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Announcements

Keep up to date on all important updates regarding the Federal student Aid programmes by checking: or .

Information for New Applicants

ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork (UCC) is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to certify loans under the U.S. William D. Ford Direct Loan programme.

Under this programme eligible students can obtain:

  • Subsidized,
  • Unsubsidized loans,
  • Parent PLUS or,
  • Graduate PLUS loans from the U.S. Department of Education.

Federally supported loans are issued by the US Department of Education rather than by a private lender/bank. UCC manages the loan origination and disbursement of the loan process.

Full information on the loan process including prospective and current students obligations and UCC’s role in facilitating access to Federal loans is available to view on the UCC Academic Policy Portal.

Please note: that US Federal Government regulations for Foreign Schools differ to those for US domestic schools and that the process which we follow at ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork is in accordance with the regulations for Foreign Schools. It is important to adhere to deadlines and to plan early as the process can take several weeks from initial application to loan origination.

Consumer Disclosure Information for US Federal Aid Students

Consumer information about UCC's campus, facilities, student athletes, and gainful employment programme as well as information to promote campus security and fire safety and prevent drug and alcohol abuse is available on the Consumer Disclosure Information for US Federal Aid Students webpage.

Eligibility for US Federal Aid

Students from the United States of America who choose to study at foreign institutions are not eligible for grants from the US Federal government e.g. Pell Grants but they may apply for US Federal loans to fund their study. The Federal Direct Loan programme is available to US citizens or eligible non-citizens who are enrolled at least half-time, making satisfactory academic progress and are not in default on a previous loan or exceeding federal loan limits.

Eligible Programmes

  • Degree (Undergraduate or Postgraduate)
  • Medical programmes*
  • Masters
  • PhD

Non-Eligible Programmes

  • Nursing
  • Diploma Programmes
  • Distance Learning Programmes - including programmes that are offered in whole or in part online.
  • Programmes more than 25 percent of which takes place in the USA. Study in the USA can only be at institutions of higher education that are themselves eligible for the US Title IV aid programs.
  • Programs more than 25 percent of which takes place at an institution outside the USA that is itself not eligible for the US Title IV aid programmes.

Eligible students at ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork can apply for the following Federal Aid loans:

  • Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
  • Direct PLUS Loans (Undergraduate Parent or Graduate Student)

* Medical Programmes for the 2025-26 academic year are not eligible for US federal loans.

Study Abroad Information

A student’s enrolment in a programme of study abroad approved for credit by ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork is considered enrolment at UCC for the purpose of applying for assistance under the Title IV, HEA programmes.

US Students should note, however, some limitations. (These limitations were modified as of 1 July 2021.) US students receiving Direct Loans or Direct PLUS loans can only go on study abroad on locations in the USA for no more than 25 percent of their programme of study and only to locations themselves eligible for the US Title IV aid programmes. They can go on study abroad at institutions outside the USA that are not themselves eligible for the US Title IV aid program for no more than 25 percent of their programme of study.

View current .

How to Apply

To view more information on the loan application process choose from one of the following options:

Changes to Federal Student Aid from 1st July 2026 (OBBA)

Beginning on July 1, 2026, the total amount of all Direct PLUS Loans that one or more parents may borrow on behalf of each dependent student for any academic year of study may not exceed $20,000.

Parents may borrow parent PLUS loans on behalf of more than one dependent student. The $20,000 limit is per student per year.

In addition to this new per-student annual limit, there will be a new aggregate limit. Beginning on July 1, 2026, the total amount of all Direct PLUS Loans that all parents may borrow on behalf of each dependent student for enrolment in an eligible programme of study may not exceed $65,000.

Once a borrower has reached the $65,000 limit, they cannot borrow more even if previous loans are repaid, forgiven, cancelled, or discharged.

For the three loan provisions aforementioned, there is an exception for some current students.

For students who are enrolled in a program of study at a school and have received a loan (or a parent borrowed a loan on the student's behalf) as of June 30, 2026, for the applicable program of study, the provisions above will not apply for the lesser of

  • three academic years, or
  • the difference between the total length of the program the borrower is enrolled in and the period of the program the borrower has already completed.

When evaluating this exception, two determinations need to be made:

  1. The student or parent must have borrowed some type of Direct Loan as of June 30, 2026.
  2. The student borrower or the student of the parent borrower must continue to be enrolled at the same school in the same program of study.

N.B.

  • A graduate or professional student who had not yet borrowed a Direct PLUS Loan but did borrow a Direct Unsubsidized Loan by June 30, 2026, qualifies to borrow a PLUS loan for the first time after July 1, 2026.
  • As long as the student borrowed in one of the Direct Loan programs by the cutoff date and remains in the same program of study at the same school, the graduate or professional student retains the ability to borrow Direct PLUS Loans for the lesser of three academic years or the difference between the program length the student is enrolled in minus the period the student has already completed.
  • The student is also grandfathered into all the prior graduate/professional loan limits, including additional borrowing for certain health professions programs.
  • A parent would be grandfathered into the current parent PLUS loan limits if she had borrowed on behalf of the dependent student by June 30, 2026, or if that student had borrowed Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans by the cutoff date.
  • The student on whose behalf the parent is borrowing must remain in the same program of study at the same school.

Lifetime Maximum Loan Limits

In addition to annual and aggregate loan limits, the OBBBA introduced a new lifetime maximum loan limit. The maximum amount of money a student may borrow will be $257,500. This lifetime maximum includes borrowing at both the undergraduate and graduate/professional levels but does not include Direct PLUS Loan borrowing.

The lifetime maximum does not change even if funds are repaid, forgiven, cancelled, or otherwise discharged. The lifetime maximum loan limit is effective July 1, 2026. However, students who qualify for the grandfathering exceptions outlined above are not subject to the lifetime maximum loan limit during the exception period.

Annual Loan Limits Based on Enrolment Status

The OBBBA adds a new requirement related to annual loan limits. Schools must reduce loans for all students enrolled in a program of study on a less-than-full-time basis during an academic year. Students who are not enrolled full time will have more limited borrowing ability.

  1. This reduction in the annual loan limit will be made in direct proportion to the degree to which the student is not enrolled full time, rounded to the nearest percentage point.
  2. This provision was effective upon enactment of the OBBBA on July 4, 2025 but is not enforceable until the Department publishes further guidance on the required reductions.
  3. Final OBBBA regulations will be published no later than June 1, 2026. These regulations will address the annual loan limit reduction provision of the statute.

Continuing Students

If you are attending UCC for more than one year you will need to submit a  for each subsequent year of study. 

Students should refer to the for detailed information on how to apply. Please refer to the guide for every year that you are in receipt of student aid as the information is subject to change.

Once you have completed your FAFSA and received your Student Aid Report, you should complete the following:

  1. Master Promissory Note () and,
  2.  if required.

US Veteran Affairs Education Benefits

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First Floor West Wing, ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork, Co. Cork, T12 K8AF

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