.

Our FAFSA school code is G10228.

How to apply

Step 1 Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA application generates an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) which the University will be able to access after approximately 5 working days.

Step 2 Send an email to fedloans@stir.ac.uk with your name, SSN and date of birth.  The University of Stirling will access your ISIR and will send you a Cost of Attendance worksheet showing your eligibility for federal and private loans, which you must complete and return.  The Cost of Attendance shows how much you are eligible to borrow, but you must confirm how much of this you wish to borrow.  You are not required to borrow the full amount.

Step 3 Go to studentaid.gov:

1. Complete Promissory Notes (MPNs) for Stafford and PLUS loans (if applicable). Print MPNs and save as pdf files.
2. Apply for your PLUS loans credit check (if applicable) and send confirmation to the University).
3. Work through the Entrance Counselling for Stafford and PLUS (if applicable) loans even if you have done this before. Save the completion certificate as a pdf file.

Step 4 Send an email to fedloans@stir.ac.uk. Make sure the subject line reads: Direct Loan: LAST NAME, First Name. Attach the following:

1. Completed Cost of Attendance showing how much you wish to borrow
2. pdf copy of MPN for Stafford Loan(s)
3. Entrance Counselling confirmation

Also attach, if applying for PLUS loans

1. pdf copy of MPN for PLUS loan
2. Confirmation of accepted credit check

Once we have received all the correct information, we can start processing your loans.

A Loan Certificate which you can use with your Student Visa application will be issued and sent to you by email. 

If you do not send the correct documentation, your loan application cannot be completed.

The University of Stirling is required by the US Government to disclose the following consumer information.  If you require further information, including paper copies of documentation, please email fedloans@stir.ac.uk.  

University of Stirling financial aid information

Further information on centrally-managed scholarships available for students studying at the University of Stirling can be found on our Scholarships Page. 

USA Federal Aid information

The University of Stirling provides the following information for students considering US Federal Aid and Title IV Direct Loans;

• How to apply and loan amounts
• Student Eligibility Requirements
• Types of loan available
• Cost of attendance
• Entrance counselling
• How and when your aid will be disbursed
• Withdrawal procedures, refund policies and return of Title IV funds
• Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Financial Aid Probation and Suspension
• Exit counselling 

This information can be accessed via the webpage Financial Aid for US students.

USA Federal Regulations state that you must have a secondary school completion credential (high school diploma) or the recognized equivalent to be eligible to receive Federal Aid.

The U.S. Department of Education provides information for students on Federal Aid at studentaid.gov.

Code of conduct for educational loans

In order to prohibit a conflict of interest with the responsibilities of an agent with respect to private education loans, staff at the University with responsibility for Federal and Private Education Loans from the United States are prohibited from the following:

• Revenue sharing arrangements with lenders
• Receiving gifts from a lender or loan servicer
• Obtaining financial benefits from lenders or loan servicers
• Providing a preferred list of lenders.
• Offers of funds for private loans

Degree programmes, admissions policies and procedures

A full list of degree programmes offered at all study levels at the University of Stirling can be found on the University’s website. Modules for each degree are listed accordingly within the degree information, including information of instructional, laboratory and other physical facilities, if applicable.

Students wishing to study at the University of Stirling are advised to view the following webpages prior to submitting an application for admission:

• Admissions policy
• Undergraduate application process
• Postgraduate application process

Information on University-specific entry requirements can be found within the above application process links. This is in addition to any course-specific requirements found within the degree information.

School costs

Tuition fee costs vary according to degree programmes. Information on tuition fee costs for individual programmes can also be found within the degree information for that programme, available on the University’s website.

Detailed information on the cost of living in Stirling can be found on our Cost of living webpage.

These costs will be used to calculate your cost of attendance and are reviewed on an annual basis.

Telecommunication teaching and distance learning

During the academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21, students undertaking elements of their programme via telecommunication methods as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic remain eligible to receive Title IV funding until such a time when the University of Stirling is able to offer in-person teaching, as per the relaxation of UK Government guidelines.

After this point, any student in receipt of Title IV funding must resume in-person teaching at the University of Stirling campus to remain eligible for funding. Courses delivered via online method, including telecommunication delivery, are not eligible for Title IV funding.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Stirling is committed to valuing and celebrating diversity, and to advancing equality and inclusive practice in all its activities. Further information can be found within our equality, diversity and inclusion webpage.

Student support and welfare

The University of Stirling provides a range of support services for students, including health and wellbeing advice, support for international students, and disability support. Further information can be accessed via our Student Support Services webpages.

Academic misconduct

Students found to be in breach of academic misconduct regulations, including but not limited to cheating and plagiarism, will be subject to disciplinary action in line with the current University of Stirling's Academic Misconduct Procedures.

Withdrawal procedure

If you are considering withdrawing or taking a break from your studies, it is recommended that you follow the guidance listed on the University of Stirling's website, including discussing your personal circumstances with your supervisor and/or a member of the University’s Support and Advice Team. If you hold a Tier 4 visa, any changes may affect this; therefore, it is strongly recommended that you seek immigration advice before making your decision.

Withdrawing from your programme will affect your Federal Aid eligibility. Further information on this can be found within the Return to Title IV Policy.

Refund policy

The University of Stirling has an institutional Tuition Fees Policy for all students who have officially enrolled at the University. The University Policy should therefore not be confused with R2T4 calculations and refunds. 

The amount of Title IV funds due for return as a result of a withdrawal is calculated independently of the tuition fee liability charged by the University. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the University to cover unpaid institutional charges, or may indeed be entitled to a refund in accordance with regulations found here (but only after any Title IV funds owed have been returned to the U.S. Department of Education, if applicable). The University may also attempt to collect from the students any Title IV funding that the University of Stirling is required to return to the U.S. Department of Education.