Eligibility for Title IV Direct Loans
You must meet the general eligibility criteria to be able to apply for Title IV Direct Loans.
Student eligibility
To be eligible for Title IV Loans you must:
- be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen
- have a valid social security number
- not have defaulted on any previous student loans
- not have exceeded aggregate borrowing limits
- be registered with Selective Service, if you’re a male or have a valid exemption
- show that you are qualified to obtain a university education by: a) having a high school diploma or a recognised equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or by having completed a high school education in a home school setting approved under state law.
Courses that are not eligible
Plymouth is only authorised to provide Title IV loans for courses that lead to a full bachelors, masters or PhD/doctoral.
The University's Programme Participation Agreement excludes eligibility for Direct Loans for students undertaking the following programmes:
- Medicine or nursing degrees
- PGCE
- Diploma programmes
- Distance Learning (online) programmes
- those that are considered as less than half-time attendance
- those that are not a degree-bearing course e.g. Certificates, Diplomas.
We will advise your if your programme of study is ineligible for Title IV Loans.
If you plan on undertaking one of the above programmes of study, you will be required to find alternate sources of funding, as Direct Loans are not available to you. Private Loans may be available to students on the above programmes.
New regulations from the US Department of Education now allows students receiving U.S. loans to take up to 25 percent of their program of study in the United States or at institutions outside the U.S. that are not themselves participating in the U.S. Direct Loan Program without losing eligibility for U.S. Direct Loans. Please ensure that you ask us for advice if any part of your course has a placement or period away from the University, so we can check to ensure that your eligibility for Title IV Direct Loans will not be affected.