Marshall Scholarships
Marshall Scholarships are available for study at the Academy; you should apply through the scholarship website www.marshallscholarship.org by early October, and separately submit a standard application to the Academy for an audition, either at London or at one of our North America centres. If the Marshall administration selects you as a potential recipient of scholarship support, that offer will be held until your Academy entrance audition process has been completed.
US Federal Loans
The Academy is a designated institution for American students to apply for a Federal Loan or for deferment of payment on an existing loan account, and we have a guide leaflet about US Government loan applications.
All enquiries about US loans should be directed to the Admissions Officer admissions@ram.ac.uk
All government loans are expected to change to Direct Lending for the year 2010/11.
The US Department of Education has promised that this will not disadvantage students attending schools outside the USA. The details of how Direct Lending will work for foreign schools are still being negotiated and subject to confirmation by Congress.
The only stage of application you can complete now is the application for eligibilty for aid via FAFSA - see below.
Tuition fee deposit and loan disbursements
Please note that Federal Loan funds are not disbursed until after you have enrolled on your study programme. This means the 25% advance deposit payment which must be paid in the Spring will have to be sourced independently, for example with a credit-card payment or a short-term bankloan, and you will also need to bring enough money with you for at least one month's living costs at the start of the academic year. Loan payments are split into three equal instalments, paid at the start of each term (trimester) after initial enrolment.
How to apply
To begin the loan process, you must first complete the FAFSA application form, this will be done online through the FAFSA website. The Academy’s School Code Number is G11764 and the DOE code is 006696.
After that, you select a lender. The Academy cannot endorse a particular lender, and you can choose who you like; students from the USA have used a variety of lenders but we do advise that you ensure your lender is familiar with the processes for Foreign Schools and that they will actually lend for study outside the USA - several major lenders have ceased to offer Foreign School loans.
You can compare lender benefits and interest rates on the websites of companies who have experience lending to students on programmes outside the USA:
American Student Assistance: www.amsa.com
Fifth Third Bank (808780): www.53.com
Nelnet: www.nelnet.com
Regions Bank (810612): www.regions.com
Sallie Mae International: www.salliemae.com
Also have a look at: www.studyintheuk.org
The Academy (being a Foreign School) does not automatically receive information about your loan application/s so please notify the Admissions Officer when you have applied to your chosen lender.
Your loan application should be made before 1 August 2010 to ensure that the School Certification can can be completed during the summer before you arrive. A new loan application is needed for any subsequent year's study.
Confirmation of loan funds for visa application
To support an application for a UK Student Visa, you will need to ask your lender for an original letter which confirms the certified loan amounts. The UK Border Agency will not accept emails, PDFs, scans or screencaptures.
You will also need a Visa Sponsor number ("CAS" number) from the Academy, this is issued on request after you have formally accepted your study place, paid the initial 25% tuition fee deposit, and met the conditions of entry stated in your offer letter.