Obtain US Financial Aid by following these steps.
Apply for a loan
1. Apply to a UTS course
Find more information about how to apply to study at UTS.
2. Apply for Financial Aid at UTS
You must complete:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (opens an external site). UTS’s federal school code is G31504.
Master Promissory Note (opens an external site)
Entrance Counseling (opens an external site) if this is the first time you are borrowing through the Direct Loan program at UTS.
UTS US Financial Aid Application and Bank Account Details form (PDF, 519kB)
UTS US Financial Aid Request for Direct PLUS (Parent) Loan form (PDF, 824kB) – a parent of a dependent student who is borrowing the loan is required to fill out this form after receiving the US Financial Aid award notification.
3. Respond to US Financial Aid Offer
You will be advised via email of your eligibility for need-based aid and non-need-based aid. Once UTS reviews your eligibility information, we will prepare a Financial Aid offer that outlines the aid programs for which you are eligible. You will be required to confirm your intent to take this amount, or any other lesser amount prior to certification taking place. This offer can then be used in your visa application to prove that you have access to sufficient funds.
If you are a dependent student, the offer will also stipulate how much money your parents can draw down for this year as a PLUS Loan, if they wish to. We will provide the PLUS application form in your packet, if not already completed.
4. Accept full offer of admission
Once your academic credentials have been assessed and you have been granted admission to a degree program at UTS, you will be sent an Offer of Admission.
Commencing students wishing to accept their full Offer of Admission must pay a deposit to secure their place in the degree.
Deposit policy for US Financial Aid recipients
UTS applies the following policy to individuals eligible to receive any US Federal Financial Aid funds:
If a student's tuition fees are covered by the total amount of the federal loans approved; then the student is permitted to pay a reduced deposit amount of AUD$1000.
If the student's tuition fees are not covered by the federal loans certified, then the student's deposit payment plan is in accordance with UTS international student policy, i.e. the initial deposit is equal to the first semester tuition fee.
Once the student has paid the deposit and returned the Acceptance form, UTS will issue the CoE. Once the CoE has been issued, the student will be able to apply for an Australian student visa.
Please note that loans cannot be originated until your enrolment is confirmed through the payment of your tuition fee deposit and you have been issued with a CoE from UTS. If you will be attending UTS on a visa which is not a student visa, please contact sponsored.student@uts.edu.au as you will not be required to obtain a CoE.
Loans will not be disbursed to your bank account until you arrive and enrol in your courses at UTS. The actual date of your disbursement will be conveyed to you through a disbursement letter. We recommend that you have access to approximately 2 months' worth of savings, as loan funds may not be immediately available. These expenses will be considered in your Cost of Attendance calculation to determine your loan amount.
If there is a shortfall between the loan funds received by UTS and the student’s outstanding fees, the balance of the semester's fees must be paid once the loan is delivered and no later than four weeks after commencement of the semester. Further information on how to apply for a US student loan can be obtained from the UTS US Financial Aid Office, sponsored.student@uts.edu.au.
5. Disbursement of funds
UTS has two disbursement dates based on 2 semesters in one academic year, each disbursement will be exactly half of your yearly award. Therefore, you will receive the total fund in two instalments after the whole process is completed.
If your loan is for only one semester, there will be two disbursements: one at the beginning and one in the middle of the semester.
Please note that disbursement dates are the dates your loan money will be applied to your UTS student account. The total amount for the first and second disbursements is based on the exchange rate on the day that the money is deposited in the UTS bank account, this date will be a couple (no more than three) days earlier than your actual disbursement date.
After your tuition fee in Australian dollars is taken out, the rest of the money will be refunded to you in the method that you indicate on your Loan Processing Request form. The most common method is that the money will be deposited to your Australian bank account that has been provided on the Loan Processing Request form. Therefore, we recommend that you open an Australian bank account shortly after you arrive in Sydney.
Your exact tuition fee will be calculated after you have enrolled in your individual subjects at UTS. The UTS fees office will be notified that you are participating in the Direct Loan program and will be aware that your tuition fees will be paid once your loan has been disbursed. If you receive notices about your tuition fees from the fees office, please email sponsored.student@uts.edu.au.