This page provides information on federal and private loans for US students coming to study at UCD for a full degree. If you are a Junior Year Abroad Student / Study Abroad Student / Exchange Student, and expect to receive financial aid while attending UCD, you must contact the Financial Aid Office at your home institution for information.

UCD has been advised by the US Department of Education that the application process for federal loans is likely to change over the next few months. Students should therefore visit this website regularly for any updates.

University College Dublin is approved by the US Department of Education to certify Stafford and PLUS loans. Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 to help fund their education at UCD under the Stafford loan programme and can make up the shortfall in the cost of attendance through Grad PLUS loans. This means that graduate students can borrow up to the cost of attendance in federal loans if they wish. Amounts for undergraduates under the Stafford Loan programme are less.

Unfortunately UCD does not offer any scholarships to non-EU undergraduate students at this time. Information for graduate students interested in scholarships can be found here: http://www.ucd.ie/graduatestudies/prospectivestudents/studentshipsscholarships/ 

Students who are not eligible for federal loans may apply for credit-based private loans to help finance their education at UCD. However we advise all students to apply for federal loans before applying for private loans.

Before beginning the application process, please take note that the financial aid process at non-US institutions is very different tpo that at American colleges and universities. Make sure to allow plenty of time for processing of these loans, as the process can take up to 6 weeks and sometimes longer, from start to finish. If an application is not made well in advance of the start of the academic term, money may not be available when the student arrives at UCD.

Contact details

If you have any questions at all, please contact the Financial Aid Administrator in the International Office:

Kate O' Hanlon

UCD International Office
Gerard Manley Hopkins Centre
University College Dublin
Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Email: kate.ohanlon@ucd.ie

Application Procedures

FAQ and Useful Links