Eligibility

To be eligible for US Financial Aid students must be:

• Eligible US citizens or eligible non-citizen (opens external site)
• Not in default or owing a return repayment on a federal student loan

Criteria

The US government stipulates certain criteria for an "eligible borrower" and the amount of funding available.

UTS must consider the following:

• Enrolment in an eligible UTS program and study load
• Cost of Attendance (COA)
• Dependency status
• Student Aid Report (SAR) results (from Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA))
  • Citizenship
  • Default on previous loans
  • Drug offences (PDF, 136kb)
  • Selective service registration
• Complete entrance counselling
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), including academic standing, maximum timeframe, probation and suspension.

UTS programs and study load

Programs

UTS is authorised by the US Department of Education to administer US Federal Financial Aid to students studying in the following educational programs:

1. Undergraduate Degree
2. Master's and Doctoral Degrees
3. First professional degree programs

Note:
All nursing degrees, all graduate diplomas and all graduate certificates are ineligible. 

Programs offered by online, telecommunication or distance delivery in whole or part are ineligible. 

Study load

To be eligible to receive US Federal Financial Aid, students must be enrolled at least half-time, which is 12 UTS credit points per academic period. Australian government regulations require student visa-holders to be enrolled in a standard full-time load, which is 24 UTS credit points per academic period.

(Note: For Summer and Intensive (Block) sessions – six credit points is considered as half time enrolment during Summer and Intensive (Block) periods of enrolment for the purposes of US Federal Financial Aid).

This evaluation process will consider the students progress under the following categories:

1. Academic Standing
2. Maximum Timeframe

In order to receive US Federal funds, students must meet minimum standards for both the above-mentioned components, while simultaneously adhering to UTS Academic Progression rules and to Australian Immigration/Visa legislation (opens an external site).

Cost of attendance (COA)

2024 COA Components

Note: The above figures are based on the 40 weeks of an academic year for 2024 in Australian Dollars and will be converted into USD on the day of Cost of Attendance calculation. The US Funds will be converted to Australian dollars on the day they arrive in the UTS account; any discrepancy in the exchange rates will not be considered unless it exceeds 25%. These figures are reviewed annually and updated as appropriate.

Additional amounts

If you believe that you are eligible to receive additional amounts (dependent care, disability-related expenses, study abroad costs etc.) and wish to appeal the amount calculated in COA, please email the UTS US Financial Aid Office along with the supporting documentation. We will assess and discuss these issues with you individually.

Dual citizenship

If you hold dual citizenship in either Australia or New Zealand, this may also affect the amount of funding that you are eligible to receive. Your aid amount may vary, as a US dual citizen of either of these countries may be able to access other sources of aid. The combined amount of aid offered to you under the Stafford Loan Program, PLUS Loans and private loans, cannot exceed your COA.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to the normal annual cost of attendance allowances for the following in addition to the Australian visa requirements:

• Less than half time students
• Correspondence study
• Incarcerated students
• Professional judgment cases

Dependency status

Dependency impacts both the funding available (subsidised and unsubsidised, PLUS) and has a subsequent impact on the amount of money that could be offered to students or their parents.

A student's dependency status is determined from information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is verified on the Student Aid Report (SAR) provided. It also affects the amount and method used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Independent

For the purposes of US Federal Student Aid, a student is considered independent if he or she meets one or more of the following criteria:

• is at least 24 years old by 31 December of the award year
• is an orphan or ward/dependent of the court, or was a ward/dependent of the court until he or she reached age 18
• is a veteran of the US Armed Forces
• is working on a master's or doctorate program at the beginning of the award year for which the FAFSA is completed
• is married as of the date the FAFSA is completed
• has at least one child who receives more than half of his or her support from 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 30 June of the award year

Dependent

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

How to apply for dependency override

If you believe that you are eligible for a dependency override, please contact the UTS US Financial Aid Office by providing the reason/s along with the supporting documentation.