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Cost of Attendance

Eligible US students can finance their education through both federal and private student loans.

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is your student budget (educational expenses). Your budget is the estimated average and reasonable cost of completing an academic year at UAL. UAL bases your COA on the average costs for students with the same enrolment status rather than your actual expenses.

You will receive your COA shortly after you have submitted your FAFSA application, ensuring you have listed UAL in the school selection. We do recommend that you contact us to request your COA at USCanadaLoans@arts.ac.uk to avoid any delays.

The COA includes:

  • tuition fees
  • allowances for books, course materials, supplies and equipment
  • housing and food allowance (or living expenses)
  • transportation (including airfares)
  • loan fees (excluding any loan fees for non-federal student loans)
  • miscellaneous personal expenses (including a reasonable amount for a personal computer)
  • allowance for childcare or other dependent care (where applicable)
  • costs related to a disability (where applicable)
  • visa and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) expenses
  • costs of obtaining a license, certification or a first professional credential. (where applicable)

You may borrow up to the COA set by the school. However, you are not required to take the total COA allowance and only borrow what you need to meet your educational needs.

Cost of attendance examples:

Undergraduate Dependent Students - COA Example (PDF 32KB)

Undergraduate Independent Students - COA Example (PDF 32KB)

Postgraduate Students - COA Example (PDF 31KB)

Special Circumstances

UAL recognises that some students may have special circumstances. The Student Funding Service can adjust the COA for students with special circumstances on a case-by-case basis and in line with UAL’s US Loans Professional Judgement policy (Word 80KB).

If you think this may apply to you, please contact USCanadaLoans@arts.ac.uk and provide any additional information, as necessary, about your financial status or personal circumstances as they relate to your special circumstances.

The law gives some examples of special circumstances that may be considered (HEA Sec. 479A); however, this is not an exhaustive list:

  • change in housing status (e.g., homelessness)
  • tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school
  • medical, dental or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance
  • child or dependent care expenses
  • severe disability of the student or other student household member
  • other changes or adjustments that impact the student’s costs or ability to pay for college.

Can I Cancel my Loan?

You can cancel all or a portion of a loan within specific timeframes.

  • You can cancel all or part of a loan by notifying the Student Funding Service at USCanadaLoans@arts.ac.uk financial aid office at least 2 weeks before your next disbursement is due.
  • If we have already paid your loan, you can return some or all of the loan money to your loan servicer.

You won’t need to pay interest or fees on any portion of a loan cancelled within 120 days of the disbursement date. You can return loan funds to your servicer more than 120 days after disbursement, but the servicer will process this return as a pre-payment on the loan and you’ll be charged interest and a loan fee on the amount you return.

You may incur currency exchange fees when converting your loan back to USD before returning the funds to your loan servicer.

You can learn about what loan servicers do and find your loan servicer by visiting your My Aid page.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

All students applying for a visa for more than 6 months will need to pay the IHS in addition to the visa application fee. The exact amount you pay depends on the length of your visa. The IHS entitles you to NHS hospital treatment at no additional cost in the UK on the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident (except for NHS-funded assisted conception services in England). You can access treatment from the start date of your visa until it expires.

For more information, please visit the Immigration and Visas pages.

  • UAL will split your total tuition fees by the number of disbursements you are due to receive. We will deduct your tuition fees equally from each loan disbursement. Any remaining funds will be paid to you within 14 days.
  • If your loans do not cover your full tuition fees, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance.
  • If you have made advance tuition fee payments via FlyWire, these will not be included in the calculation when making deductions from your loan disbursements. If this results in an overpayment, you can request a refund via your UAL Portal

Tuition Fees

UAL publishes program tuition fees on the Tuition Fees page.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate

Your COA is calculated in GBP and then converted to USD using the projected exchange rate set and reviewed by UAL each academic year.

The exchange rate we use in your COA might differ from the one available at your loan disbursement.

UAL works with Convera, which provides foreign currency exchange and secure online payment services. The foreign currency exchange rates fluctuate daily and are out of UAL’s control.

Loan funds are converted from USD to GBP when received for each disbursement. If you choose to receive funds into a US bank account, they will be converted back to USD, meaning 2 exchange rates will apply. While registering a US bank account might be quick and convenient, please consider opening UK bank account if you are planning to use your loan to pay for accommodation and other expenses whilst in the UK, to avoid further currency conversions.

Contact us

Student Funding Service
USCanadaLoans@arts.ac.uk

Additional information

  • Federal loan funds must be used for costs related to your studies at UAL.
  • Please budget carefully using your COA. We cannot increase your COA to cover overspending.
  • Loan disbursement may be delayed at the start of the year while your enrolment is being confirmed. Ensure you have funds for travel and at least 6 weeks of living costs.
  • There are some expenses covered in the COA that you may need to pay out of pocket before receiving your loans funds such as your Visa, IHS, accommodation deposits, flights etc. You can then use your loan funds to reimburse these costs when they are received, provided you have borrowed enough to cover them.
  • The amount you receive will be lower than the amount you borrow due to loan origination fees.
  • You must inform USCanadaLoans@arts.ac.uk of any scholarships, grants or other financial aid you receive in 2026/27.
  • Additional funding may reduce your loan eligibility. If your funding is not included in your COA calculation, please contact us immediately.