Applying for US Student Finance

Please note that Uppsala University is currently in the process of withdrawing from participation in the US student loan programme. This means that new students admitted from autumn 2023 and onwards will not be able to apply for US student loans to finance their studies at Uppsala University.

If you are a postgraduate/professional student or an undergraduate student, you will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you are planning to fund your education at Uppsala University through Direct Loans. We will use the information from your FAFSA to assist in determining your eligibility for a Direct Loan.

You may complete the FAFSA electronically
Please remember to use our university code when you do your FAFSA. The university (school) code for Uppsala University is G06713.
To complete the FAFSA electronically, you must have an FSA ID, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
After the department processes your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Please retain the SAR for your records and be prepared to provide it to us if we ask.
You will also have to complete entrance counselling as well as a Master Promissory Note for the type of loan that you are applying for. Usually it is a Subsidised/Unsubsidised Direct Loan, but please note that there is special entrance counselling that needs to be completed if you are applying for a Direct PLUS Loan.

Application procedure

In addition to completing a FAFSA, you will need to have been admitted to a programme leading to a degree (or otherwise eligible programme) at Uppsala University on at least a half-time basis and meet other eligibility requirements such as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Pdf, 143 kB.(PDF) and being within the borrowing limits for Direct Subsidised Loans and Direct Unsubsidised Loans.

After we have determined your eligibility for a Direct Subsidised Loan and/or a Direct Unsubsidised Loan, we will notify you of the loans and amounts for which you are eligible in a letter called Award Letter. The letter will be sent to the email address that you have used in your FAFSA. Depending on your status, we may also include information about a Direct PLUS Loan award for which you or your parent may be eligible (if you are a graduate/professional student, you may be eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan; if you are dependent undergraduate student, your parent may be eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan).

Consolidating FFEL Program Loans into the Direct Loan Program

If you already have FFEL Program loans and will now be receiving Direct Loans, consolidating your FFEL and Direct Loan Program loans together into a Direct Consolidation Loan may make loan repayment easier. If you consolidate your FFEL and Direct Loan Program loans together into a Direct Consolidation Loan, this may make loan repayment easier. If you consolidate, you will have a single monthly payment. Consolidating your FFEL Program loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan may also allow you to take advantage of certain benefits that are offered only in the Direct Loan Program, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the Income Contingent Repayment Plan. Learn more about when you may consolidate, the pros and cons of doing so, and the application process.

Return of Title IV Funds

US Federal law specifies how Uppsala University must determine the amount of Title IV programme assistance (Stafford Loans) that students earn if they withdraw from the university. The Student Finance Administrator is responsible for calculating R2T4 and uses worksheets and software provided by the US Department of Education to calculate the R2T4 funds. All funds must be returned to the lender within 45 days of the date of when Uppsala University determined that a student withdrew. For more information about your Title IV programme funds, or if you have questions, students can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center.

In order to calculate return of Title IV student aid, the Student Finance Administrator uses a formula to calculate the percentage of the payment period which the student has completed. The payment period is the semester for which the loan is certified. If a student completes 45% of the payment period or period of enrolment, the student has earned 45% of the funds they were originally scheduled to receive. If a student has completed more than 60% of the payment period or the period of enrolment, the student is eligible to keep all of the funds. If a student has not received all funds when the student withdraws, they may choose to decline the rest of the loan funds so that additional debt is not incurred.