US loan responsibilities

With a federal student loan, you have a number of responsibilities, including that you:

• borrow no more than you can repay
• agree (by signing a promissory note) to repay the loan even if you don’t complete your studies or don’t find employment
• maintain satisfactory academic progress
• ensure the Study Abroad/Exchange institution is Title IV eligible if you plan to take part in a Study Abroad/Exchange program while receiving the loan at Monash
• make timely minimum monthly repayments even if you don’t receive a bill or repayment notice
• continue to make repayments while waiting for approval of your loan deferment, forbearance or discharge
• notify your lender or loan servicer when you graduate, discontinue your course, drop below half-time enrolment, transfer to another university or change your personal details
• complete the loan exit counselling before you leave Monash.

Satisfactory academic progress

We'll review your results at the end of each teaching period. Failure to meet the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards can result in suspension of financial aid. To meet the minimum standards you must maintain:

• at least half-time enrolment on campus
• a pass grade average for each teaching period in which you’re enrolled (per the Monash grading system).

For undergraduate students, the review will look at both your results and (if applicable) the maximum timeframe for receiving a Direct Subsidised Loan. If you’re at risk of not completing your course within the maximum timeframe, you won’t be eligible for a future loan.

For graduate research students, you must achieve satisfactory progress as determined by your supervisor and advisory panel (e.g. successful completion of candidature milestones within the required timeframe).

Maximum timeframe

If the first disbursement of a Direct Subsidised Loan is on or after 1 July 2021, there’s no limit on how long you can receive this loan. (The ‘150% limitation’ has been repealed and no longer applies.)

For undergraduate first-time borrowers on or after 1 July 2013, and before 1 July 2021, there’s a limit on the number of academic years you can receive Direct Subsidised Loans.

If this limit applies to you, you may receive Direct Subsidised Loans for no more than 150% of your course duration (i.e. the duration published for the year you started your course). This is known as the maximum eligibility period or maximum timeframe. Here are some examples of maximum timeframes for aid:

• three-year degree: 4.5 years
• four-year degree: 6 years
• five-year degree: 7.5 years.

To achieve this, you’ll need to pass at least two-thirds of the standard full-time load for the teaching period in which you’re enrolled. A standard full-time load for coursework students is 24 credit points in each teaching period (February–June and July–November). This means passing at least 18 out of 24 credit points in a teaching period. Here’s an example:

• a three-year undergraduate degree consisting of 144 credit points must be completed without attempting more than 216 credit points or exceeding 4.5 years.

Once you've reached the maximum timeframe, your aid will cease in accordance with US federal law. This means we won’t disburse, and you can’t receive, any financial aid when you can no longer complete your course within the maximum timeframe.

Another degree

Pursuing another degree will reset the maximum timeframe for completion to the duration of the new degree (taking into account any credits earned for prior learning).

Prior credits

All prior learning credits granted towards the course for which you’re receiving aid will be included in the calculation of the maximum timeframe. Non-credit, remedial and incomplete subjects won’t be counted. You’re required to achieve a grade on any deferred or supplementary assessment within six months.

Reduced study load

To remain eligible for US federal aid when you have an approved reduction in study load, you must complete the program requirements within 150% of the published duration of the program.

Federal law may allow you to continue receiving aid, but individual academic progress requirements and student visa restrictions may impact your ability to continue your course.

If you’ve met academic progression requirements but fail one or more subjects, withdraw from one or more subjects without academic penalty, or drop below half-time enrolment, we’ll evaluate the pace of your studies to ensure that you’ll still complete your program within the maximum timeframe. This will be calculated by:

• dividing the cumulative number of credits successfully completed by the cumulative number of credits you’ve attempted, or
• determining the number of credits that you should have completed at the evaluation point to complete the program within the maximum timeframe.

Financial aid warning and probation

We’ll notify you in writing if your financial aid eligibility is affected by the SAP requirement. Monash can’t waive the SAP requirement for any student.

If you don’t meet the SAP standards, we’ll place you on financial aid warning for one teaching period, during which you may continue to receive aid. If you fail to meet the standards during this warning period, you’ll lose your aid eligibility.

Appeals

You can appeal your loss of eligibility if you have exceptional circumstances.

If your appeal is successful, you’ll be placed on financial aid probation for one teaching period, and we may reinstate your eligibility for this period. As long as you satisfy the SAP requirement at the end of probation, you'll be placed back in good standing and can continue to receive aid. Otherwise, you’ll be ineligible for aid until you meet the SAP standards again.

You can submit an appeal in writing if you can demonstrate one or more of these exceptional circumstances:

• death of a family member (e.g. parent, spouse, sibling or dependent child)
• extended illness (a documented chronic or recurring medical or mental health condition that causes you to be absent from class at least 15 days or more)
• extended illness of an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling or dependent child) that places you in hardship
• exceptional circumstances as determined by the Associate Director, Student Finance.

You need to explain why you failed to meet the SAP requirement and why your financial aid shouldn’t be suspended, and provide supporting documents (e.g. medical or death certificate).

We need to receive your appeal within 10 days of your Notice of Suspension. You won’t receive financial aid while we’re reviewing an appeal.

Send your appeal to:

Senior Director Student and Education Business Services Monash University 49 Rainforest Walk Clayton VIC 3800 Australia

We'll let you know the Senior Director's decision, which is final.

Loan types

Eligibility and how to apply

Disbursements

Repayments