How to apply

Step one

To be considered for financial aid, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which you can do online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. 

By applying online you will, (a) have the ability to complete your application quickly and effectively and, (b) be assured that provisions have been put in place to make sure that the information you submit is correct. However, if you wish to apply via a paper form, you will need to contact FAFSA directly.

Please make sure you have the following information to hand when completing your FAFSA:

• Name and state of the school you are attending
• Social Security number, drivers' licence and date of birth
• Resident alien card if you are a non-citizen, permanent resident or foreign student
• Parents' Social Security number (if dependent)
• Income tax return
• Parents income tax return (if dependent)
• Names and phone numbers of two personal referees
• Name and email address of a co-signer (if necessary)

Step two

Identify your University's school code. The University of Abertay Dundee’s school code is G36743. Please make sure you exchange the G with an O on the FAFSA application form.

Step three

Once you have completed your online FAFSA application, you will receive an electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) which can be downloaded online. Please note that the SAR you receive is only a two-page abbreviated version of the full eight-page SAR – the SAR will list the information you have provided and will also calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

In order to receive the full eight-page SAR, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Centre at 800-4-FED-AID (0800-433-3243) and request the full eight-page SAR is posted to you.

Undergraduates, who have completed their FAFSA online, will be required to complete one for each future year of study. You will receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to allow you to complete your form online and to validate the signature. If you do not receive your PIN number please obtain one online from the US Department of Education PIN Registration.

If you complete a paper FAFSA and do not include your email address, the full eight-page SAR will be mailed to your address, however if you include an email address in your application a two-page SAR will be emailed to you. If this is the case please make sure you contact the Federal Student Aid Information Centre to request the full eight-page SAR is mailed to you.

Undergraduates, who have completed a paper FAFSA, will be sent a renewal form each year of their study.

If you have previously applied for financial aid, the renewal FAFSA will contain the majority of your information already pre-printed; therefore you may find that only your (or your parents’, if a dependent student) financial information is required to be updated.

Step four

After completing the FAFSA and receiving your SAR, send the original eight-page SAR to the University along with a School Certification Form and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) making sure you maintain a copy for your records.

Please fax or email this to our office +44 (0) 1382 308343 or h.petrie@abertay.ac.uk as it will enable the University to track and process your application more efficiently.

Step five

Abertay University requires all students to complete loan counselling at the appropriate grade level (undergraduate or graduate) prior to the initial certification of any US Federal loan funds. You can do this by going online at www.mappingyourfuture.org. Abertay University will be notified once you have completed the counselling session.

Step six

Your eligibility will be determined through the information (yours and your family’s financial situation) that has been input on your FAFSA. The information is then analysed using US federal guidelines as well as the University’s guidelines to ensure a fair and equal assessment is calculated.

Your results will show the difference between what the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is and the cost of education. 

Cost of Attendance (COA) - (minus) Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) = (equals) Financial Aid.

The results of this need analysis indicate the difference between what can be expected from the family and the cost of education, by showing the ability of the student and/or their family to pay for their education. This is then used to determine whether the student has a financial need.

Please make sure you advise the International Student Advisor of any other grant/aid or scholarship that you are in receipt of, or are in the process of applying for when you submit your application for aid.

Step seven

A student’s dependency status is determined from information provided on the FAFSA. It affects the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and types of aid that you may be eligible to receive.

For the purposes of Title IV aid, a student is considered independent if he or she meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The student is at least 24 years old by December 31 of the award year
• The student is an orphan or ward/dependent of the court, or was a ward/dependent of the court until he or she reached age 18
• The student is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• The student is working on a master’s or doctorate programme at the beginning of the award year for which the FAFSA is completed
• The student is married as of the date the FAFSA is completed
• The student has at least one child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student
• The student has a dependent, other than a spouse or a child, who lives with the student and receives more than half of his or her support from the student at the time the FAFSA is completed and through June 30 of the award year

The student is considered dependent if he or she does not meet any of the above criteria for an independent student unless the international student advisor determines that the student is independent on the basis of special circumstances and performs a dependency override.

Amounts for Federal Stafford Loan as of 1 July 2008:

Aggregate limit for dependent students: $31,000 with no more than $23,000 subsidised

Aggregate limit for independent students: $57,000 with no more than $23,000 subsidised

Aggregate limit for graduate students: $138,500

Note: These amounts may be lower, depending on the eligibility determined by the International Student Advisor. Students in receipt of unsubsidised loans can either (a) pay the interest while they are in university with the principal deferred until after they stop being enrolled part time, or (b) they can choose to have both the interest and principle deferred until after they cease to be enrolled at least part-time.

You will be advised via email as to the determination of your eligibility for need-based aid and non-need based aid. You will be required to confirm your intent to take this amount, or any other lesser amount prior to certification taking place.

Once Abertay University receives your information, we will prepare an award letter that outlines the aid programmes for which you are eligible. This award letter can then be used in your visa application to prove that you have access to sufficient funds.

It is strongly recommended that you plan on having sufficient funds available for accommodation, books, supplies, and any other personal expenses during the first six to eight weeks of classes in the event that there is some delay in your financial aid arriving from the U.S.

When your aid cheque arrives, you will be required to come to the International Student Advisor's office to sign the cheque, and it will be distributed to your tuition account and any remainder will be refunded to your private bank account.

Click here if you wish to apply online for aid now www.fafsa.ed.gov. 

Disbursement information

Abertay University will not disburse funds to students until thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of classes, in accordance with U.S. Federal policy. Typically, it is the date your cheque is posted - not the same day that funds are actually available. You should not expect to receive funds prior to arriving in Dundee.

Disbursement of Federal loans will be on two separate dates coinciding with the Orientation if you are undertaking a semester based or Doctoral programme. This is to allow, the academic monitoring requirements mandated by the U.S. Department of Education in the second semester.

If you are commencing in Semester Two, as a result of advanced standing or previous credit, the initial assessment will be for a six-month period only. The reasoning for this is that as of Semester One the following year you may be eligible for additional aid.

If you are undertaking a Trimester based programme, your funds will be disbursed on three separate dates coinciding with trimester based orientation programmes. This disbursement schedule allows for the mandatory academic monitoring stipulated by the U.S. Department of Education.

The loan funds will be sent to the University and you will be notified via email when the cheques have arrived and are ready for your signature. Once you have signed these, the cheques will be converted from US dollars into Pounds Sterling, and credited towards your tuition account and the remainder will be paid into your living account

Students who are borrowing through the Federal Stafford Loan (subsidised and/or unsubsidised) must complete a Federal Master Promissory Note (MPN) annually in order to receive their Federal Stafford Loan funds.

Section 12 of the MPN asks if you wish to pay interest while you are in university. Please consider this carefully as the unsubsidised portion of your loan will continue to accrue interest for the life of your loan.

Rules and regulations differ slightly when you are enrolled in a university outside the US. The MPN you sign whilst valid for ten years in the US will need to be completed annually with each new application for aid.

Back to top