Federal Student Aid for Students from USA
Masaryk University is eligible to certify loan applications for the Federal Direct Student Loan Program and is open to accept US students who want quality education for their future career. For all who seek profound academic training with a strong research background with superb facilities for study and work, Masaryk University can be an excellent choice.
If you plan to study abroad to get your entire degree outside the United States, you may be able to use federal student aid to pay your expenses. The type of aid you can get—and the process you must follow—will depend on the type of study programe you plan to enter.
- Direct Loan Participation Acknowledgement: Masarykova Univerzita
- OPE ID: 03565300
- Direct Loan School ID: G35653
See also:
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do in order to use the FSA for studying at MU?
- Make sure you are an eligible student for FSA. The US Department of Education (ED) lists the requirements here.
- Choose the program you want to study. You can choose from varied list of both Bachelor and Master level study programs, as well as Doctoral programs.
- Apply for FSA using FAFSA - the official Free Application for Federal Student Aid. See more information in the Application tab. Make sure to apply for FAFSA by 15 September (if you begin your studies in fall) or by 15 February (if you begin your studies in spring).
- Contact the FSA Admin at MU (see the contact on the right) to let them know you are applying for aid by 15 September (if you begin your studies in fall) or by 15 February (spring). They can check your FAFSA for potential errors and clarify some information, i.e. the amount of your aid etc.
- Please note that if you do not have your FAFSA submitted by 15 Sep/15Feb (depending on when you begin your studies) or contacted the FSA Admin by the same dates, your aid will not be processed. Exception can be given only in duly justified cases (serious illness, loss in family, etc.).
- Complete the admission procedure. This starts with submission of an electronic application to an MU faculty, follows with passing the entrance exams and ends with physical enrolment in the study. See more information in the Admission tab here and on your faculty's website.
- Open a bank account with any Czech bank. Your faculty will also inform you on this as part of the admission process. Having a Czech bank account is important for paying the tuition fees, receiving potential scholarships, charging your SUPO account etc.
- After completing the admission procedure and enrolling in the study you will meet the FSA Admin for an in-person meeting where you will talk about eligibility requirements, SAP rules, your loan limits, loan amount and other important things.
- Before moving on to signing necessary documents, please sign online the Master Promissory Note and complete the Entrance Counseling. Let the FSA Admin know that you have completed these tasks so it can be checked in the system.
- After that, you will come to sign two documents:
- an agreement with the faculty (signed at the faculty) stating your involvement with FSA and obligations as a student (such as payment of tuition fees, etc.). This has to be countersigned by the dean of the faculty;
- an award letter (signed at the FSA Admin's office) containing more details on disbursement of the aid that were discussed during your in person meeting.
- After that, your aid can be disbursed.
When can I receive the aid? Is it possible to use the aid to pay for my tuition fee in advance?
Unfortunately it is not possible to pay your first tuition fee from the aid if you just enrolled in your studies. Per federal rules we are not able to disburse aid sooner than 10 days before the semester starts (or even 30 days after the first day of class in case of first year undergraduates who are also first time borrowers).
Therefore before applying for your studies, please make sure you have enough resources to pay for the initial expenses - moving to Brno, accommodation, visa costs, part of the tuition fee, etc.
Can you provide me with 1098-T Tuition Statement forms so my parents can do tax refund for tuition fees I paid?
Masaryk University does not have U.S. tax ID number and therefore cannot provide 1098-T forms at this moment. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
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Application
To apply for Federal Student Aid (FSA), you must complete and submit the official Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The application is open every year between Oct 1 and June 30. For example, to receive FSA during the academic year of 2022–2023 you can apply until 30 Jun 2023.
However, in order to process FSA at Masaryk University you need to submit your FAFSA by 15 September (start of studies in fall) or by 15 February (start of studies in spring). For example, if you want to receive FSA at Masaryk University in academic year 2022/2023, you have to submit your FAFSA until 15 September 2022 (if starting your studies in fall semester) or until 15 February (if starting in spring semester). If you do not submit your FAFSA or contact the FSA Admin at MU by these dates, your aid will not be processed. Exception can be given only in duly justified cases (serious illness, loss in family, etc.).
The financial aid office will then use information from the FAFSA to determine whether you are eligible to receive federal aid.
Please note: Masaryk University as a foreign school does not provide Pell or other grants. The only FSA you can use to study at MU are Federal Direct Loans.
Applying for a study program (procedure explained in the Admission section) does not guarantee your eligibility for FSA and reversely, being eligible for FSA does not guarantee being admitted into study program you applied for. These two are separate processes, each managed by different authority. To study at MU and to be able to use FSA, you must apply for both.
APPLY FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID HERE
See more information about FSA in the following video and by browsing the links below:
Are you eligible to get FSA?
How is the aid calculated?
Estimate your FSA
Understand the Federal Direct Loans
How will you receive your financial aid?
Manage your FSA: Starting, studying and leaving the school
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Admission
General information
The admission procedure begins with the submission of an application to an MU faculty and proceeds in compliance with the Higher Education Act and Masaryk University Statutes. Applications for studies at Masaryk University are submitted electronically (hereinafter called e-applications). After choosing a field of study, fill out an electronic application and submit it in a timely manner.
Study programs
We offer the following study programmes which enable you to apply for the loan:
Application fees
Fees associated with admission procedures at all Masaryk University faculties have been set at 400-800 CZK depending at the level of study and the faculty. Please find more information on faculty websites.
The applicant is required to pay the fee for each application submitted. Payment information for each electronic application including an individually assigned identification code is generated by the Information System following the submission of the online form. The system generates a bill after each individual e-application is filled in; when submitting more than one application the applicant can pay for all the applications with a single payment. Payment is made through the MU on-line shop. It is not necessary to confirm payment by post. Applicants who fail to attend the entrance examinations will not be given a refund.
Note: When making a bank transfer from abroad banks may charge fees related to the transfer to an account in a foreign country. Please ensure that the full amount as required on the faculties' websites is credited to MU's amount.
Application deadline
Admission procedure dates are set out by individual faculties. Please find more information on faculty websites. Should a given field of study fail to reach full capacity, the faculty may extend the application deadline.
Recognition of Education and Qualifications
If you have degrees issued abroad and wish to enrol at our university (or any other in the Czech Republic), you need to obtain an official document confirming that your degree is recognised in the Czech Republic. (This doesn’t apply to those issued in Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia according to bilateral agreements). This document is called "Nostrification of Certificates Issued by a School Abroad" (in case of attained secondary education).
We strongly recommend all degree applicants start working on legalisation of documents as soon as possible since the legalisation process takes some time, usually up to 30 days (60 days) in complex cases. However, please bear in mind that you cannot start working on the legalisation of documents without having received your diploma/certificate. Detailed information on the legalisation process is available here.
Recognition of qualifications (Ministry of Education)
Specific information on the legislation process is available here.
After applying
Further communication and any conditions related to the admission process will be communicated to you through the online application and by a letter/e-mail from the University. You can track the status of your application yourself via the online application system at any time.
Enrolment
Every applicant accepted for studies is obliged to come in person to enrol in their studies and to receive notification of admission. The dates will be announced in the Letters of Acceptance sent directly to students. Prior to the beginning of the semester, there is an Orientation Week offered to all international students for 590 CZK.
Contact admission office
Are you interested in studying at Masaryk University but you still have a plenty of specific questions related to the admission procedure? You can request further information from the International Student Advisor:
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Tuition Fees and Cost of Living
TUITION FEES
Tuition fees are paid per academic year and vary depending on the faculty and the degree program.
Tuition fees are non-refundable including cases where the applicant (student) has withdrawn, interrupted or terminated studies. An exception can be made when serious health problems prevent the student to attend his or her study programme. In such cases, the Dean of the Faculty shall decide on the amount of the sum to be refunded to the applicant (student) based on medical evidence. Tuition fees for a semester already concluded will not be refunded under any circumstances.
More information about tuition fees can be found on the Masaryk University website.
Costs of living (monthly in CZK)
- Accommodation (inc. appliances): 10000 Kč
- Books and study materials: 3000 Kč
- City transport card: 550 Kč
- Food: 8000 Kč
- Health insurance: 2500 Kč
- Travel costs (round ticket 2x a year): 2000 USD
- SUM: *24050 Kč/month (this sum does not include the travel costs)
*All MU faculty students have the same estimated living costs in Brno. For other living expenses the maximum amount is counted in general.
COST OF ATTENDANCE
Cost of attendance (COA) is calculated per year as follows:
- COA = tuition fee + costs of living + travel costs.
To convert currency from CZK or EUR to USD, we use official monthly exchange rates as issued by the Czech National Bank. The Czech National Bank publishes the exchange rate list on working days around 2.30 pm, until then it is possible to obtain the values of currency conversion of the previous working day only.
Please note: Due to differences between exchange rates, currencies converted to USD on initial consultation with the student represent the final amount used in the calculation of aid (and therefore stated in all legal documents) and will not be changed later.
AID CALCULATION
The actual loan amount depends on several factors:
- Student's aid eligibility (whether he/she can actually receive a loan),
- Cost of attendance (see above),
- Year of study,
- Dependency status (dependent or independent student),
- Annual and aggregate loan limits.
The FSA Administrator will determine your loan amount on the initial consultation, and then at the beginning of every academic year you are eligible for aid.
You can learn more about the loan limits and other important information on the official website of US Department of Education.
FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
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During Studies
Satisfactory Academic Progress
The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving Federal Aid. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means that the student is proceeding in a positive manner toward fulfilling his/her degree requirements. It is one of the eligibility criteria while in school. The student who does not meet SAP requirements might under certain circumstances lose their eligibility to receive FSA.
Information on satisfactory academic progress requirements of Masaryk University is described in the Satisfactory Academic Progress Regulations for Students Receiving US FSA (see the Documents section).
Leaves of absence (LOA)
Masaryk University does not have a Leave of Absence policy as defined by the Department of Education for purposes of awarding and receiving Title IV financial aid. While students can request a leave of absence (interruption of studies) from MU as permitted in the Study and Examination Regulations of the university, this is considered to be withdrawal for Title IV aid purposes and the return of funds requirement applies.
MISSING STUDENT NOTIFICATION POLICY
In case you notice a fellow student or university employee missing, please follow the instructions in the Missing Student Notification Policy (see the Documents section).
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Conclusion of Studies
Requirements for “official closure” of study are described in article 15 of the Study and Examination Regulations at Masaryk University.
Withdrawal and Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) Policy
Title IV funds are awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend lectures and seminars for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that the student was originally scheduled to receive.
If a recipient of Title IV grant or loan funds withdraws from a school after beginning attendance, the amount of Title IV grant or loan assistance earned by the student must be determined. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, the unearned funds must be returned. If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a post withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received.
Read more about our university's policy on return of FSA in this document.
Exit Counselling
Exit Counseling is required by the federal law of the USA. If you are a student who has received subsidized, unsubsidized or PLUS loans under the Direct Loan Program or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, you must complete Exit Counselling every time you:
- Drop below half-time enrolment
- Graduate
- Withdraw from school
The exit counseling provides important information you will need as you prepare to repay your federal student loan. You will learn how to understand and repay your loans, how to avoid defaulting and how to make your finances a priority.
Exit Counseling at MU is done on-line through official ED portal Studentaid.gov. The counseling should be done in a single session and takes approximately 20-30 minutes to be completed.
COMPLETE YOUR EXIT COUNSELING HERE.
Find further resources in the Direct Loan Exit Counseling Guide (see the Documents section on the right side).
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