Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. If you're a US citizen or eligible non-citizen and have accepted an unconditional offer of a place at BNU, you may be eligible to borrow Financial Aid.

All students must familiarise themselves with: The US Department of Education Resources.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, US Department of Education regulations are subject to change and BNU cannot be held responsible for any changes that may adversely affect your eligibility for federal loans.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to take out US Direct Loans you need to:

1. Be a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
2. Have a valid US social security number.
3. Be accepted on to a programme of full-time course (distance learning courses are not eligible programmes; private loans are the only potential options to fund these courses).
4. Be living in the UK during the course of your studies at BNU (students who continue to live in the USA during their studies are not eligible – private loans may be an option).
5. Have not borrowed over your federal loan limits or are still in default on repaying previous loans.
6. If you are a male over the age of 18, have signed up for selective service or have been officially exempted from selective service.
7. Not have any outstanding convictions for drug-related offences.
8. Federal Aid is for Degree programs only, please see Eligible Courses in the next section.

Ineligible courses

• Research programmes (e.g. MRes, MPhil, PhD)
• Nursing and/or any other Health or Healthcare programmes
• Non-degree courses / programmes (e.g. Certificates of Higher Education, Diplomas of Higher
• Education, Graduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas)
• Online courses / programmes
• Distance learning or low residency courses / programmes
• Courses / programmes that are offered or taken less than half-time
• Foundation courses
• Teacher Training courses (i.e. PGCE - Postgraduate Certificate in Education)
• Programmes with optional Placements or Study Abroad options
• Any programme that includes study completed in the United States of America, including research, work, placements, internship, externship, or special studies
• Any programme offered by our partner colleges.

How to Apply

US federal student loan application steps: We will only be able to start processing your loan once we receive your COA and all of the steps below are complete.