Disbursement of US student loans

First semester disbursement of funds

The first disbursement of funds usually takes place between end of September to end of October, depending on how early you can present the key documents required. 

Prioritise organising your residence permit card (if you did not get it in the US), getting a Swedish personal number (if here for more than 1 year) and setting up a bank account during your first few weeks in Sweden.

Some of these steps can each take several weeks to complete before you can move to the next step.

Once you have a Swedish bank account, you need to meet with the Financial Aid Officer at Lund University to present your US passport and Swedish bank account details.

The first disbursement of funds to your Swedish bank account takes place approximately 2 weeks after you have met with the Financial Aid Officer.

Have back-up funds available to cover the first 2-3 months in case of unexpected delays in fund disbursements and as a buffer for initial costs (e.g tickets for orientation week events, set up costs on arrival).

• Please be advised that funds will not be disbursed to foreign bank accounts. 
• No funds will be disbursed until you have met with the Financial Aid Officer and presented your Swedish bank account and US passport.  
• Be sure to priortise a meeting with the Financial Aid Officer so that funds can be disbursed as soon as possible!

Getting a bank account – for US student loans

If studying in Sweden for more than a year, you need to apply for a Swedish personal number from the Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket. You can do this once you are in Sweden by visiting a Skatteverket office. Once you have applied for and received the official Swedish personal number from Skatteverket, set up a Swedish bank account at a bank of your choice and then arrange to meet the Financial Aid Officer to arrange disbursement of funds.

Students who are studying in Sweden for less than one year cannot get a Swedish personal number from Skatteverket. However, selected bank branches in Lund can assist students with opening an account once they are in Sweden. You will receive information about this from the Financial Aid Officer.

Note that it may take some time to set up the account and you may need to visit several banks in order to get the account set up.

About banking in Sweden

During your studies

It is possible to adjust the amount of loans during the semester. Please contact the Financial Aid Officer to discuss your plans.

Second-semester disbursement of funds

Disbursement of funds for the second semester takes place in early February. It is important to contact your programme/study coordinator in advance to ensure that you are registered in courses for the second semester in Ladok. You will receive information about upcoming disbursements from the Financial Aid Officer.

Important note

Please note that it is not possible to do an exchange, internship or other studies in the US for the duration of the period you receive US student loans at Lund University, and that courses and programmes with elements containing online or distance education, and joint courses with US schools, or programmes where any part of the education (internship courses, field trips etc) takes place in the US are not eligible.