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United States of America

William D. Ford Direct loans

From January 2012 ECU will be a "Deferment Only" institution. This means that ECU will no longer be able to certify William D. Ford Direct Loans.

If you wish to apply for funding as a US student, you may be eligible for a private loan.

Private loans

ECU will be able to certify Private Loans. Contact ECU's International Sponsorship and Scholarship Officer or visit these links:

• Global Education Management Services - International student loans
• SallieMae - student loans

If you are successful obtaining a private loan, ECU receives a cheque (made out to you and the University) coinciding with the commencement date of your study periods. ECU will contact you upon receipt of these cheques.

If you make any changes to your enrolment (eg. leave of absence or withdrawal), please contact us as soon as possible.

Deferring loans

ECU can also approve deferments for students who have already received US Federal Student loans - if you have received a US Federal Student loan and are enrolled at ECU on at least a half-time basis, you can apply to defer repayment of those loans.

Please contact your lender for the appropriate forms, which can then be certified by ECU.

Important information

Please be reminded that any funds you receive are loans that must be repaid. It is therefore very important that you understand your rights and responsibilities as a borrower.

Useful resources include:

• Your Federal Student Loans handbook (pages 8-9) for information about the difference between private loans and federal student loans.
• Fact Sheet for information about private loans and consolidation as well as advice on recognising deceptive loan practices.
• American Student Assistance (ASA) website - while ASA no longer provides loans to US students at UniSA, they have a wide range of resources to help you manage your loans.

Cohort Default Rate

Although ECU no longer participates in the US federal student loan program, it is required by US legislation to publish its Cohort Default Rate (CDR).

The CDR is a calculation made by the US Department of Education and is the percentage of students who attended an institution, received federal student loans at some point during their studies and later defaulted on the repayment of their federal loan within a certain period.

For the 2009 Fiscal Year Edith Cowan University had 10 students in repayment and 2 in default.

Veterans Affairs

Former US Service men and women may also be eligible for education entitlements while studying with us. Note that you must study on-campus in Australia to be eligible.

ECU US Veteran Affairs School Code: 1-1-1013-70

Visit the US Department of Veterans Affairs website for more information.