Application procedure

• University/School Codes
• What Happens Next?
• Master Promissory Note (MPN)
• Applying for a Direct PLUS Loan
• Interest Rates for Federal Student Loans

To receive student financial aid the first step is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can apply online from the FAFSA website. You'll need an FSA ID and information; a link to creating an FSA ID is on the FAFSA website.

Proof of funding for visa purposes

Once your federal loan(s) have been processed and completed in our office we'll attach a 'Notification of Student Loan' letter to the e-mail we send you, which will tell you how much you'll receive in loans and when you will receive them. The copy of the letter (if it's required) will be sufficient for proof of your loan amounts for the academic year for the purposes of applying for your visa.

University/School Codes

One of the steps in completing the FAFSA is supplying the appropriate School Code for the College you will be attending at the University of Cambridge. Please use the code for the College at which you have been accepted.

• University of Cambridge G04030
• Christ's College G22073
• Churchill College G10190
• Clare College G10332
• Clare Hall G22717
• Corpus Christi College G21674
• Darwin College G20524
• Downing College G06850
• Emmanuel College G21861
• Fitzwilliam College G09927
• Girton College G12101
• Gonville and Caius College G12302
• Homerton College G21420
• Hughes Hall G22321
• Jesus College G22963
• King's College G21777
• Lucy Cavendish G21167
• Magdalene College G21860
• Murray Edward's College G22722
• Newnham College G20874
• Pembroke College G06691
• Peterhouse G11758
• Queens' College G20824
• Robinson College G22123
• Selwyn College G34944
• Sidney Sussex College G21334
• St Catharine's College G34924
• St Edmund's College G20944
• St John's College G12839
• Trinity College G12075
• Trinity Hall G23351
• Wolfson College G20834

What happens next?

Once your FAFSA has been completed and processed, you'll be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR) which you can view, print out and keep. This document lists the information you and your family have provided and tells you what your Student Aid Index (SAI) is for the year you are applying. The SAI is used to determine eligibility for needs-based financial aid and relates to the subsidized portion of the Stafford loan. Please check your name, social security number, date of birth and all other information to make sure that it is accurate.

It is important that you check the comments section on your SAR, as there may be issues that you need to address and any unresolved issues may delay the processing of your loan. 

We will send you an email confirming receipt of your FAFSA once it arrives, which can take up to a week after you have submitted it online. This email will also contain information on the other steps needed to complete your loan application.

Please send just one e-mail to StudentLoans@admin.cam.ac.uk. The subject line of your e-mail must be of the following format: First name SURNAME (USN) (College Name) (Course of study). In your email to us, please confirm that you will not be undertaking any study in the US during your course and please also let us know if you are receiving any other aid, such as grants/scholarships or loans (besides this one).

We require that you inform our office if you have plans to carry out any period of your studies (working away, internship, placement, completing fieldwork, etc.) in the US or at any institution other than the University of Cambridge.

If undertaking any study in  the US, we require confirmation that the period in the US will be no more than 25% of your program of study and that the study abroad is essential to your course of study and cannot take place anywhere else in the world (we require a letter from your department to confirm it). Please email StudentLoans@admin.cam.ac.uk if this is something that will affect you. 

Undergraduates, please refer to the Cost of Attendance page with regards to what is required.

Master Promissory Note (MPN)

Students taking a Federal Direct Loan are required to sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). If taking both a Direct Loan and a PLUS Loan, a separate MPN is required to be signed for each loan and MPNs must be completed on your College’s school code. The MPN is a legal document through which you promise to repay your Direct Loan. The MPN details the conditions of your Direct Loan and the terms under which you agree to pay it back. You will need to complete a new MPN for each academic year that you take out a Direct Loan. You can complete a Direct Loan MPN online at the StudentLoans.gov website. You will need your FSA ID.

Applying for a Direct PLUS Loan

Note: This type of loan is only for our continuing student's that fall under the 'grandfathering' clause due to new regulations that come into affect on July 01 2026.

If you are taking a Direct PLUS Loan in addition to the Direct Loan, you will need to complete a Direct PLUS Loan application and this must be done on your College’s school code. Please take a screenshot of the credit check and include it with your application as we will require proof that the PLUS Loan has been approved.

After you sign-in on the StudentLoans.gov website, when you get to the drop-down menu please select the College you'll be attending. The format will be 'University of Cambridge - College Name'.

You cannot complete your MPN(s) until you have been accepted at a College. Please keep a copy of the MPNs for your reference.

In order to apply for your loans you must have completed your 2026-2027 FAFSA (on your College's school code) and also an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) (on your college's school code) for each loan you take out.

So if taking a Direct Loan and PLUS loan you need to complete a separate MPN for both the Direct Loan and the PLUS loan. It's very important that your college's school code is included on the FAFSA and your MPN(s).

Interest Rates for Federal Student Loans

Loan interest rates by disbursement dates

View information on the studentaid.gov website including how interest is calculated and what fees are associated with your federal student loan, and rates on federal student loans first disbursed before July 1 2024.