US student loans

William D. Ford Direct Loan Program

Lund University is a participating institution in the US Government Federal William D. Ford Direct Loan Program for our undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral programmes. This includes the Direct Loans and the Direct Plus Loans.

Please note that this loan program is only available to US citizens or to eligible non-citizens. If you are not an eligible non-citizen or citizen of the United States of America, please have a look at Lund University's scholarship programmes instead.

• Eligibility for US student loans
• About the loan program at the Federal Student Aid website
• Find out if you are an eligible non-citizen at the Federal Student Aid website
• Lund University scholarships

General information about Direct Loans

Direct Loans are made available to students attending university at least half time. The US Department of Education is the lender, and you receive the loan money through your university. There are two types of Direct Loans; you may receive a Direct Subsidised Loan, a Direct Unsubsidised Loan, or both for the same academic year. The Direct Subsidised Loan is based on financial need, as determined under federal regulations. Students may qualify for a Direct Unsubsidised Loan regardless of their financial situation since need is not a factor in determining eligibility for a Direct Unsubsidised Loan. There is also a third type of loan available called a PLUS Loan.

Awards

A graduate student can borrow up to the cost of attendance (COA), which is defined by Lund University. The COA at Lund University includes costs for tuition and living expenses (travel to and from Sweden, accommodation, books, etc.) for the academic year. The loans within the Direct Loan Program have a total aggregate limit of $138 500 and the maximum amount a student can borrow each academic year is $20 500.

Direct Loans are divided into two categories, subsidised and unsubsidised. The US government pays the interest on all subsidised parts of the Direct Loans while the student is still enrolled at a university, during grace periods and other specified periods. A student is only eligible for a subsidised loan if the student demonstrates financial need. The borrower is always responsible for the interest that accrues on unsubsidised loans.  If the COA is calculated to be more than $20 500, a student is usually able to apply for a Direct Plus Loan, so that the full COA can be covered. The Direct Plus Loan is not need-based, but please note that it requires a pristine credit history.

Application dates

Application dates for future students

If you are applying for studies at Lund University and you plan to fund your studies with the help of funds from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, it is highly recommended that you start the process of applying for student finance as soon as possible. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opens on 1 October for the following academic year starting in September. We encourage Lund University applicants to submit their FAFSA with the LU code G10067, in order for us to expedite processing time once admission results are out. Make sure to notify our Financial Aid Office about your FAFSA once you have been admitted to an eligible programme at Lund University.

Application dates for current students at Lund University

If you are already a student at Lund University and you have previously borrowed funds from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, you still need to notify us when you have filed a new FAFSA for the next year, the deadline is 15 June.

How to apply for US student loans