Oxford Brookes University participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. We also work with private loan provider Sallie MaeSM.
United States student loans
All students who wish to apply for US Loans should fill out the Oxford Brookes University US Loan information form.
- New students - your application can only be progressed once your offer of study is Unconditional. If the only condition of your offer is a deposit payment, please email us and we will ask the Admissions office to waive this condition.
- Continuing students - your application can only be progressed once you have received your semester 2 results and met Satisfactory Academic Progress.
We will contact you for any additional information we need. Please respond to these emails promptly and check with us if you are unsure on what is required.
It can take up to 5 weeks to complete the loan application process. Any complications with your application may mean it takes longer than this.
September starters must ensure that their loan paperwork is complete by 21 August 2026 in order to receive the first loan disbursement on time in September 2026.
If you are making an application part-way through the academic year, please email us so we are aware of your application.
1 How much can I borrow?
You may borrow up to the Cost of Attendance which is set by the school. Please note that Federal Direct Loans have specific annual and aggregate limits that may limit your borrowing.
You should borrow only what you need. The maximum loans you can receive cannot exceed the yearly Cost of Attendance less any financial aid you may be receiving which includes:
- sponsorship
- financial aid from Oxford Brookes University such as a scholarship
- other financial aid from the UK
- other financial aid from the USA.
We will email you a personalised Cost of Attendance once you have begun our US Loans process.
The 2026-27 Cost of Attendance covers:
- tuition fees (please search our fee finder for your course for the exact tuition fees for your course of study at Oxford Brookes)
- weekly living costs*
- room/rent - £250
- board/food - £140
- personal - £105
- single costs
- books/stationery - £950
- cost of 2 return flights from/to the USA - £2100
- public transport - £300
- laptop (if 1st year student) - £600
- visa application fee (if 1st year student) - £558
- UK immigration health surcharge - £776
*NB: the yearly Cost of Attendance depends on whether the student is a September or January starter, UG or PG:
- CoA UG - 40 weeks
- CoA PG - 52 weeks
- CoA January starters - 34 weeks
The exchange rate we are using for the 2026-27 academic year is £1 = $1.47.
This rate is used for calculation purposes only, and a static exchange rate guarantees that all students receive equal treatment throughout the year. The true exchange rate is not known until the loans are disbursed. Please note that the University has no control over exchange rate fluctuations.
2 How long will my application take?
After you complete our US Loan information form, it can take 10 working days for us to prepare your Cost of Attendance document. During our peak application time (June - August), the process can take longer and we would recommend applying at least 5 weeks prior to any deadline you have to meet.
September starters must ensure that their loan paperwork is complete by 21 August 2026 in order to receive the first loan disbursement on time in September 2026.
Once your loan has been processed, we will email you a copy of the signed and stamped Loan Letter to confirm the amounts and dates of your loan disbursements.
3 Should I apply for loans or for my Student visa first?
US nationals are not required to send financial evidence with their student visa application.
It is possible, however, that after receiving your visa application, the UKVI immigration case worker will ask you to provide financial evidence documents. You can provide the Loan Letter if the UKVI requests financial documentation from you for the Student visa application.
Therefore we recommend that you do not apply for your visa until you have received confirmation that your loan has been approved and that your Loan Letter has been sent to you.
If you are not a US national, we recommend that you speak to the International Student Advice Team about the financial evidence required for your visa application.
4 How will I receive my loan?
Disbursements of US Loans will be made in at least 2 equal instalments by direct bank transfer to Oxford Brookes University.
The actual GBP proceeds that we receive for each instalment may vary, as it is dependent upon the USD / GBP exchange rate on the date the funds are received in the UK.
Please note that the disbursement date is the date when Oxford Brookes will receive the funds, not the date when students will receive the funds in their bank account.
Once the funds are received by Oxford Brookes, we will deduct any tuition fees and/or accommodation charges that are due for the relevant semester. Any remaining balance of funds will then be paid directly to you within 10 working days.
Please visit the Payment of US Student Loans webpage to submit your bank details to the Student Finance Office. A UK bank account is the preferred option to prevent your payment being subjected to conversion rates when it is paid to the University and back to a USD account.
2026-27 Disbursement Dates:
- Disbursement 1: 21 September 2026
- Disbursement 2: please see provisional dates* below:
*Subject to change
Study type | Disbursement 1 | Payment Period 1 | Disbursement 2 | Payment Period 2 |
| Undergraduate | 21 September 2026 | 14 September 2026 to 18 December 2026 (14 weeks of study) | 25 January 2027 | 25 January 2027 to 14 May 2027 (14 teaching weeks plus resit week and Easter) |
| Postgraduate Taught | 21 September 2026 | 14 September 2026 to 08 March 2027 (24 weeks plus 1day plus Christmas week) | 22 March 2027 | 09 March 2027 to 31 August 2027 (24 weeks of study plus Easter week) |
| Postgraduate Research | 21 September 2026 | 14 September 2026 to 08 March 2027 (25 weeks plus 1 day) | 22 March 2027 | 09 March 2027 to 31 August 2027 (25 weeks) |
International Students Compliance Team
The University's International Student Compliance team has been approved by the US Department of Education for the origination and disbursement of Federal Direct Loans.
Federal Direct Loans are low-interest loans to help undergraduate and graduate students pay for their education.
Direct Loans are provided by the US government and are available to US citizens who have firmly accepted an Unconditional offer to study at Oxford Brookes.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has brought in changes to loan eligibility and borrowing limits for students starting courses from 1 July 2026 onwards. Please review the Federal Student Aid website for more information about how this could affect you.
Foreign schools are not eligible to certify PELL Grants or Perkins Loans.
If you are applying for Federal Direct Loans, please make sure you read the Consumer Information.
In order to apply for Federal Student Aid for 2026-27, you must have completed a FAFSA for the 2026/27 academic year using the Oxford Brookes school code G20879.
- Undergraduates need to complete their FAFSA and relevant documents prior to 31 March 2027.
- Postgraduate students must complete their FAFSA and relevant documents prior to 31 May 2027.
1. Am I eligible for Federal Direct Loans?
- You must meet the US Loan eligibility requirements.
- You must undertake your study or research within the UK.
- You must be enrolled and continue to be enrolled at least half time at Oxford Brookes.
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) - Each loan disbursement is subject to you maintaining satisfactory academic progress in line with the current University policies (see links to each policy in the column on the right).
Course eligibility
- Programmes that have a compulsory online or distance learning element are ineligible for US Federal Direct Loan funds. (Ref: US Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA), July 1, 2006.)
- We are not authorised to offer Federal Direct Loan funds to students on Nursing, Midwifery or Paramedic related programmes.
- Any course that is fully or partially taught at a partner institution is ineligible for Federal Direct Loan funds - examples include: BSc Equine Science, BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies (BA Top-up) and BA (Hons) Business and Management Practice (BA Top-up).
- Students expecting to take a year-long work placement or period of study abroad as part of their course should contact us for further information.
- Students on a year-long work placement will not be eligible for a Federal Direct Loan during this time and, for the purposes of Federal Direct Loans, will not be considered enrolled at least half-time on campus by the University. It is our understanding that during your placement year you may be required to commence repayments on your Federal Loans - your loan servicer will be able to advise you if this will be the case.
Note that Oxford Brookes University does not offer any courses that the United States Department of Education classes as ‘Professional’ courses.
Students’ responsibilities
Changes in enrolment status (e.g. dropping below half-time enrolment or taking temporary withdrawal) or study location (e.g. exchange study or returning to the US) may affect your eligibility for US Federal Direct Loans. In these instances you must inform the International Student Compliance Team immediately at us-federal-loan@brookes.ac.uk.
2. How do I apply for Federal Direct Loans?
Full details about how to apply for US Federal Aid can be found in our How to apply guidelines. You will need to open and follow this guide carefully to ensure you complete each of the following 10 steps fully:
- Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Oxford Brookes University school code is G20879.
- Complete the Oxford Brookes University US Loans Information Google form.
- We will assess your offer status and eligibility for US loans before sending you your Cost of Attendance document.
- New students or first time borrowers must complete entrance counselling for Oxford Brookes University
- Complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN).
- If you are eligible for a PLUS loan, you will need to complete an application, a MPN and obtain a successful credit check.
- We recommend that you complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement.
- We may need you to send additional information so please do this in a timely manner. If you don’t understand our request, please contact us.
- Confirm to us the loan types and amounts that you wish to borrow.
- Once all steps have been successfully completed, we will finalise your US Loans and will email you an award letter with the confirmation of your loan type(s), values and disbursement dates.
Professional judgement
Our Professional judgement policy outlines the process and requirements for a student to request a review of their dependency status, Student Aid Index or the Cost of Attendance. The student must demonstrate unusual or special circumstances which justify an adjustment.
A professional judgement review does not guarantee additional funding of any kind. Professional judgement decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
Sallie MaeSM Private Loans
Sallie MaeSM Student Loans is the only private loan provider available to students at Oxford Brookes University.
Please review the Federal Aid Direct Lending programme before you progress with a private loan as this may be a more favourable option.
Eligibility for Sallie MaeSM loans is determined solely by the lender, and Oxford Brookes is not involved in any decision to approve or reject a loan application.
If you’re applying for both a Federal Direct Loan and a Sallie MaeSM private loan, please note that the combined total of your loans cannot exceed the maximum you are eligible to borrow as determined by your Cost of Attendance.
To apply, see our How to Apply for Sallie MaeSM guidelines. You should follow this guide carefully to ensure you complete each of the steps fully.
- Complete the Oxford Brookes University US Loans Information Google form
- We may need you to send further details so please do this in a timely manner. If you don’t understand our request, please contact us.
- We will complete your Cost of Attendance and maximum loan amounts.
- Apply for a Sallie MaeSM Student Loans if you have not already done so.
- Confirm to us how much you wish to borrow.
- Once all steps have been successfully completed, we will finalise your Sallie MaeSM Loan and email you an award letter with the confirmation of your loan type, values and disbursement dates.
More information about Sallie MaeSM Private Loans
1 Deferring a previous Federal loan
In accordance with Federal Regulations, Oxford Brookes University must report student enrolment status to the US Department of Education via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) every 60 days. Reporting students as studying full-time or at least half-time will allow deferred payment status for any previous US Federal Loans taken out before you started your studies with us.
If you do not intend to borrow whilst studying at Oxford Brookes, but have previous Federal loans, please email your loan deferment documentation to us-federal-loan@brookes.ac.uk and we can help you to defer these loans. Your loan servicer should be able to provide you with this loan deferment documentation.
2 Tax forms
As a foreign institution, Oxford Brookes University does not complete the 1098T tax form for students, but students can request a Certificate of Fees Paid which may be used for tax purposes. Please email us-federal-loan@brookes.ac.uk in order to request this.
Since we don't deduct or pay US taxes, we don't have an EIN number. However, our VAT registration number is 685 4145 14GB and this can be used for the same purpose.
3 Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Each Federal Direct Loan disbursement is subject to students maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), as determined by the University and in line with the current University policy. See the policies for each course level on the right.
All students are offered a resit opportunity on a failed module. Your US Federal Loan is not affected if you pass the resit and complete the correct number of credits (120 for UG and 180 for PG) in the same academic year. However, if you have not completed the full year of credit and you need to retake a module, you can only borrow PLUS loans, not subsidised or unsubsidised loans, until the year of credits have been completed. For example:
For 1-year master's courses, you are expected to complete 180 credits per year (this is also the total number of credits for the course). If you need extra time to complete the course because you have to retake 1 module, you would only be eligible for PLUS loan for this time.
For a 3-year UG course, you are expected to complete 120 credits per year. If you fail 1 module during your first year and you are permitted to retake the module alongside your second year modules, you would only be eligible for PLUS loan from the start of the second year until you have passed the total of 120 credits to complete from your first year. This would normally be 1 semester.
4 Changing or cancelling a loan disbursement
If you wish to increase or decrease your Federal Direct or Sallie Mae Loan during the academic year, please email us to confirm the details.
- You can only increase your loan if your current borrowing is less than the maximum Cost of Attendance (CoA).
- We require at least 2 weeks' notice before any scheduled disbursement to allow adequate time for any necessary changes to be made.
- Any loan increase request must be made at least 6 weeks before the loan period end date.
If you are looking to cancel your loan, please email us by the date provided in your "Right to Cancel" email, before the upcoming disbursement date.
5 Veterans Affairs benefits
Oxford Brookes University does not participate in the Veterans Affairs programme.
6 Returning Federal loan funds to the US Department of Education
For students who permanently withdraw, take temporary withdrawal or are excluded, it may be necessary for Oxford Brookes to complete a Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation and arrange for the return of any 'unearned' funds to the US Department of Education. This is in accordance with our R2T4 policy.