Criteria for determining whether a foreign institution is eligible to apply to participate in the Direct Loan Program.
34 C.F.R. § 600.54
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01The Secretary considers a foreign institution to be comparable to an eligible institution of higher education in the United States and eligible to apply to participate in the Direct Loan Program if the foreign institution meets the following requirements:
(a)(1) Except for a freestanding foreign graduate medical school, foreign veterinary school, or foreign nursing school, the foreign institution is a public or private nonprofit educational institution.
(2) For a public or private nonprofit foreign institution, the institution meets the requirements of § 600.4, except § 600.4(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4)(ii), (a)(5), (b), (c), and any requirements the HEA or the Secretary has designated as inapplicable in accordance with § 600.51(c)(1).
(3) For a for-profit foreign medical, veterinary, or nursing school, the school meets the requirements of § 600.5, except § 600.5(a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4), (a)(5)(i)(B), (a)(5)(ii), (a)(6), (c), (d), (e) and any requirements the HEA or the Secretary has designated as inapplicable in accordance with § 600.51(c)(1).
(b) The foreign institution admits as regular students only persons who—
(1) Have a secondary school completion credential; or
(2) Have the recognized equivalent of a secondary school completion credential.
(c)(1) Notwithstanding 34 CFR 668.5, written arrangements between an eligible foreign institution and an ineligible entity are limited to those under which—
(i) The ineligible entity is an institution that meets the requirements in paragraphs (1)(iii) and (iv) of the definition of “foreign institution” in § 600.52; and
(ii) The ineligible foreign institution provides 25 percent or less of the educational program.
(2) For the purpose of this paragraph (c), written arrangements do not include affiliation agreements for the provision of clinical training for foreign medical, veterinary, and nursing schools.
(d) An additional location of a foreign institution must separately meet the definition of a foreign institution in § 600.52 if the additional location is—
(1) Located outside of the country in which the main campus is located, except as provided in § 600.55(h)(1), § 600.56(b), § 600.57(a)(2), § 600.55(h)(3), and the definition of foreign institution found in § 600.52; or
(2) Located within the same country as the main campus, but is not covered by the legal authorization of the main campus.
(e) The foreign institution provides an eligible education program—
(1) For which the institution is legally authorized to award a degree that is equivalent to an associate, baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree awarded in the United States;
(2) That is at least a two-academic-year program acceptable for full credit toward the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree awarded in the United States; or
(3)(i) That is equivalent to at least a one-academic-year training program in the United States that leads to a certificate, degree, or other recognized educational credential and prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation within the meaning of the gainful employment provisions.
(ii) An institution must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the amount of academic work required by a program in paragraph (e)(3)(i) of this section is equivalent to at least the definition of an academic year in § 668.3.
(f) For a for-profit foreign medical, veterinary, or nursing school—
(1) No portion of an eligible medical or veterinary program offered may be at what would be an undergraduate level in the United States; and
(2) The title IV, HEA program eligibility does not extend to any joint degree program.
(g) Proof that a foreign institution meets the requirements of paragraph (1)(iii) of the definition of a foreign institution in § 600.52 may be provided to the Secretary by a legal authorization from the appropriate education ministry, council, or equivalent agency—
(1) For all eligible foreign institutions in the country;
(2) For all eligible foreign institutions in a jurisdiction within the country; or
(3) For each separate eligible foreign institution in the country.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-34.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026