To apply for a loan please follow the application process outlined below. If you are a new student, please only start the application process once you have had an offer from your department.
The loan approval process can take up to four weeks during peak processing periods (August to October) or longer if there are difficulties with your application. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit a complete loan application in good time.
1. Complete Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To receive student financial aid the first step is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); this will determine your eligibility for a loan. The School Code for Anglia Ruskin University is G34353.
2. If you are intending to apply for a PLUS loan (or your parent will be applying for a Parent PLUS loan), you (or your parent) will need to complete a PLUS loan request on StudentAid.gov. The US Department of Education may also request some applicants complete an online PLUS loan counselling module.
3. Once your FAFSA has been completed and processed you'll be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR) which you can view, print out and keep. This document lists the information you and your family have provided and tells you what your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is for the year you are applying. The EFC is used to determine eligibility for needs based financial aid. Please check your name, social security number, date of birth and all other information to make sure that it is accurate. It is important that you check the comments section on your SAR, as there may be issues that you need to address and any unresolved issues may delay the processing of your loan. You will need to send a copy of your completed SAR to the US Funding team.
4. You must complete entrance counselling if you are a federal Direct Loan first-time borrower who has not yet completed entrance counseling for a specific loan type (Unsubsidised/Subsidised loans, or PLUS loans). If you have completed entrance counselling in a previous year of study for a specific loan type at any institution, you do not need to complete this step. Complete entrance counseling on StudentAid.gov.
5. Master Promissory Notes for each loan The MPN is a legal document through which you promise to repay your Direct Loan. The MPN details the conditions of your Direct Loan and the terms under which you agree to pay it back.
Undergraduates: Complete an MPN for the Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans and, if applicable, your parent should complete a separate MPN for the Parent PLUS loan.
Graduates: Complete up to two MPNs: one for the Unsubsidized loan and one for the Grad PLUS loan.MPNs are completed on StudentAid.gov.
As we are a foreign school, you will need to complete a new MPN for each academic year that you take out a Direct Loan.
7. Credit Check (Plus Loan applicants only).
8. Once you have completed steps 1–7, please email: [email protected] with the following:
We will only be able to start processing your loan once we receive your email and all of the above steps are complete.
We will email your award letter once approved, or to let you know of any queries regarding your application. Your award letter will detail your loan amounts and disbursement information. Please accept or decline each loan amount and return a signed copy to the US Funding team as your acceptance of the loan. The wording and format of the letter has been agreed with UK Visas and Immigration as acceptable proof of funding for visa applications.
For information on how and when loan funds are disbursed, see the receiving your loan page.