The first step in applying for a loan is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA applications may be made from 1 October each year. Students at foreign schools must complete this process on an annual basis.
To complete a FAFSA online, please visit the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. For information on how to complete your FAFSA, please view this video.
When completing your FAFSA you will need the University of East Anglia’s Federal Direct Loan School Code, which is G10915. Please note, we can only access your Student Aid Report (SAR) if you have included our School Code as one of your choices.
Once completed, the US Department of Education will process the information and send you a SAR which can be viewed, printed and retained for your records. This document lists the information you and your family have provided and informs you of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is used to determine eligibility for needs based Federal Student Aid and relates to the Subsidised portion of the Stafford Loan. Please check all information to make sure that it is accurate. It is also 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.
Once UEA has received your completed FAFSA, we will check that you are eligible for a loan. We normally receive an electronic version of your SAR three days after you’ve submitted your FAFSA, although sometimes delays can occur which are outside our control.
If you are eligible for a loan and have received an offer from the University, we will send you an Offer of Funds letter. Please note that if you are in receipt of any additional funds or scholarships you need to let us know at this stage as additional financial support will need to be deducted from the amount you can borrow.
The Offer of Funds letter states the maximum amount you are able to borrow, broken down over the applicable loans for you, with a disbursement structure detailed. We require you to read and review the loan amounts outlined on this letter, then either confirm this is the amount you would like to borrow or advise us if you would like to reduce the amount. Once we have determined the amount you would like to borrow and received a signed Offer of Funds letter back we will check that you have also completed all the necessary tasks.
You must complete loan entrance counselling on the Student Loans website.
This ensures that you are fully aware of the responsibilities and the terms and conditions of your loan. It is important to note that we must have a copy of the counselling confirmation before we can start to process your loan application.
You must also complete the Direct Subsidised/Unsubsidised Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) on the Federal Student Aid website.
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. You will need to complete a new MPN each academic year.
If you are applying for a Graduate PLUS Loan or Parent PLUS Loan, you must complete a Direct PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) on the on the StudentAid.gov website.
This is a legal document through which you promise to repay your Direct Loans and any accrued interest/fees. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan. You will need to complete a new MPN each academic year.
Complete a credit check for the Direct PLUS Loans on the StudentAid.gov website (login required). If you have an adverse credit history, you may still receive a Direct PLUS Loan through one of these two options:
1. Obtaining an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct PLUS Loan if you do not repay it. If you are a parent borrower, the endorser cannot be the child on whose behalf you are borrowing.
2. Documenting to the satisfaction of the US Department of Education that there are extenuating circumstances relating to your adverse credit history.
If a parent borrower is unable to obtain a PLUS loan due to an adverse credit history, the undergraduate dependent student may be eligible for additional Unsubsidised loans. The student should email the UEA Financial Aid Administrators for more information.
The table below is taken from the Federal Student Aid website and shows how much a student can borrow each year in addition to detailing the aggregate limits for the Subsidised and Unsubsidised Stafford Loan.
Within these limits you can borrow up to the Cost of Attendance (COA) set for your level of study and program type.
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Year |
Dependent Student (except students whose parents are unable to obtain PLUS Loans) |
Independent Students (and Dependent undergraduate students whose parents are unable to obtain PLUS Loans) |
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First-Year Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit |
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| Third-Year and Beyond Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit |
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| Graduate or Professional Students Annual Loan Limit |
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| $57,500 for undergraduates—No more than $23,000 of this amount may be in Subsidised Loans. $138,500 for graduate or professional students—No more than $65,500 of this amount may be in Subsidised Loans. The graduate aggregate limit includes all federal loans received for undergraduate study. |
As indicated in the above table, Dependent Undergraduate Students whose parents are unable to obtain the Parent PLUS Loan may be assessed for increased limits of the Unsubsidised Loan.
Independent Undergraduate Students, as determined by the FAFSA, may borrow at increased limits as well.
Graduate PLUS Loan, Parent PLUS Loan or private loans are intended to cover remaining costs above any financial aid awarded (limits shown above) and up to your Cost of Attendance (COA).
Loan Fees
Most Federal Student Loans have loan fees that are a percentage of the total loan amount. The loan fee is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement you receive. This means the money you receive will be less than the amount you actually borrow. For example, Stafford loans disbursed on or after 1 October 2020 require a 1.057% origination fee which is paid at the time of disbursement and 98.943% of the gross loan amount will be disbursed to your student account. You are responsible for repaying the entire amount you borrowed and not just the amount you received.
| Loan Type | First Disbursement Date | Loan Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Subsidised and Unsubsidised Loans | On or after 1 October 2020 and before 1 October 2024 | 1.057% |
| Direct Plus Loans | On or after 1 October 2020 and before 1 October 2024 | 4.228% |
Loans first disbursed before 1 October 2020, have different loan fees.
Interest Rates
You can visit the Federal Student Aid interest rates page to find out the interest rates for each loan type.
The page also includes detailed information regarding interest rates, repayment, deferments, forbearance, forgiveness programmes and other questions.
The term Cost of Attendance (COA) is used to describe the anticipated costs of studying your course at UEA for one Academic Year. US Federal Regulations state the typical costs we are allowed to consider when setting the Cost of Attendance. Amongst these are:
- Tuition Fee – varies depending on course.
- An allowance for room rent - Inclusive of utilities, TV licence & wifi - Accommodation is based on highest cost for single ensuite room in UEA accommodation, or the average cost of a room in privately rented off campus.
- An allowance for cost of living; including Board (food, toiletries, laundry etc), Books & Supplies, Personal (mobile phone, gym membership, leisure/social activities and clothes) and Miscellaneous (Netflix, iCloud etc).
- An allowance for travel; including a Norwich unlimited bus pass and two round trips home to the US (flights & transport to/from London airports).
- An allowance for a laptop in the 1st year of studies.
- An allowance for the loan origination fees required to receive Federal Student Aid.
- Student visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (if applicable).
- An allowance for costs associated with dependent care (if applicable)
- An allowance for expenses related to a disability (if applicable)
The Cost of Attendance is re-calculated and updated each year in April when a new fiscal year begins in the UK. During the review process in April we look at the average expenses you are likely to incur for the Academic Year rather than individual actual expenses. Each Cost of Attendance is set for the period of one academic year.
We calculate the Cost of Attendance appropriate to your course of study. To give you an idea, for the Academic Year 2023/24, the Cost of Attendance for a ‘UG Band 1 – 3 year course’ undergraduate student (as standard) is $52,200.00, and the Cost of Attendance for a ‘PG Band 3’ postgraduate student (as standard) is $57,900.00. There are different Bands in relation to the course level, length of studies & tuition fees for the course. Continuing students have a Cost of Attendance that is adjusted based on how their cost will differ from a new student. For a continuing undergraduate student going into their second year of study in 2023/24, their Cost of Attendance will be $46,900 for ‘UG Band 1C – Year 2, of a 3 year course’. We calculate this in GB Pounds Sterling and convert this into US Dollars using our standard exchange rate set for the academic year. The Cost of Attendance that is set for you, shows you the maximum amount we allow you to borrow. However, you can choose to borrow a smaller amount depending on your personal circumstances.
It is important to note that certain forms of Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA) can reduce your Cost of Attendance and therefore the amount in loans you are eligible for. Federal Regulations specify that EFA in forms such as scholarships and bursaries must be deducted from the COA. If you are unsure whether any financial assistance you are receiving counts as EFA, please contact us on usfinaid@uea.ac.uk.
The University publishes its Tuition Fees online. If you would like to check the Tuition Fee for a specific course you can use the link to see these published in table format.
More information about campus accommodation at UEA can be found on the accommodation pages of our website. The University also produces an Accommodation Finder which shows the range of campus residences and the typical costs.
Updated October 2021