The Direct Loan program means that U.S. loan funds will be sent via wire transfer from the U.S. Treasury to the University of Manitoba directly. After verifying eligibility, we will credit your tuition account. After fees are paid in full, you will receive a refund cheque in Canadian dollars. If you deposit this cheque into a U.S. bank account, your money will most likely be held for two to four weeks, but if you have a Canadian dollar account, you will most likely avoid this long holding period so that you can gain access to your money faster.

Shop around and compare student banking plans, remembering to ask how long they will hold cheques for (if they do at all). We do not recommend any banks specifically as it is your preference in who to choose but if you will be living in residence, the only banking institution that offers ATMs on campus is Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

All students must show to Canadian immigration that they have enough funding to pay for their educational and living expenses. Student loans are only meant to be a supplement to what you already have and often do not cover all of your costs. Our office can provide proof of funding letters, upon request, if we have received your loan information and UM application. Please allow two to four weeks for processing.

Contact us to request a proof of funding letter

Learn more about visa requirements

Course-load Requirement:

Course load is a simple calculation based on the credit hours you'll be taking, or in other words, how full time you will be. There are varying degrees of course load and minimums that each student must have in order to be considered full time. Make sure to read the minimum course load acceptable per term; going below this may result in the loss of your loan or put you into an over-award situation, in which you would have to repay what you were over-awarded before any new loans would be issued to you.

The standard University of Manitoba course load calculations apply to classes in the regular academic session, from September to April (Please note that these course loads are used for selection and disbursement of University of Manitoba awards):
•    9 credit hours per term (total of 18 credit hours) = 60% course load
•    12 credit hours per term (total of 24 credit hours) = 80% course load
•    15 credit hours per term (total of 30 credit hours) = 100% course load

However, for the purpose of US loan administration, the Financial Aid and Awards uses the following credit hour requirement:

•    12 credit hours per term as full-time requirement
•    9 credit hours per term as three-quarter time requirement
•    6-8 credit hours per term as half-time requirement
•    Below 6 credit hours per term is considered less than half-time status

Students are required to be enrolled in at-least half-time status to be eligible for student aid. However, students should be aware of the visa requirements for international students and the time-frame requirements for student aid eligibility when registered with half-time status. The same course load requirements are also used for enrolment update through the NSLDS portal.

Exceptions to the course load requirement:

Graduate students do not have a credit hour requirement. If you are a graduate student in a Master's or PhD program, when you register as a full time student, you will automatically be considered at a 100% course load (even if solely working on your thesis). Part-time graduate students are not eligible for US government funding.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy at the University of Manitoba

All US loan recipients are expected to read and understand the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy outlined below.

Loan recipients will be evaluated once each year, at the end of the winter semester, for their loan eligibility for the following loan year. To maintain eligibility, a student must:
1.    Successfully complete at least 67% (2/3) cumulatively of all attempted courses per academic semester (pace) with 2.0 GPA (quantitative). Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of hours the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of hours the student has attempted.
2.    Maintain 2.0 cumulative GPA (CGPA) (qualitative)
3.    Complete their degree within 150% of the published program length (in credit hours)

When a student does not make SAP, he/she loses eligibility for Title IV funds unless they successfully appeal. Students will be notified of their loan ineligibility once their grades have been posted on their portals (Student Aurora). They can appeal at this point and if approved, can continue to receive loan during this period. Once this period is over, they will be evaluated again to check SAP. If they fail again, they will lose loan eligibility for the following year(s). They will have to complete one academic semester with good academic standing to gain back eligibility.

SAP Appeals

Students not fulfilling SAP requirements will receive an e-mail at their University of Manitoba email address only. Upon receiving notification, a student may appeal within ten business days from the date of the e-mail. The appeal submission must include:

• A letter from the student explaining:

o the student’s circumstances/reason(s) for not meeting SAP requirements;
 please note: an appeal may be on the basis of a student’s illness or injury, death of a relative, or other special circumstances

o what will change that will allow the student to satisfy SAP requirements in the future;
 
o any other relevant information.

• Supporting documentation relevant to the appeal.

The appeal must be submitted in writing to:

SAP Appeal Committee
Financial Aid and Awards Office, 422 University Centre
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB. R3T 2N2

Only complete files will be reviewed. The decision made by the SAP Appeal Committee will be sent to the student’s university email address. The appeal decision may be:

• a reinstatement of eligibility for US Direct Loans, or

• a financial probationary period with conditions, or

• a denial of US Direct Loans.

Any conditions pertaining to the financial probationary period status will also be listed in the email. Examples of conditions may include raising the CGPA by the end of the next semester, meeting with an Academic Advisor to develop an academic plan to ensure future academic success, etc. At the end of the subsequent semester, SAP will be re-evaluated according to the SAP policy and any conditions stipulated in the appeal decision. Failure to meet the SAP requirements or any appeal conditions will result in denial of US Direct Loans.

Students may submit an appeal each time they are notified they have lost eligibility for US Direct Loans for reasons of SAP.

Incompletes, Withdrawals, Repeated Courses, Transfer Credit Courses for the Purpose of US Direct Loan

Incomplete/deferred courses:

•    are considered attempted but not included in the calculation of CGPA until final grades are posted on student’s record
•    are included in the pace calculation.

Withdrawals are counted towards the attempted credits but not the calculation of CGPA.

Repeated courses’ grades are included in the CGPA as per faculty regulations and included in the pace calculation.

Transferred credits from other universities or programs are included in the SAP evaluation as per faculty regulations.

Maximum years to complete program while receiving US Direct Loans