Consumer Information

As a participating institution in the William D Ford Federal Direct Loan Programme, the University of Chester is required to provide the following consumer information. Should you require any further information about this content, please contact our Financial Aid Administrator at usloans@chester.ac.uk.

Tax Return (IRS Tax Form 1098-T)

The University of Chester does not have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and so is unable to complete IRS Tax Form 1098-T for students (or parents of dependent undergraduate students).

Academic Programmes:
Undergraduate and postgraduate courses can be found here:

• Undergraduate Programmes: http://www.chester.ac.uk/course-finder/undergraduate
• Postgraduate Programmes: http://www.chester.ac.uk/course-finder/postgraduate

A number of courses shown in the regular prospectus and under the course tab on our website are not available to international students on Tier 4 Student Visas. For a complete listing of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes available to students on Tier 4 Student Visas, please visit the International section of our website, or contact us to request an International Prospectus.

Furthermore, the following programmes are also considered ineligible:

• Programmes delivered part time
• Programmes delivered through distance learning
• Programmes with portions delivered by a partner institution that is not Title IV eligible
• Programmes delivered in the United States

Study Abroad:

Please note Federal Aid is not available for University of Chester students wishing to undertake a study abroad programme while studying at Chester. However, Sallie Mae may provide you with a loan.
US students coming to Chester for study abroad from a US institution, who are enrolled on a Chester programme approved for credit by their home institution, may be considered enrolled in their home school for purposes of applying for US Federal aid.
Student Financial Aid Information:

For information about all need based and non-need based federal, local, private and institutional student financial assistance available to University of Chester students, please visit our Fees, Scholarships and Finance Page.
Information on the following has been provided throughout this document. Should you require further clarification, please contact us.

• Terms and conditions of the TITLE IV Higher Education Act Loans.
• Criteria for selecting recipients and determining award amount.
• Eligibility requirements and Chester’s procedures for applying for the aid.
• Frequency and methods of disbursing aid.
• Rights and responsibilities of students receiving Title IV HEA student financial aid*, including the criteria for continued student eligibility and standards for satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
• Terms of loans received as part of the financial aid package, and the necessity for repaying loans.
• Procedures and forms by which students apply for assistance.
• Exit counselling information

*Rights and Responsibilities of Students Receiving Aid:
By accepting your loan, you are making a promise to accept the responsibilities that come with it. It’s therefore important you understand your rights.

• This is a loan and it must be repaid. Information on repayment plans is available on the Federal Student Aid website.
• Interested will be charged. Additional information on interest rates and how each loan is structured is available on the first section of this document.
• If you default on a loan, there may be penalties imposed by your lender. It’s therefore very important you read everything from your lender clearly.
• If you chose to withdraw or take a break from your studies, you will be subject to the university’s Withdrawal Policy.
• You are required to:
  • Use your loan for educational purposes
  • Tell your lender about any changes, including change of address or change of course
• You have a right to:
  • Prepay your loan early without any consequences
  • Deferent on previous loans
  • Written information of your obligations
  • Explanation of consequences of default
  • Notification if your loan is sold.

In order to retain eligibility for your loans you should meet the following academic requirements:

• Should not exceed 150% the published time frame for the course and should remain enrolled on at least part-time (half-time) status.
• Should pass any taught modules with a minimum of 40%.
• Should meet any relevant contact points each term as required.

Information on our SAP policy

Cost of Attendance:

A breakdown of our cost of attendance

School and Programme Approval and Accreditation:
In the United Kingdom, the power to award degrees is regulated by law. The Privy Council is responsible for granting of degree award power and university titles. Please see our Royal Charter.

The University of Chester is also regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

University Council Membership:

A list of the University Council members is available here.

Professional Bodies:
Please find a list of our affiliate professional bodies here. For additional information on each affiliation, please contact the Faculty Administrators.

Retention Rates:
For information on retention rates for all certificate degree-seeking, first time, full time undergraduates, please reference the Higher Education Statistics Agency:https://www1.chester.ac.uk/sites/default/files/University_of_Chester_Affiliated_Professional_Bodies-Updated.pdf

Education Records and Privacy:
Your rights to review educational records and procedures is outlined in the University of Chester’s Data Protection Policy.

Student Loan Information Published by the Department of Education:
The University of Chester will provide information published by the Department of Education to any students who request it. This includes rights and responsibilities of students and schools under Title IV HEA (Higher Education Act) loan programs.

National Student Loan Data System:
Details of students taking out loans at Chester will be submitted to NSLDS. This data will be accessible to guaranty agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorised users of the data system.

Campus Facilities and Disability Services:
Information on our campus facilities is available on our corporate website here. Information on services and facilities for students with disabilities is found under Disability and Inclusion, available on our corporate website here.

Plagiarism and Copyright Information:
Please visit our corporate website for information on Copyright, Data Protection and Freedom of Information. Additional information on Plagiarism is available in Quality and Standards Manual Handbooks, Handbook F: Requirements Governing the Assessment of Students

Private Education Loan Disclosures:
The University of Chester has no preferred private lender. In most cases Chester will work with any lender a prospective borrower wishes to use. Please be aware that many private lenders will not offer loans to those students studying outside the Unites States. For information on Sallie Mae loans, please see the Private Loans Section above.

You may wish to use a self-certification form for private education loans. Please contact us should you require information on how to complete the form.

Code of Conduct for Education Loans:
In order to prohibit a conflict of interest with the responsibilities of an agent with respect to private education loan, all University of Chester staff with responsibility for Federal and private education loans from the US are prohibited from the following:

• Revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender
• Receiving gifts from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer
• Contracting arrangements providing financial benefit from any lender or affiliate of a lender
• Directing borrowers to particular lenders or refusing or delaying loan certifications
• Offers of funds for private loans
• Call centre or financial aid office staffing assistance
• Advisory board compensation

Education Records and Privacy:
Your right to review educational records and procedures is set out within University’s Data Protection Policy.

Crime Statistics:
Please visit www.police.uk for information on crime statistics in Chester, Warrington and Shrewsbury.

Gainful Employment:
The University of Chester does not does have any programmes of study that fall under the Gainful Employment Disclosure regulations.

Guidelines on Responding to a Report of a Missing Student:
Reports regarding missing students are not uncommon. There are usually quite simple explanations as to why a student is ‘missing’ and most reports are due to students failing to notify flatmates or the University regarding absences during term time.

If a staff member receives a report that a student is potentially missing they should, in the first instance, check our attendance monitoring system to determine whether the student is still engaging with studies before attempting to email or call the student. If the student is not engaging with their course and the staff member has been unable to make contact then the staff member should alert the Wellbeing and Mental Health team by calling 01244 511550 where further attempts to contact the student will be made.

If there are serious concerns about the welfare of a missing student then the person raising these concerns should contact the police and report the person missing by dialling 101. The Wellbeing and Mental Health team should be notified if this has taken place.

Fire Safety and University of Chester Emergency Evacuation Plan:

Please see our Fire Safety and Evacuation Policy for further information.

Default Management Plan:

The University of Chester has adopted the Secretary’s Default Management Plan. We’ve highlighted some of our strategies here. The plan is to ensure that students with Title IV Direct Loans are aware of their repayment responsibilities. The purpose is to reduce and if possible, eliminate, students defaulting on repaying their loans.