Eligibility
In order to have a full understanding of the policies and requirements related to financial aid, all aid recipients are required to read the Financial Regulations for Students on the Evanston Campus. Aid recipients must also read and familiarize themselves with all financial aid and financial regulation-related information in the Undergraduate Catalog.
Any undergraduate student enrolled in a degree-seeking program may apply for financial aid. Eligibility requirements include:
- Student must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
- Student must be working toward their first Bachelor's degree.
- Student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Student must complete the Federal Verification Review Process, if selected.
- Student must not exceed 12 quarters of institutional financial aid, unless they are admitted in a program that requires more than 12 quarters for completion.
Entering Freshmen
For entering freshmen, financial aid generally is renewable for up to 12 quarters of enrollment. If a student has been enrolled and has not applied for and/or has not received financial aid, the quarters of enrollment will count toward the maximum eligibility.
Transfer Students
For transfer students, the maximum number of quarters of assistance depends on the number of quarters of transfer credit accepted, as determined by the Office of the Registrar (i.e., a student who transfers with 3 quarters of acceptable credit is eligible for 9 quarters of assistance).
Term-Pricing Exceptions
Due to the University enrollment requirement, students are charged for full-time study even if they are registered for less than full-time. If a student drops to two courses after the add/drop period and his/her charges are not reduced, the aid will not be adjusted. Students who plan on taking two classes should contact the Office of the Registrar and his/her dean for information regarding the possibility of receiving of a term-pricing exception (charging less tuition for students enrolled less than full-time.) If the amount of the tuition and other charges are decreased by attending less than full-time, the financial aid will be reduced by the same amount of that reduction. Please note that financial aid is not available for students enrolling in only one course (with the only exception being the federal Pell Grant). Students planning to pursue a term-pricing exception are strongly encouraged to contact the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid to determine how it will impact his/her financial aid package.
If a student's enrollment changes from four down to three classes, the tuition charges will not be reduced since three course enrollment is still considered "full-time" and it will not affect your financial aid award for the term.
Official Method of Communication
E-mail is the University’s mechanism for official communication with students, and Northwestern retains the right to expect that students will read official University e-mail in a timely fashion.
The Financial Aid and Student Account Offices’ preferred method of communication for financial aid and billing information is electronic. Notification of a student’s financial aid award and student account invoice will be sent to a student’s University e-mail account when the information is available online. Financial aid information is available to students via CAESAR and invoice information is available via QuikPay.
By activating your University NetID, the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid will assume you are consenting to the use of electronic records for processing of financial aid as well as providing notifications and disclosures relating to your financial aid award, particularly any federal student aid funds.
Should a student wish to receive a paper copy of his or her award letter or invoice at any time, the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid and the Office of Student Accounts would be happy to honor the request. Requests should be forwarded to the appropriate office. Please use the links below for contact information.
| Communication Type | Office Contact Info Links |
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Billing and Payment Information |
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Financial Aid Award Information |
