US Student Aid
Direct Loans
- Subsidized: available to undergraduate students with financial need
- Unsubsidized: available to undergraduate and graduate students; no requirement of financial need
- Read more about the differences between subsidized and unsubsidized loans
Direct PLUS Loans
- Parent PLUS Loans: available to parents of dependent undergraduate students
Private Loans
- Please contact the Awards and Financial Aid office for more information
General eligibility requirements include that you have financial need, are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at your college or career school.
Undergraduate Eligibility
You must:
- Be enrolled at least half-time (at least 9.0 credit hours) in each term of funding.
- Be registered only for in-person and on-campus courses.
- Registered courses must be for credit; audited and waitlisted courses do not meet this requirement.
- Not register in certificate, diploma, online courses or any nursing program.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress throughout your studies with a cumulative average of 60% and by completing ⅔ (67%) of cumulative credits attempted at the end of each funded term
Graduate Eligibility
You must:
- Be considered full time and enrolled in at least one course for the entire term in which you are applying for funding.
- Be registered only for in-person and on-campus courses
- Registered courses must be for credit; audited and waitlisted courses do not meet this requirement
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress throughout your studies by maintaining continuous registration in each term and to complete your program of study in a timely manner (within 5 years for master’s students, and within 7 years for doctoral students).
There are restrictions on the University's ability to offer federal loan funds to students in certain programs. Ineligible programs include pre-professional and none degree-bearing programs, the Psychiatric Nursing program with Brandon University, and any program that includes online or distance learning. Students are also not eligible for Federal loan funds if they are studying part-time, taking an internship or studying abroad. Students taking ineligible programs may be eligible for private funding.
The US Direct Loan Program has annual as well as lifetime loan limits that vary according to a student's:
- Grade level
- Status (dependent or independent)
- Loan type: need-based (subsidized) or non-need based (unsubsidized and PLUS)
- Cost of attendance (student cannot borrow more than this amount)
As a US student attending the University of Winnipeg, you must complete the process for applying for Direct Loans while attending a school outside of the US. Please follow the steps below to ensure disbursement of funds.
Application process
- Complete your FAFSA. University of Winnipeg's school code: G08148
- Complete a University of Winnipeg US Loan Request Form 2024-25.
- Apply for Parent PLUS Loans if you have unmet need.
- Contact Meredith Wiersma (me.wiersma@uwinnipeg.ca) for assessed loan amount you are eligible for.
- Fill out a Master Promissory Note (MPN).
- Complete an MPN for each type of loan you wish to receive.
NOTE: MPNs for Direct Subsidized/Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Parent PLUS Loans must be completed separately. - You must complete MPNs every year you wish to receive funding.
- Complete an MPN for each type of loan you wish to receive.
- First-time borrowers must complete the Entrance Counselling. Loans will not disburse until Entrance Counseling is completed.
Funds cannot be released to first-time loan borrowers until they've attended at least 30 days of school.
US loan funds are sent directly from the US Treasury to The University of Winnipeg in two installments – 50% at the start of the session and 50% at the mid-point of the session.
The funds are converted into Canadian dollars and applied directly to your student account. This process takes 1-2 weeks.
If a credit results on your student account after the required tuition fees are paid in full, you will receive a refund cheque in Canadian dollars. You can use these funds towards your living, and books and supplies costs. The cheque issuing process takes 2-4 weeks.
NOTE: You may not qualify for a refund each term or at all.
- Title IV School Code: G08148
- OPEID: 00814800
- Sallie Mae School Code: 008148-00
- UWinnipeg Consumer Information [PDF]
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements [PDF]
- R2T4 Withdrawal and Return of Funds Policy [PDF]
- Tuition Tax Receipts
- We can only provide Canadian federal (T2202) tax receipts. If you are filing taxes in the US, you can use the information on the T2202 and on your expense summary page of WebAdvisor for your US taxes. Go to Student Finance Admin. -> Account Summary. Select each Term and detail into the various sections for invoice and charge details. Students can claim some fees from the University of Winnipeg for their US taxes that are not recorded on their T2022 slips, such as the Student Association Fee and course material costs. You may have other eligible expenses. Therefore, you should consult with the IRS or their websites for further information. UWinnipeg’s IRS number is 98-1209275.
The University of Winnipeg determines the loan types and the actual loan amount you are eligible to receive each academic year base on the cost of attendance. However, there are limits on the amount in subsidized and unsubsidized loans that you may be eligible to receive each academic year and the total amounts that you may borrow for undergraduate and graduate study. These limits vary depending on:
- what year you are in of your degree, and
- whether you are a dependent or independent student.
Learn more about the detailed breakdown of loan amount eligibility.
The loan maximums set by the US Department of Education apply to the academic year (September - August of the following year). This means, if you received the maximum amount in Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loan funding for the September - April period, you are not eligible for any further Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loan funding for the summer session.
You can apply for Direct Loans, which may include Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized, and Parent PLUS funding, depending on your personal eligibility. Undergraduate students may be eligible for Direct Subsidized funding, while graduate students are only eligible for Direct Unsubsidized funding.
If you are not eligible for Direct Loans, you have the option of applying for private loans through other organizations.
Independent
For the purposes of federal aid, a student is considered independent if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- The student is at least 24 years old by 31 December of the award year;
- The student is an orphan or ward/dependent of the court, or was a ward/dependent of the court until he or she reached age 18;
- The student is a veteran of the US Armed Forces;
- The student is working on a master's or doctorate program at the beginning of the award year for which the FAFSA is completed;
- The student is married as of the date the FAFSA is completed;
- The student has at least one child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student; and/or
- The student has a dependent, other than a spouse or a child, who lives with the student and receives more than half of his or her support from the student at the time the FAFSA is completed and through 30 June of the award year.
Dependent
The student is considered dependent if they do not meet any of the above criteria for an independent student.
US students attending foreign institutions are not eligible to receive these types of federal aid.
Once the university receives your funds, we will apply them to your tuition and student fees. You can also direct funds to you on-campus housing costs. If there is any money left over from your loan after these fees are paid, you will receive a refund for the balance through a cheque.
Distance Education courses and courses done abroad are ineligible for US Direct Loan funding.
- Subsidized Loans: No interest or payments required as long as you are enrolled in an eligible course at least half-time.
- Unsubsidized Loans: No payments required as long as you are enrolled on an eligible course at least half-time. Interest accrues whilst you are studying.
- Parent PLUS Loans: No payments required as long as student is enrolled on an eligible course at least half-time. Interest accrues whilst studying.
Learn more about repayment plans.