Eligibility Questions
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- Who is eligible to receive financial aid from Northwestern?
- How many quarters of financial aid may I receive?
- Is my financial aid going to change from year to year?
- Is there a grade point average that has to be maintained to retain financial aid?
- My family's financial circumstances have changed and I need more money. What do I do?
- If I drop one class, how would that affect my financial aid?
- If I drop to part-time, how would that affect my financial aid?
- Am I eligible for aid if I'm only taking one class?
- My parents have told me they will no longer support me. What do I do to be considered an independent student?
- If I decide to participate in the co-op program, how will it affect my financial aid?
- If I decide to participate in an off-campus program that carries academic credit, will my financial aid change?
- I'm thinking about graduating early. What happens to my aid?
- How is an educational savings account, such as a 529 plan, considered when determining my financial aid eligibility?
- How do I process my 529 plan for the academic year?
1. Who is eligible to receive financial aid from Northwestern?
Any undergraduate student enrolled in a degree-seeking program may apply for consideration for financial assistance. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents working towards their first Bachelor's degree.
2. How many quarters of financial aid may I receive?
As an entering freshman, you are eligible for up to 12 quarters of University financial aid unless you were admitted to a program that requires more than 12 quarters for completion. Students admitted to the five-year music program are eligible for University funds for up to 15 quarters of enrollment. Students are eligible for federal assistance for up to 18 quarters depending upon remaining eligibility.
3. Is my financial aid going to change from year to year?
Northwestern is committed to offering a consistent aid package throughout the undergraduate years. If a family's financial circumstances have not changed much from year to year, then they can expect a similar package. Fluctuations of income, assets, family size, and number of students in college may affect a student's aid package.
4. Is there a grade point average that has to be maintained to retain financial aid?
No. However, you must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress by successfully completing a minimum of nine units per three quarters of registration. If you are dismissed from the University for academic reasons, you will be ineligible for University assistance the first quarter of your return.
5. My family's financial circumstances have changed and I need more money. What do I do?
Talk to a Financial Aid Counselor. Since the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid requires documentation, you will also need to submit a written appeal explaining why you need additional funds. If you have not previously applied for financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Scholarship Service Profile. The FAFSA and the Profile must all be completed online. Returning students must also complete the online Northwestern University Aid Application (UAPP).
6. If I drop one class, how would that affect my financial aid?
Three classes is considered the minimum full-time course load. Due to the University enrollment requirement, students are charged for full-time study even if they are registered for less than full-time. If you drop to two courses after the add/drop period and your charges are not reduced, your aid will not be adjusted. However, students who plan on taking two classes can contact the Office of the Registrar for information on term-pricing exception (charging less tuition for less than full-time attendance.) If you receive a term-pricing exception, your aid will be reduced by the reduction in charges, dollar-for-dollar. Please visit our eligibility page for more information.
7. If I drop to part-time, how would that affect my financial aid?
As a general rule, University assistance is not offered to part-time students. In special circumstances (if you are a graduating senior, for example), there is a chance that your financial aid will be reduced, dollar for dollar, the amount your tuition and expenses are decreased by going part-time.
8. Am I eligible for aid if I'm only taking one class?
No. A student must be enrolled in a minimum of two classes in order to receive federal and institutional aid. If a student qualifies, however, he/she may qualify for part or all of their federal Pell grant.
9. My parents have told me they will no longer support me. What do I do to be considered an independent student?
A student is considered to be independent for federal funding purposes if he or she is 24 years of age, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, an orphan or ward of the court, has legal dependents other than a spouse, is married or is a graduate student. A student entering Northwestern as a dependent student will remain dependent for institutional funding unless he/she can provide documentation of extreme mitigating circumstances. Unwillingness to pay on the part of the parent is not considered a sufficient reason for a student to be considered independent.
10. If I decide to participate in the co-op program, how will it affect my financial aid?
A co-op student's financial aid package is developed in much the same way as it would be for a student remaining on campus. Need is determined by subtracting the family's expected contribution from the total cost of attendance. Need is met through scholarship, grant, loan and student employment. (See Components of an Aid Package for more information on how an aid package is developed.)
The difference occurs when the co-op experience takes place during the academic year and financial aid is adjusted for the quarter(s) of enrollment reflecting a tuition charge. Even though the student is officially enrolled with zero units while on co-op, there are no tuition charges; therefore, financial aid for that quarter is cancelled.
Students participating in the co-op program are also expected to contribute a portion of their co-op earnings towards their educational expenses. The normal summer savings expectation is waived and replaced by a portion of the co-op expectation.
The co-op earnings expectation is determined annually by subtracting prior co-op participants' average living expenses for two quarters from their average earnings. The average co-op earnings is $3,600.
11. If I decide to participate in an off-campus program that carries academic credit, will my financial aid change?
Students who wish to participate in an internship or field studies program that carries academic credit during the academic year may request, if awarded work study, that the work study allocation for the quarter of participation be replaced with additional loan assistance. If you have other questions regarding your financial aid and associated program costs, please contact a counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid.
12. I'm thinking about graduating early. What happens to my aid?
As far as financial aid is concerned, you must be enrolled in order to receive assistance. If you are going to graduate after winter quarter, for instance, you would be eligible for your fall and winter aid, and your spring aid would be cancelled. If a student will be graduating early, he/she should notify the office in writing the quarter before. It is also the student's responsibility to check with the University Registrar to make sure that the University's enrollment requirement has been met.
13. How is an educational savings account, such as a 529 plan, considered when determining my financial aid eligibility?
Education savings accounts are considered an asset for purposes of calculating need-based aid eligibility. These accounts should be reported as parent investments on the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. This includes all accounts owned by the student and all accounts owned by the parents for any member of the household. The Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid will not consider these funds as a resource towards aid eligibility, such as an outside scholarship.
14. How do I process my 529 plan for the academic year?
If you would like to initiate processing of your state-operated educational savings account, you should first notify the agency that you are attending Northwestern University. If the disbursement of your 529 plan requires any action from the University, such as certification of enrollment or information regarding the cost of attendance, your plan administrator should forward their inquiries to the attention of our scholarship coordinator at the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid. Our office will provide enrollment verification and other information after the add/drop period. Funds will then be sent directly to the Office of Student Accounts to be applied to your account.
Still have questions?
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If you don't find the answer to your question or would like to discuss your concerns with a counselor, please contact us by phone at (847) 491-7400 or e-mail us at ug-finaid@u.northwestern.edu.
