US Direct Loans

The following information covers US federal loans for new students who are commencing their course on or after 1 July 2026. The loan types, borrowing limits and eligibility criteria are set by the US Department of Education and any changes are beyond the University's control. 

On July 4 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into US law, resulting in significant changes to federal student aid programs. Throughout this page you will see that some sections have been divided as follows: 

OBBBA regulations which apply if you'll be starting a new course at Brunel University of London for the 2026-27 academic year or are a current student who didn't receive a federal loan for your course before 1 July 2026. 

Important disclaimer: The information contained on this page is provided by Brunel University of London’s Funding Team to help support students considering applying for US federal loans. Although this information is provided in good faith, it may be subject to change based on updates to the US government regulations. 

You must meet all of the criteria listed to be eligible for US Federal Loans at Brunel University of London.

• Be a US citizen, eligible non-citizen or a permanent resident of the US.
• Have a valid US Social Security Number.
• Be borrowing within the borrowing limits for US Federal Loans.
• Have a UK bank account in your own name. 

And you must also: 

• Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis for the duration of your course. We will only be able to request your loans from the US if you are enrolled on the scheduled disbursement date (as shown on your award letter) and have not requested to suspend your studies or withdraw from your course. If you are considering making any changes to your enrolment status you must contact the Funding Team immediately.
• Be studying on an eligible degree course. There are restrictions on the University's ability to offer federal loan funds to students on certain courses. Students on ineligible courses may however be eligible for a private loan via Sallie Mae. The following types of courses are not eligible for US Federal Loans at Brunel University of London: 
  • any non-degree bearing course
  • courses which are less than half time
  • courses involving study outside of the UK for more than 25% of the overall course duration
  •  courses involving distance learning and/or online elements
  • courses in the Medical School
  • Research degrees.
• The Funding Team will assess whether your course is eligible when you submit your loan application. Please note that if any element of your programme is ineligible for federal loans, even if it is just a single part of one year, the entirety of the degree and all years become ineligible. If you have any queries or concerns before you commence your course, please contact the Funding Team with any questions. 
• Make satisfactory academic progress during your course. The University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy is available on the University’s Policies pages and includes the procedures to be followed if a student fails to meet SAP requirements.
• With limited exceptions, undertake your study within the UK. Regulations will potentially allow students receiving US Federal Loans to take up to 25% of their program of study in the United States or at institutions outside the US through a written agreement. The Funding Team will need to assess the eligibility of your selected institution/entity to ensure it meets the conditions of the regulation. If you plan to undertake any periods of study Brunel University of London, or undertake a placement or internship during your course, please email the Funding Team before applying for your loan so that we can assess your eligibility. It is important that you contact us at the beginning of your course so that we can advise accordingly, even if you'll not be completing study outside of Brunel University of London until a future year of study. 
• Meet all other criteria set by the US Department of Education. You must meet the remaining criteria set by the US Department of Education on the Federal Student Aid website in order to be eligible for US Federal Loans. 

Please also ensure that you add your UK contact details to your record using eVision as soon as possible, ideally when you register for your course or immediately afterwards. We may need to contact you by phone regarding your loan(s). 

The type of loan(s) and the amount(s) you may be eligible to borrow depends on a number of factors, including when you first registered for your course. Students commencing their course at Brunel University of London on or after 1 July 2026 are subject to the OBBA regulations.  

The tables below show the amounts available for full-time students at Brunel University of London who are subject to the OBBA regulations. 

*The loan limits for independent students also apply to dependent students who are unable to access parent plus loans due to adverse credit.

**Independent students may be eligible for private loans. Brunel University of London currently works with Sallie Mae for private loan provision.

***Some courses are not eligible for federal loans. More information is available in the above Eligibility section of this document.

****Professional study is generally at the doctoral level and requires at least six academic years of postsecondary education to complete, including at least two years of post-baccalaureate coursework, as well as generally requiring professional licensure to begin practice in the intended field. For more information, please refer to the OBBA Important Definitions.

*****Origination fees, default fees and interest rates are subject to change, the rates for 2026-27 are as shown at the time of publication. For the latest information on interest rates and fees, please refer to the Federal Student Aid website.

*Some courses are not eligible for federal loans. More information is available in the above Eligibility section of this document. 

**Professional study is generally at the doctoral level and requires at least six academic years of postsecondary education to complete, including at least two years of post-baccalaureate coursework, as well as generally requiring professional licensure to begin practice in the intended field.  For more information, please refer to the OBBA Important Definitions. 

***As part of the OBBA regulations a small number of professional degree courses are allowed to receive higher US Federal Loan lending limits. If you have undertaken a professional course (as defined by Federal Student Aid) and have received US federal loans for that course please contact funding@brunel.ac.uk, as this may affect your aggregate loan limit. We will verify the information with our Admissions Team.  

****Origination fees, default fees and interest rates are subject to change, the rates for 2026-27 are as shown at the time of publication. For the latest information on interest rates and fees, please refer to the Federal Student Aid website.

To apply for your loan(s): 

1. Complete your FAFSA. Please go to the Federal Student Aid website, you must do this every year you wish to take a federal loan. If you have not submitted your FAFSA and you wish to fund your course at Brunel University of London with US Federal Loans, please submit your FAFSA via the Student Aid website. If you have any questions about applying under OBBA regulations, please refer to the OBBA Updates for Federal Student Aid. 
2. Complete the loan agreement (MPN) for your unsubsidised loan. 
3. Complete Entrance Counselling. You must complete entrance counselling for your unsubsidised loan. The entrance counselling link on the Federal Student Aid website will fulfil the counselling requirements. The University cannot originate your loans if you have not completed all the above steps. 
4. Complete your private loan application (if required). If you plan to take out a private loan, in addition to a federal loan, to cover your remaining cost of attendance, you'll need to complete your application with Sallie Mae. You must also record the amount that you intend to borrow through private loans when accepting your COA. The University will not be able to process your Sallie Mae loan if you have not confirmed the amount when accepting your COA. 

Once you've accepted your COA, and if you've already submitted your FAFSA (and any private loan application), we will carry out checks to ensure that you're within your borrowing limits. We will also verify your MPN and entrance counselling. If all is in order, we will issue you with your US Loan Award Letter by email. This will provide you with more information about the disbursement process for your federal loan(s), including the number of disbursements and the disbursement dates. 

If you've accepted loan(s) that are higher than your tuition fees for the first year of your course, you do not need to pay a course deposit, this will be covered by your loan(s). If your loans are less than the tuition fees for the first year of your course (or you prefer that your loan(s) are not used for the deposit) please make payment of your deposit as details in your offer letter from Admissions. 

You can use this letter as acceptable proof of funding for your visa application when applying for your visa via UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). For information about student visas please see our Student Visa Advice page. 

If you've not already submitted your FAFSA we will remind you to do so. The University cannot process your federal loan(s) if you have not completed your FAFSA. Remember that if you also intend to take a private loan you must apply for this separately via Sallie Mae. The University will not be able to process your private loans unless you've done so. 

Please refer to our guidance if you require support for opening a UK bank account: 

Opening a Bank Account in the UK. If you cannot access the link or you need more assistance please contact the Student Hub. 

Postgraduate students receive 4 equal disbursements, as detailed in your US loan award letter. Remember that you must be fully registered on your course and must have a UK bank account in your name to receive payment of US federal or private loans. 

Prior to each disbursement you'll receive a pre-disbursement notification. You have 5 working days from the date of this email to request any changes to your loan or your disbursement. Please contact funding@brunel.ac.uk if you wish to make changes to your loan or your disbursement. It will not be possible to request changes more than 5 working days from the date of the pre-disbursement notification as your disbursement will be in progress. Any changes requested after 5 working days will be processed on the next disbursement in 2026/7. 

After the funds have been disbursed you'll receive a post-disbursement notification that will provide information on the amount of funding in £GBP, any deductions for tuition fees and on campus accommodation, any surplus after these deductions, the date that the funds will show on your University Account and the anticipated date that the funds will be received in your UK bank account. 

If you're borrowing enough to cover the cost of your tuition fees for 2026/7 you do not need to pay a deposit. 

Please refer to your US loan award letter for the dates of your disbursements. 

Your funds will be converted in to £GBP on receipt of the currency and conversion costs will apply.  Although your COA for uses a static exchange rate to calculate costs, the actual amount you'll receive for each disbursement will vary depending on the exchange rate on the date the funds are received. Please note that the University has no control over exchange rate fluctuations, and we strongly recommend that you monitor rates during the academic year. 

You can make changes to your loan at any time. Any increase must be within your borrowing limits. To make changes to your loans please contact the Funding Team by email to funding@brunel.ac.uk clearly stating the new amount in $US – we will issue you with a new award letter by email to confirm the changes. Please note that you will not be able to make changes to a disbursement that is in progress. If you request changes when a disbursement is in progress, we will apply the changes to your next disbursement in 2026/7. 

We strongly advise that you request changes to your loan as soon as possible. Changes requested after the pre-disbursement notification may incur bank charges if the University has to return funds to the US. You may be invoiced for the bank changes in these circumstances. 

We will email you prior to each disbursement with the deadline for cancelling/returning loan funds through the University. To cancel your loan you must notify us by the specified deadline. You may need to pay fees and bank charges associated with returning any funds if payment has already been requested from the US. 

If you would like to cancel your federal loan and the deadline for doing so through the University has passed (if it is more than 120 days past the disbursement date), you can make a repayment directly to your lender; details on this can be located on the Federal Student Aid webpage. 

The Funding Team will issue you with a new COA which you'll need to accept again. You'll receive a new US loans award letter. 

There may be a potential impact, please email the Funding Team before you request any changes to your course. We will confirm if there are any changes to your US federal loans and/or private loans. Please await this notification from the Funding Team before requesting the change.