Consumer information and policies

To be eligible for US federal student loans, a student must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP). This policy applies to all students taking federal loans (also known as ‘financial aid’ and ‘Title IV aid’) at Oxford, specifically Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans. It applies to all federal loan recipients, including graduates, undergraduates, part-time and full-time students. Students who are taking out a loan for the first time part way through their course, will also need to demonstrate that they have met the SAP requirements throughout their degree so far.

Measuring SAP

SAP is assessed as follows:

• Qualitative standard (grades): Students must achieve minimum standards as required by the academic department and supervisor/tutor, and academic standing consistent with graduation requirements and on a cumulative basis. The University does not use a grade point average (GPA), and as such consider that students should be equivalent of at least a Lower Second Class degree for undergraduate courses, at least a pass for postgraduate taught courses and at least at the level to allow a postgraduate research student to progress to the next research degree stage. Students on programmes of more than two academic years, must be at least meeting these standards at the end of their second year to be classed as meeting SAP.
• Quantitative standard (pace): Students must progress through their course at a pace which ensures that they will graduate within the maximum timeframe. The maximum timeframe for completion is 150% of the published length of the course as measured in credit hours. The University takes each year of full-time undergraduate study to equal 120 UK credits and 180 UK credits for postgraduate study according to the Higher Education Credit Framework for England. Students must pass at least the equivalent of 67% of the credits in any given academic year, so at least the equivalent of 80 credits per year for undergraduate study and the equivalent of at least 121 credits for postgraduate study. Pace is reviewed on a cumulative basis at each SAP assessment point, taking into consideration all the enrolment changes identified in this policy.

Students must also be studying at a minimum of half-time pace in order to be eligible for federal loans.

Both the qualitative and quantitative SAP standards are reviewed at each evaluation point. For students on courses lasting one year or less, SAP is evaluated towards the end of each payment period, ie November - December; February - March; and May - July. For students on programmes lasting more than one year, SAP is evaluated annually towards the end of the summer term ie May - July.

Generally, all periods of a student’s enrolment count when assessing progress, even periods when the student did not receive loan funds. Some examples of changes to enrolment and how these impact on the measurement of SAP are outlined below:

Failure to meet SAP and regaining eligibility

A student who fails to meet SAP standards will be placed on Financial Aid warning for one payment period, during which time they may continue to receive Federal Aid. At the end of this period they will be reassessed for SAP. If they fail to meet SAP standards for a second time they will be notified that they have failed to meet SAP standards and are ineligible for further disbursements of US federal loans. Reinstatement of eligibility for these loans is not automatic. A student can regain eligibility only by submitting a successful appeal to be placed on probation or by taking action that brings them into compliance with the SAP standards. Students are not eligible to receive retrospective disbursements for a term where they did not make SAP.

Appeals

A student who fails to meet SAP standards may appeal on the basis of injury, illness, death of a relative, or other special circumstances. The appeal must explain why the student failed to make SAP and what has changed in their situation that will allow them to make SAP at the next evaluation point. Evidence should be attached where possible (eg medical notes or death certificates). Appeals must be submitted in writing, either by email to: [email protected] or by post to: US Loans Team, Student Fees and Funding, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK.

Receipt of the appeal will be acknowledged within seven working days. An Appeal Panel will be convened, consisting of at least two members of staff from the Student Fees and Funding team, and the Panel will aim to hold a review within 30 days of the date of the acknowledgement. The student will be notified of the outcome within seven working days of the review. The Appeal Panel may require extra evidence, documentation or contributions from the student’s supervisor, tutor or department, in which case these timescales may be extended. The decision of the Appeal Panel is final.

If the Appeal Panel determines that the student will not be able to meet the SAP standards, then the student will be ineligible for further disbursements of US student loans until they are able to take action that brings them into compliance with the SAP standards.

If the Appeal Panel determines that the student should be able to meet the SAP standards by the end of the subsequent payment period, the student will be placed on probation. If the probation is for one payment period the student’s progress will be reviewed at the end of the payment period. If the student is not meeting the SAP standards at this point, then they will not be eligible for further disbursements of US student loans until they are able to take action that brings them into compliance with the SAP standards.

If the Appeal Panel determines that the student will require more than one payment period in order to meet the SAP standards, the student will be placed on probation and an academic plan will be drawn up, in collaboration with the student’s supervisor, tutor and/or department. The student’s progress will be reviewed at the end of the payment period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student is eligible to receive US student loans as long as they continue to meet those requirements. If a student needs to change their academic plan, then they must submit another appeal, explaining what has happened to make the change necessary and how they will be able to make academic progress. If the student fails to meet the requirements of their academic plan or their appeal to change their academic plan is unsuccessful, then they will not be eligible for further disbursements of US student loans until they are able to take action that brings them into compliance with the SAP standards.

Definitions

Appeal: a process by which a student who is not meeting SAP standards petitions the University for reconsideration of their eligibility for US student loans.
Probation: A status the University assigns to a student who is failing to make SAP and who successfully appeals. Eligibility for US student loans may be reinstated for a limited period.

US federal law specifies that, if a student begins attendance and then withdraws from their programme of study in the middle of a payment period, the University of Oxford must complete a Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation and arrange for any ‘unearned’ loan funds to be returned to the US Department of Education. For the purposes of Title IV, a student is considered withdrawn, if they ceased attendance in the University or withdrew 100% from their programme of study. 

For R2T4 purposes, a Leave of Absence (LOA) for longer than 180 days or an ‘unapproved LOA’ is also deemed to be a withdrawal (see further detail and definitions below). When considering US Federal loans, the University is classed as an attendance taking institution. Schools/institutions that are attendance taking must make a determination within 14 days of a student's non-attendance if they should be withdrawn or not. 

A LOA is a temporary interruption in a student's programme of study and is equivalent to a suspension/suspension of status at the University of Oxford. However, only graduate research students are eligible to apply for an approved LOA as, for the purpose of Title IV, the University of Oxford cannot approve a LOA if a student cannot resume their education at the same point in their programme of study that they began the LOA. This is considered unscheduled leave and the student will be withdrawn for Federal Aid purposes only. The University will perform an R2T4 calculation if a student is withdrawn in the middle of a payment period.

This policy covers the following topics:

• University of Oxford’s procedure for withdrawing or taking leave of absence, including the offices designated to receive official notifications of intent to withdraw;
• University of Oxford’s fee refund policy;
• Requirements regarding the treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws or takes leave of absence.

The policy should enable students to:

• Determine the procedures for withdrawing or taking a leave of absence, and the financial consequences of doing so;
• Estimate how much Federal Student Aid they will retain, and how much they may have to return, upon withdrawing;
• Understand the difference and interaction between the University’s refund policy and the federal return requirements;
• Understand how the University might adjust a student’s charges to take into account any return of Federal Student Aid funds the University might be required to make;
• Understand that if they withdraw, University charges that were previously paid by Federal Student Aid funds might become a debit that the student will be responsible for paying;
• Understand the effects that a failure to return from a LOA may have on loan repayment terms, including the expiration of the grace period.

This policy will also be used when calculating the return of funds to the US Department of Education for reasons other than withdrawal/leave of absence. The policy will be applied when a student becomes ineligible for federal aid at the University of Oxford following changes to their enrolment or other factors; or for any other reasons that federal aid funds are returned to the US Department of Education. 

University of Oxford Procedure: Withdrawal or Leave of Absence (LOA)/Suspension

• Graduate students: Students should complete the GSO.29 Form for Withdrawal or the GSO.17 Form for Suspension of Status/Leave of Absence. The forms are available from our Graduate forms page and are submitted electronically. Once your withdrawal or leave has been processed or approved, you will receive a letter of confirmation from the Graduate Studies Office. Please ensure you tick the box that states you are a US Loan student on the GSO forms.
• Undergraduate students: Students should follow the withdrawal or suspension process within their college. Normally this will involve meeting the Senior Tutor and/or Academic Registrar, and potentially also the Dean and/or Welfare Team. A formal letter will be sent once the request has been approved by the Senior Tutor, setting out any terms and conditions of the suspension or confirming the withdrawal.

Students funding their studies through US federal student loans are required to inform the US loans team of their suspension/withdrawal at the same time as notifying their college/the Graduate Studies Assistant. Graduate research students should provide a pdf copy or screenshots of their GSO form to the US loans team at this time so that a determination can be made on whether the suspension meets the criteria for an approved LOA as defined by the US Department of Education Regulations (see below).

University of Oxford Policy: Refunds of Fees

The amount of Title IV funds due for return as a result of a withdrawal is calculated independently of the tuition fee liability charged by the University.

For reference, the University Refund Policy is as follows, and is not to be confused with R2T4 calculations and refunds. Should a student withdraw from their programme of study, they will only be entitled to a refund of fees paid if they have not yet reached Monday of 4th week of the term in progress. Further information on the University’s refund policy is available by emailing the Student Fees team or visiting the Payments and refunds page.

Timeframes and treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws (including unapproved LOA and LOA for more than 180 days)

When a student withdraws, the US Loans Team will calculate the amount of Title IV program assistance that has been earned up to that point, using a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation as provided by the US Department of Education. Individual colleges or the Central Finance department (as applicable) are responsible for the transfer of R2T4 funds to the US Department of Education.

If a college owes a withdrawn student any funds (i.e. credit balance refund), this must be put on hold until the R2T4 is calculated. Once the R2T4 calculations have been performed by the US loans team, the College has 14 days to refund the necessary funds to the student. 

The University will return unearned funds for which it is responsible as soon as possible but no later than 45 days from the date of determination (the date that the institution determined the student ceased attendance) of a student’s withdrawal. For a student who did not start at Oxford or was here for a few days only and did not receive loan funds before withdrawing, the funds will be returned within 30 days. Within the same 30 days, the University will also inform NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System) of the withdrawal, which will trigger all loans going into repayment.

Loan funds must be returned in the following order:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans
2. Federal Direct Subsidized loans (awarded to undergraduates only)
3. Direct PLUS Loans (Graduate or Parent)

For the purposes of the R2T4, the withdrawal date is the last date of academic attendance as determined by the University from its attendance records. Academically related activities include but are not limited to

• physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
• submitting an academic assignment;
• taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction;
• attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
• participating in an online discussion about academic matters; and
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

The amount of loan funds earned is calculated as follows:

Number of study days completed divided by Total number of study days in payment period

Standard payment periods at the University of Oxford for the year 2025-26 are: 

*After term has started, breaks of 5 or more consecutive days are to be counted as non-study days. Any period under 5 consecutive days, including weekends within the study period, are study days.

** Students withdrawing on or after this date have completed 60% of the payment period and therefore no funds need to be returned to the US Department of Education. The day of withdrawal is counted as a completed day.

Once the student has completed more than 60% of the payment period, all the assistance that the student was scheduled to receive for that period is considered to have been earned. As an example, if the student completes 30% of the payment period, they have earned 30% of the assistance they were originally scheduled to receive within that loan period. If the student has completed 60% of the payment period, they have earned 100% of the assistance they were scheduled to receive.

If the student received more assistance than was earned, the excess funds must be returned to the US Department of Education by the University and/or the student.

The University is required to calculate the amount of 'unearned' loan funds from a student’s last payment and return the proportion of unearned funds that have been deducted for fees to the US. 

The student is responsible for repaying the remainder of unearned aid in accordance with the terms and conditions of their loan agreement (MPNs). 

The requirements for Title IV program funds when students withdraw are separate from the University’s refund policy. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the University to cover unpaid institutional charges. The University may attempt to collect from the student any Title IV program funds that the University is required to return.

Students who do not attend even initial lectures or seminars are ineligible to receive any Title IV funds and all loan proceeds will be returned to the US Department of Education. The student will be liable for any fees or outstanding balances owed to the college or University.

Students who fail all or part of their course should seek advice from their tutor/supervisor as soon as possible. In general, the regulations permit undergraduate students failing the First Public Examination at the first attempt to re-enter some form of the examination, normally within a year. The regulations permit students failing the Second Public Examination (‘Finals’) to re-enter but, unless they do so within the maximum number of terms specified for the subject concerned, they will not normally be eligible to obtain Honours. Except for a small number of subjects detailed in the regulations, if you have been classified in the Second Public Examination, you may not re-take your Finals in order to try to improve your results. Graduate students on taught courses are normally allowed to make a second attempt at a failed examination, in accordance with the regulations for the particular qualification. The detailed provisions for any resit arrangements for each qualification are explained in the University’s Examination Regulations. Once exact arrangements are known the US loans team can advise students on the impact this will have on their loans depending on whether they are withdrawing/suspending their status. The University will require documentation to show when a student has failed, for example the score from an examination.

If a student fails their course through non-attendance for example not showing up at an examination or attending lectures, the University will follow the unofficial withdrawal process. The last verifiable date of attendance will be used for R2T4 calculation.

Unofficial withdrawals

An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student ceases to attend the University, but the University has not received notice of this from the student. College administrators are required to advise the US loans team of any unofficial withdrawals of federal loan recipients.

For R2T4 purposes, the US Loans Team will use as the date of withdrawal either:

• the last date of attendance as determined by the attendance records which are monitored for all students in receipt of a Tier 4 visa (currently monitored at the end of every term);
• where a student has attended past the last date of attendance recorded for the purpose of Tier 4 visa monitoring, the University will use the last verifiable date of attendance at an academically-related activity.

The unofficial withdrawal will then follow the normal procedure for returning Title IV loan funds.

Post-withdrawal Disbursements

If the value disbursed to the University or student before withdrawal is less than the earned value, the University will contact the student and arrange for a post-withdrawal disbursement to be made by bank transfer in pounds sterling to the student. The following regulations would apply;

• The University will provide written notification within 30 days of the date of determination of withdrawal
• Student (or parent) confirmation is required within 14 days of the written notification
• Funds are disbursed directly to the student - as soon as possible, but no later than 45 calendar days after the date of determination
• Funds are disbursed as credit to the student’s account – within 180 days after date of determination

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements are determined through the R2T4 process and will be only relevant to students where there have been multiple disbursements within a payment period.

Treatment of Title IV funds when a student takes approved LOA for less than 180 days

In order to qualify as an approved LOA for the purposes of federal aid (negating the need for the University to perform a Return calculation), the LOA must meet the conditions outlined below:

• the LOA must be approved by the University, in accordance with the Suspension procedures outlined above;
• the LOA must be requested in writing in advance by submitting a signed and dated GSO form to the US loans team, unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from doing so (for example, injury or illness);
• the situation described as the reason for the LOA (which will normally be found on the GS0.17 form) must be one that leads to a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA within the allowed time frame;
• the LOA, together with any additional leaves of absence, must not exceed a total of 180 days in any 12-month period, including days in which school is not in session;
• the student must resume training at the same point in the academic programme that they began the LOA;
• the University must inform the student of the possible consequences a withdrawal may have on the student’s loan repayment terms, including exhaustion of the student’s grace period.

A student granted a LOA that meets the criteria stated above is not considered to have withdrawn, and no R2T4 calculation is required.

During the LOA, the University will not charge the student any additional institutional charges, the student's financial need will not increase, and therefore, the student will not be eligible for any disbursements of Federal Student Aid. A student who is granted an approved LOA maintains in-school status for Title IV loan repayment purposes.

The start date of the LOA for federal loans purposes is the date that the LOA comes into effect. Where a LOA is requested retrospectively, the date of determination (the date that the institution determined the student ceased attendance) of a student’s withdrawal may be used.

If a student does not return from an approved LOA, or the LOA does not qualify as an approved LOA, the student will be deemed to have withdrawn for the purposes of federal aid and R2T4 calculations will be required. One possible consequence of not returning from a LOA is that a student’s grace period for Title IV program loan repayments might be exhausted. The date of withdrawal will be treated as the date that the approved LOA began.

Retrospective suspensions

For US federal loans purposes, a retrospective suspension occurs when a student submits an application for suspension of status that is backdated to the start of a term that has ended or is due to end in the near future. This means that a student might effectively have a period of uninterrupted enrolment; although they have a suspension recorded on their student record, their student status may not change as a result, depending on the timing of the application for suspension of status and any future, non-retrospective terms of suspension of status granted at the same time.

When a student remains enrolled, periods of retrospective suspension are counted towards Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measurements (please see the SAP policy for further details).

If a student’s department provides conflicting information by confirming that they are making SAP and then approving a retrospective suspension, there is a financial risk that federal loan funds will have been awarded in error. This means that there may be a requirement for the student and department to return funds to the US.

To avoid a situation in which a student inadvertently borrows funds for a period in which they are ineligible to receive federal loans, US loan takers are strongly advised not to apply to suspend their studies retrospectively.

Graduate research students in receipt of US federal loans who require more time to complete their studies are encouraged instead to discuss with their department the possibility of applying for an extension of time, if they have completed the normal maximum time on their programme (e.g. 12 terms for a full-time DPhil student). Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, and postgraduate research students who have not yet completed the normal maximum time on their programme, are encouraged to discuss possible options with their college/department, if they are in receipt of US federal loans and require more time to complete their studies.

Students wishing to fund their studies through US federal loans are eligible to take loans for up to 150% of the published length of their programme, and therefore graduate research students are eligible to borrow loans beyond their period of fee liability. Please see the SAP policy for further details of the maximum timeframes for different courses.

Students who are receiving US federal loans must inform the US loans team of any plans to suspend or extend their studies as early as possible so that the team can advise on the best course of action. Departments and colleges are asked to be aware of the potential issues when a US loan taker applies for a retrospective suspension, and to discuss other options with the student and if necessary seek advice from the US loans team before considering approval.

The US loans team, in accordance with US federal regulations, establishes a standard student budget annually for all aid recipients based on expected tuition costs, average housing costs, average book and supply expenses, and average transportation costs for commuting students within Oxford. These costs are in line with the upper range of the expected costs for a single, full time student, living in Oxford.

Students may request adjustments to their COA in certain circumstances. Students should be advised that supporting evidence will be required and requests for additional funding are subject to approval by the US loans team and are not guaranteed.

Students may request an adjustment to their COA based on special or unusual circumstances:

1. Special Circumstances refer to financial situations that justify an adjustment to a student’s cost of attendance (COA) or the data that determines a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI), previously known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
2. Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that warrant making a dependent student an independent student. Adjusting a student’s dependency status is based on a unique situation such as human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abuse or abandonment, or incarceration, and may be referred to as a dependency override.

Requests for adjustments should be submitted with the original COA form submission, or emailed to [email protected], with the appropriate documentary evidence attached. Please see below for the types of evidence that may assist the US loans team in reviewing your request, but students should be aware that further documentation may be required.

Requests will be reviewed by the Student Funding Officer and Deputy Head of Student Fees and Funding. A response will usually be issued by email within 14 days, however it may take longer to reach a decision if further documentary evidence is required. Therefore, it is advisable to contact the US loans team as early as possible if you wish to discuss potential adjustments.

The US loans team may make adjustments that are appropriate to each student’s situation with appropriate documentation, and decisions are made on a case by case basis. Whilst the outcome of a professional judgement decision may possess similarities to other professional judgement decisions reached by the US loans team (in an attempt to ensure fairness), each professional judgement outcome will be individually assessed on the evidence provided by the student. The request for additional COA allowances and the submission of supporting evidence does not guarantee that any additional costs will be approved, only that the additional evidence and costs will be considered under the criteria for professional judgement set by the US Department of Education.

Cost of Attendance form

Living costs

The COA form includes as standard the upper range of the expected living costs published by the University for a single full-time student living in Oxford. This includes an allowance for food, accommodation, study costs, social activities, and personal items calculated based on the number of months of the student’s course in the academic year. Further details for the upcoming year can be found on the admissions living costs webpage, and details for the current year can be found on the living costs webpage for current students.

Flights, transfers & Oxford travel 

The COA form includes an allowance for flights, flight transfers, and travel within Oxford for the year. The allowance applies to both full time and part time students, however those with a loan period of six months or less in the current academic year will have an allowance of 50% of this as standard.

Course fees or continuation charge

The COA includes the full course fee or University and college continuation charges for the relevant academic year. Details of the fees payable for each course can be found on the course fees and fee liability webpage. Students who have reached the end of their standard period of fee liability may be required to pay a termly University and/or a college continuation charge, details of which can be found on the continuation charges webpage.

Special circumstances

The US loans team will consider requests for the following costs to be included in an individual student’s COA. We strongly recommend, and in some cases require, that students seeking additional funding also investigate and apply for all other non-repayable forms of funding available to them for additional costs either through their college, department or the University before making a request for additional loan funding.

A professional judgement decision for special circumstances is specific to one academic year and therefore cannot be carried forward to the next year.

Childcare, medical, disability or other costs

Childcare for dependent children

Students may request adjustments for dependent childcare costs on their COA for a period up to 47 weeks of the year. Students can submit their request under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs, or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted.

An allowance is made for childcare at a rate determined annually based on the average cost drawn from a range of childcare providers within Oxford. If a student’s costs are substantially higher than these limits, the US loans team will request additional evidence of these costs and of the child’s requirements in order to reach a decision. In future years the student may be required to submit receipts from the previous year along with their expected costs for the current year.

Medical expenses

Students may request adjustments to their COA to cover additional expenses related to medical needs that are reasonably incurred and are not covered by other areas within the University, by the NHS, or by the student’s health insurance.

Adjustments can be requested under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs section of the COA, or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted. Students will be required to submit documentation showing the expected costs along with supporting evidence of their requirements such as a letter from a GP or specialist consultant. We may also request students’ permission to contact their college, department, and the University’s Disability Advisory Service (DAS) as applicable in order to obtain the necessary information and documentation to support the request.

In future years students may be required to submit receipts from the previous year along with their expected costs for the current year.

Disability-related expenses

The COA may include an allowance for expenses associated with a student’s disability that are reasonably incurred and not provided for by other areas of the University. In order for requests to be considered, students must be registered with the University’s Disability Advisory Service (DAS).

Adjustments can be requested under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs section of the COA, or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted. Students must also submit documentation showing the expected costs. You may be asked for evidence of your requirements such as a letter from a GP or specialist consultant.

The US loans team will seek advice from DAS when a student requests a COA adjustment for disability-related expenses and may also liaise with the student’s college and department as applicable in order to obtain the necessary information and documentation to support the request.

The Student Loan Company’s Disabled Students’ Allowance Guidance for UK students will generally be used as a framework to inform decisions about which disability-related study support costs may or may not be included on the COA, and the amount that will be allowed.

In future years, students may be required to submit receipts from the previous year along with their expected costs for the current year.

Visa costs and Immigration Health Surcharge

New students may request up to £524 for a new visa, or to extend or switch to a student visa from inside the UK, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge. These costs can be requested on the COA under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs section of the COA or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted.

This allowance may only be included on the COA for the student and not for a spouse or any dependents that are accompanying the student.

Computer equipment

Students may request the cost of any necessary computer equipment on the COA under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs section, or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted. Students will be required to submit documentation showing the expected costs, such as a receipt or screenshot of the intended purchase, along with supporting evidence to show the costs are both reasonable and essential to the completion of their studies. Students will also need to provide the contact details of their supervisor who will need to confirm either:

1. The make and model of any equipment required
2. The total cost that would be reasonable to acquire the necessary equipment.

If a student requests an amount that is higher than the total cost recommended by the supervisor, or their supervisor is unwilling or unable to confirm these costs, the US loans team will refer the matter to the University IT department for advice in the first instance. A decision will then be made on an appropriate amount that will be added to the COA.

The US loans team may subsequently request receipts for any purchases made for confirmation that loan funds have been used as intended.

Fieldwork costs

The COA may be adjusted to include an allowance for essential fieldwork costs. These costs can be requested on the COA under the childcare, medical, disability or other costs section of the COA or by emailing the US loans team if the COA has already been submitted. Students are required to provide the details of their supervisor who will be able to confirm that the costs are both reasonable and necessary to the completion of their course. By requesting an adjustment to your COA for fieldwork costs, you agree to the US loans team contacting your supervisor for verification. Any travel and accommodation costs will be compared with the average in the area for the period of the fieldwork.

If a student requires costs which are higher than their supervisor is prepared to confirm, or the supervisor is unable to comment on the amount requested, the US loans team may require additional evidence to support the request. Please note that there are also restrictions on undertaking work/study away from Oxford whilst in receipt of federal loans that students will need to adhere to.

Conferences

In the first instance students would be expected to seek any other funding available from their college or department prior to requesting additional US loans as most provide grants in this area.

If other funding is not available, students should email the US loans team with their request and will be required to provide the details of their supervisor who will be able to confirm that the costs are both reasonable and necessary to the completion of their course. Any travel and accommodation costs will be compared with the average in the area for the period of the fieldwork.

Students would only receive funding for a maximum of one conference per course. 

Other expenses

Students wishing to request an allowance on their COA for additional expenses that fall outside those listed above should email their request to the US loans team. The US loans team may consider other expenses on a case-by-case basis using the regulations for making professional judgement decisions that are set by the US Department of Education. As with all requests for additional expenses, students will need to provide evidence of the costs involved along with evidence showing that the costs are both reasonable and essential to the completion of their studies. Depending on the situation the US loans team will advise students on the type of evidence that is required.

Unusual circumstances

Students with unusual circumstances may request an adjustment to their dependency status to more accurately reflect their situation. This is more commonly known as a dependency override.

Dependency overrides will be considered on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances as defined by the US Department of Education (such as human trafficking, legally granted refugee or asylum status, parental abandonment or estrangement, or incarceration).

If a student wishes to request a dependency override, the US loans team will require evidence to substantiate the request. Upon receipt of a request, the US loans team will advise the student on the type of supporting evidence that may be required depending on the individual circumstances o the student.

Dependent students without parental support or whose parents refuse to support them are not eligible for a dependency override, but they may be able to receive a independent level Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Students in this situation should email [email protected] for advice.

Appeals

If a student wishes to appeal the decision reached by the US Loans team, they should in the first instance email [email protected]. Their appeal will be reviewed formally by the Head of Student Fees and Funding or the Director of Student Fees and Funding. The decision of the Head of Student Fees and Funding or Director of Student Fees and Funding is final and, under the regulations for professional judgement, cannot be appealed to the Department of Education.