William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
The University of Kent participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.
Direct Loans are low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. The lender is the US Department of Education, although the entity you deal with - your loan servicer, can be a private business.
Direct Loans are available to students studying at our Canterbury and Medway campuses in the United Kingdom.
For US Direct Loan eligibility criteria and further information regarding Direct Loans, please see our US Direct loan page.
With Direct Loans, you:
- Borrow directly from the US Federal government and have a single contact - your loan servicer - for everything related to repayment, even if you receive Direct Loans at different schools;
- Have online access to your Direct Loan account information via your servicer's website;
- Can choose from several repayment plans that are designed to meet the needs of almost any borrower, and you can switch repayment plans if your needs change.
US private loans
As the following students are not eligible to borrow US Direct loans, they can apply to borrow a US Private Loan:
- Students whose programme includes study or research for any length of time in the United States. However, there is a narrow exception for independent research carried out by PhD students – please email foreignloans@kent.ac.uk for details.
- Students whose programme includes study or research for any length of time at the University of Kent’s Paris centre.
- Students who have a study period abroad at an institution which is not certified to receive US Federal Direct funds.
- Students who are registered on an External / Distance Learning programme of study.
We currently administer Sallie Mae Student Loans for US students attending the University of Kent's Canterbury and Medway campuses in the United Kingdom, and our Paris centre in France.
Information about Sallie Mae private loans can be found at: https://www.salliemae.com/student-loans.
Sallie Mae is not endorsed or recommended by The University of Kent. The University of Kent will work with any other private lender you decide, if they are willing to lend to students at a Foreign School.
US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Benefits Administration
The University of Kent has been approved by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to administer education benefits to eligible students.
You can check if your programme is already certified by visiting: WEAMS Public (va.gov) or e-mailing foreignloans@kent.ac.uk.
If your course has not yet been approved, the University will submit a request to the VA for program approval on your behalf.
Please note: Due to ongoing programme certification delays within the Department of Veteran Affairs Federal Approvals team, we ask that you inform the Foreign Loans Office if you are intending on using your Veteran Benefits as soon as possible, so that we can obtain approval for your course before you start at the University. If you plan to rely solely on VA benefits to pay for your tuition and/or cost of living, we strongly recommend you do not enrol until we confirm that your programme has been approved. If your programme is not approved prior to the start of the academic year, you may wish to defer your entry.
Veterans can contact their local Veterans Administration (VA) or the Veterans Benefits Administration in Washington DC for more information on educational assistance.
Students in receipt of VA benefits can also borrow US Federal Direct Loans.
Additional information
Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards
As a Title IV eligible institution, we are eligible to receive Education Awards from AmeriCorps.
These awards can be used be towards the cost of education for University of Kent students who are:
1. Studying for Bachelor's degrees, First Professional degrees, Masters degrees and Doctoral (PhD) degrees
2. Studying at the University of Kent’s Canterbury and Medway
To claim AmeriCorps money, you apply online via the AmeriCorps website: https://americorps.gov/members-volunteers/segal-americorps-education-award
Once you have done this, we are notified that you have made your application. We then go the School’s section of the AmeriCorps website to approve your request. When this has been done, we will email you to confirm.
The award money is sent directly to the University of Kent and is used towards the payment of your tuition fees. Students do not receive any of the award money.