Students of TUS who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America are eligible to apply for US Federal Aid loans (William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program). There are requirements that must be met at the application stage, so please read the information carefully.
The US government requires institutions which offer Federal Student Loans to disclose the following consumer information. If you require any further information about the content, please email international@tus.ie. Other terms and conditions in respect of an offer of a place on one of our programmes also apply.
Federal Aid is available to eligible students who are studying on the Moylish campus, Clare Street campus, Thurles campus and Clonmel campus.
Please read through our Consumer Information for U.S. Federal Aid students
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to certify Stafford and PLUS loans under the Direct Loan Program.
School Code: 042610
The loans available are:
- Stafford Subsidised: Fixed maximum value, no interest charged while in school.
- Stafford Unsubsidised: Fixed maximum value, interest charged while in school.
- PLUS Loan: Maximum value set by the School (Cost of Attendance). Interest charged while in school.
Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 in Stafford unsubsidised loans to help fund their education at TUS. Graduate students are not eligible for subsidised loans. It is possible to take out Grad PLUS loans to make up any shortfall in the student’s cost of attendance.
Click here to see the maximum amounts that can be borrowed and interest rates.
It is not possible to receive US federal loans if registered as a TUS student and be based in the US doing research. Federal Aid funding does not cover studies in a country outside of your institution’s location unless the funding covers undertaking eligible programs within an eligible institution. For example, students undertaking their degree programme with TUS can study abroad for a semester or yearlong programme, but the host institution must also be certified with the U.S. Department of Education, and the institution must be outside of the U.S. Please also note that some degree programmes which include internships may not be eligible for U.S. federal loans. Students can study outside the U.S. at a non-Title IV eligible school. The maximum is 25% of the program length.
How to Apply
US Citizens/ Eligible Permanent Residents who wish to apply for US Federal Aid to study at TUS need to read carefully and follow these steps:
- Apply to FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa using the school code 042610.
- Once you receive an award letter offering you aid, sign and return it to TUS.
- Complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN): https://studentaid.gov/mpn/
- Complete your Student Loan Entrance Counselling: https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/
- Email TUS’ Office of International Services at international@tus.ie to notify them that you have submitted an application.
Cost of Attendance 2023/24:
Cost of Attendance Undergraduate
| Amount in Euro | Amount in Dollars | |
| Tuition | €12,500.00 | $14,500.00 |
| Additional Program Costs | €535.00 | $621.00 |
| Room | €6,420.00 | $7,447.00 |
| Board | €3,745.00 | $4,344.00 |
| Miscellaneous | €5,237.00 | $6,075.00 |
| Average Loan Fees | €82.00 | $95.00 |
| Transportation | €3,210.00 | $3,724.00 |
| Total | €31,729.00 | $36,806.00 |
Cost of Attendance Postgraduate
| Amount in Euro | Amount in Dollars | |
| Tuition | €14,500.00 | $16,820.00 |
| Additional Program Costs | €535.00 | $621.00 |
| Room | €6,420.00 | $7,447.00 |
| Board | €3,745.00 | $4,344.00 |
| Miscellaneous | €5,237.00 | $6,075.00 |
| Average Loan Fees | €720.00 | $835.00 |
| Transportation | €3,210.00 | $3,724.00 |
| Total | €34,367.00 | $39,866.00 |
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Opening an Irish Bank Account
We encourage students to open an Irish bank account in order to receive loan disbursements. Please contact the Office of International Services at international@tus.ie, where a member of the team will advise and assist you in the process. You will then be required to send your Irish bank account details to the Office of International Services.
What Happens Next?
After you submit your application, it must be processed by TUS. The steps in processing your application are outlined below.
- The Office of International Services will review your application and will be in touch with a loan offer, which you will need to respond to.
- The Office of International Services will verify all the relevant details according to US federal requirements. We will advise you as soon as we have received all your completed paperwork in full and can start working on processing your loan.
- The student will then receive an Award Letter, confirming the loans amounts. After this, funds will be disbursed.
- Loans will be drawn down by the Fees and Grants Office via the U.S. G5 online system in two disbursements, which students will receive in the fall and the spring semesters. The loans cannot be drawn down until after students are registered in person, so please be patient. Please ensure you have funds to last until the first instalment arrives.
- There is a mandatory 30-sday delay for first time, first year borrowers getting their first payments.
- After you register at TUS and once the loans amounts have been received by TUS from the U.S., they will be used to pay your tuition fees, and the balance will be transferred to your Irish bank account or other designated account. Parents need to give permission for release of funds to student directly for living expenses. Half of a student’s tuition fees for that year will be paid from the first disbursement and the second half of tuition fees will be paid from the second disbursement.
We ask students to bear in mind that the Finance Office cannot transfer a student’s loan unless they have supplied us with their bank details. A student will be notified by email to their TUS student email address by the Grants and Fees Office or by the Office of International Services once this bank transfer has occurred. We cannot begin this process until all a student’s documentation is complete, and there are many steps to the loan process many of which are outside of TUS’ control, that is, done by the student and done by the US government. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that TUS receives all the required documentation for their application on time, to ensure there is no delay in completing each step of the process.