Newly Admitted and Incoming Students
After you're accepted to Northwestern, you'll submit your admissions deposit and transition to these steps for incoming students.
Follow the steps below to review, respond to and manage your financial aid package. These steps apply to both domestic and international students.
You can also find resources for current and admitted students and our billing and budget estimation page for more information. If you are a returning student, please see steps for Current and Returning Students.
Steps for All Incoming Students
- By August 1As early as June
If using private student loans or Parent PLUS Loans, apply for these loan programs
The Parent PLUS Federal loan program opens their application in June. We encourage families to wait until June to apply for the upcoming year to ensure they fill out the correct application.
Apply for private loans through the lender. Our office will review and certify the loan after you have been approved for the loan.
We will make every effort to input these loans to the student account before the bill is due September 1.
- ASAP, by August 1
Report other aid, including external scholarships
Please notify us of all financial aid (grants, scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, etc.) you receive so we can ensure they are processed in a timely fashion.
- ASAP, by September 1
Respond to award offers in CAESAR
Your Northwestern scholarships will be automatically accepted, and we recommend you review all other aid types and accept or decline them before the year begins.
See Accepting or Declining Your Aid Offer for more information.
- August 10
Apply financial aid to your tuition
Your fall bill will be released on August 10 and it will contain the charges for Fall tuition, standard student fees, health insurance (unless you have waived out), on-campus housing and meal plans, and any other enrollment fees (such as for labs).
- Winter bills are released December 10 and are due January 1.
- Spring bills are released March 10 and are due April 1.
- If a student is taking courses in the summer, the bill is released on May 10 and is due June 1.
Financial aid appears on this bill as a credit. The difference between the credits and the charges on the bill is the net balance, and payment of the balance is due September 1.
If you do not see aid you expected to see on the bill, please reach out to our office via email and we will troubleshoot your account. If you have questions about payments and the charges, please reach out to the Student Finance Office.
- After add-drop day for each term
Account for any enrollment changes or withdrawal
If you change your enrollment from full-time to any other enrollment status, your financial aid and charges due may be recalculated. Please reach out to our office to request information about your aid changes and connect to Registrar’s Office with enrollment questions.
- Winter Quarter
Reapply for financial aid for the next year
In winter quarter each year, you will apply for financial aid. The steps are different than they are your first year, so be sure you’re checking the application requirements for Current and Returning students.
We typically release aid packages for returning students in July.
- As Needed
Other aid applications
- Aid for Health Insurance: submit ASAP, preferably by August 1 if you are requesting a grant to help with cost of health insurance and it has not been added to your aid already
- Aid Review for Loss of Income or Special Circumstances: submit an appeal at any time if your circumstances have changed
We're Here When You Need Us
Email our team, schedule an appointment with a counselor, give us a call, or come visit us in person: