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Loans for American Students

International

Loans for American Students

Here you'll find all you need to know about applying to AUB as an international student.

Loans for American Students

Students from America will be pleased to know that United States Federal Loans are available for you to study at Arts University Bournemouth, just as they would be if you were studying in the US as AUB has been authorised to certify applications.

Applying to join us in 2023/24

We participate in the US Department of Education’s Direct Loans programme. Eligible US students are able to access federally-subsidised Stafford and PLUS loans to help finance their studies with us. This page details how you apply for this financial support whilst at the AUB and other important aspects of the US Federal Student Aid system.

Eligibility

To be eligible to take out a US Direct Loans you need to:

Be a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
Have a valid US social security number.
Be accepted on to a programme of full-time or at least part-time study with us (distance learning courses are not eligible programmes).
If an existing student at AUB, have been assessed to have made satisfactory academic progress to continue your studies with us.
Be living in the UK during the course of your studies at Bournemouth (students on part-time programmes who continue to live in the USA during their studies are not eligible).
Have not borrowed over your federal loan limits or defaulted on repaying previous loans.
If you are a male under the age of 26, have signed up for selective service or have been officially exempted from selective service.
Demonstrate financial need (for most programs).

Application Process

Step 1: Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Firstly, complete FAFSA on the FAFSA website. Once completed you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Your FAFSA determines whether you meet many of the conditions for taking out Federal Student Loans and calculates your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used to assess how much you can borrow.

A new FAFSA needs to be completed each academic year. When completing your FAFSA please be sure to list Arts University Bournemouth (School code G35894) as one of your selected schools, otherwise we will not receive your details.

Step 2: Complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN)

Complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on the Student Aid website for the loans you wish to take out and list AUB as your chosen School. You will need to complete an MPN for each Strafford and PLUS Loan you wish to borrow. By completing a Master Promissory Note you formally agree to the terms and condition of the loan.

Step 3: Complete Entrance Counselling

Complete Entrance Counselling on the Student Aid website. All students must complete entrance counselling sessions for each separate loan e.g. Strafford and PLUS Loans. This only needs to be done once and not each academic year you apply.

Step 4: Let us know!

Please contact Jessica Wrightson (Senior International Officer) to confirm you have completed the above three steps and attach a copy of your SAR.

We receive the information that you provide to the US Department of Education. We then use this to calculate your cost of attendance, which determines how much you can borrow, and will then contact you to confirm the amount you wish to borrow.

Notification of Student Loan for Academic Year 2023/24 Letter

You can use your Direct Loans to support your application for a UK Student Route Visa. AUB will write to you to confirm completion of the loan application and provides you with a Notification of Student Loan for Academic Year 2023/24 letter that you can submit with your visa application.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To continue to receive US Federal Aid, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Satisfactory progress is defined as follows: Maintaining a minimum average of 40% in all units undertaken, achieve 120 credits at the appropriate level of study within an academic year and be in attendance at all points of contact as defined in AUB Policy of Attendance.

Additional Information

This page is designed to give you an overview of the US Federal Loans application process at AUB. Please visit the US Federal Loans website for further information on the application process, borrowing limits, repayment details, deferments, cancellations and interest rates.

Graduate students and parents of undergraduate students may be able to borrow additional funding through PLUS Loans. Please use the following links for more information;

Please note that AUB accepts no responsibility whatsoever for the repayment of your loan. It is your responsibility to repay the loan.

For further information on the process please contact Jessica Wrightson at jwrightson@aub.ac.uk

Important Information

When applying for a United States Federal Loans, please keep the following in mind. If you have any question, contact Jessica Wrightson (Senior International Officer).

Federal Aid is disbursed in equal amounts at the start of each term within the academic year. Once the money has been received by Arts University Bournemouth, any fees owing such as tuition fees and accommodation charges will be deducted. AUB will then contact the student to arrange a bank transfer of any remaining funds. You should ensure that you have sufficient funds from an alternative source to cover any costs until you receive your first disbursement. Please note that there is a 30-day delay in disbursing the funds in the first term of the first year of study.

Exit counselling is required when a borrower is preparing to leave Arts University Bournemouth. Exit counselling will educate the borrower about how to effectively manage and handle their student loan repayment. Exit Counselling can be completed online at www.studentloans.gov.

The cost of attendance calculation works out the cost of attending Arts University Bournemouth over the course of the academic year. Included are annual tuition fees, estimates of costs for necessary books and supplies, estimates of typical charges for room and board, estimates of transportation costs for students as well as the cost of a Visa application.

The charges are calculated in pound sterling and then converted into dollars using an average exchange rate over the period of the previous year.

For full details of Arts University Bournemouth’s refund policy please see AUB Return of title IV funds Policy.

Arts University Bournemouth is bound by the requirements under 34 CFR 668.22 of the Federal Aid regulations.

Details of AUB’s academic programme can be found on this website. AUB was awarded full taught degree awarding powers by the Privy Council of the UK Government in 2008 and was awarded full university status by the Privy Council in 2012.

For full information about the services and facilities available to students with disabilities, refer to this page.

For full details about AUB’s copyright and scanning policy, please see here.

For information regarding required and recommended textbooks can be found from your course team.

Where possible, the University publishes information for each of its courses (including graduation information, employment information and satisfaction information) using UNISTATS.

Retention rates for all Universities are published by HESA and can be found on their website.

For details of FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) please see below.

Arts University Bournemouth receives funds under an applicable programme of the US Department of Education programme; therefore, it's bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Refer to this page for more information on this act.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”

Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school.
Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading.
Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, there are certain conditions under which, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent.

For additional information, you can call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) or you can write to the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520

For any queries please contact student services at studentadvice@aub.ac.uk.

All Arts University Bournemouth courses are listed on this website. Each course page is reviewed regularly by the course team to ensure that all of the representations made on the website are up-to-date and accurate. This includes but is not limited to fee charges, the nature of the course and its accreditation.

All loans undertaken will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). This is a system that is accessible by servicers and schools determined to be authorised users of the data system.

Arts University Bournemouth will confirm your attendance online through the NSLDS as required by Federal regulations.

Private loans are currently available through Sallie Mae Student Loans. Applications can be made online. We're also happy to process loans from other private lenders willing to offer funding for students to study at a ‘foreign school’.

All Arts University Bournemouth staff working in the field of US Federal Financial Aid and Private Loans for US nationals are duty-bound to abide by the code of conduct stipulated by the US Government which prohibits: revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender; receiving gifts from lenders, guarantors, or loan servicers; contracting arrangement providing financial benefit from any lender or affiliate of a lender; directing borrowers to particular lenders, or refusing or delaying loan certifications; offers of funds for private loans; call centre or financial aid office staffing assistance or advisory board compensation.