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Summer Aid

Undergraduate students are eligible for up to four years of Northwestern financial aid, including summer enrollment. You are welcome to consider enrolling during the summer as a path to graduate within four years.

Summer is the final quarter of an academic year. If you receive financial aid during the current academic year, you have already completed most of the required application materials for the summer term.

Eligibility & Awards

You must be enrolled in a minimum of 2.0 units of credit to be eligible for Northwestern financial aid in any quarter.

You must be a current degree-seeking undergraduate student at Northwestern. Students who graduate in June are not eligible to receive aid in the summer term after graduating. Newly admitted first-year and transfer students are not eligible to apply for summer aid prior to fall quarter matriculation.

Summer Costs & Aid

Tuition in the summer is charged per unit of credit. As in other quarters, financial aid can be awarded up to regular full-time tuition, which in the summer is a maximum of 4 courses. If you plan to enroll in more than 4 credits, you may be eligible for loan assistance to help cover the cost of overload tuition. Institutional aid is not provided for overload enrollment charges in any quarter.

In addition, the summer cost of attendance may vary based on other factors, including the length of your enrollment and your intended living arrangements (e.g., on-campus residence hall, Evanston-area apartment, at home, etc.).

Overall summer costs tend to be lower than a regular quarter, so the dollar amount of your summer aid may be less than you receive in other quarters. Some students who receive financial aid during the academic year may not be financially eligible for need-based aid during the summer due to lower costs of enrollment.

Types of Aid

Federal sources of aid (e.g., Pell Grant or loans) are limited to your remaining eligibility from the current academic year.

If you qualify for Northwestern summer grant assistance, we will make every effort to ensure that your award remains proportional to a regular quarter.

If you receive other assistance that is exhausted during the academic year or unavailable in the summer (e.g., work-study, outside scholarships, etc.), you may be offered federal student loans (if eligible) to help make up for these resources in the summer.

If you are awarded outside scholarships or other funding from another source in the summer, you are required to notify our office to have your summer aid eligibility reviewed.

The NU Loan is not available in the summer term.

Non-Northwestern Students & Programs

Northwestern students taking summer courses at institutions outside of Northwestern or unaffiliated study abroad programs are not eligible to receive any financial aid or loans through Northwestern.

Visiting students are not eligible for financial aid from Northwestern.

Enrollment Changes & Withdrawals

Our office will monitor enrollment throughout the summer and may adjust your financial aid if your actual summer enrollment differs or changes from the expected enrollment reported on your summer aid application. Your aid adjustment will depend on your number of credits, length of enrollment, date of withdrawal, and tuition charges. You must remain enrolled a minimum of 2.0 units of credit in order to be eligible for Northwestern aid.

If you intend to change your summer enrollment, especially after the start of the summer term, we strongly recommend that you contact our office to speak with a financial aid counselor about how your aid eligibility would change.

How to Apply

Current aid recipients: After you have determined your summer enrollment plans, complete the Summer Aid Application below. All summer programs, including field study and other off-campus programs, use the same summer aid application. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and award notifications are typically sent within approximately 2-3 weeks after submission.

If you only wish to receive your federal eligibility (e.g., Pell Grant) for the summer term, you are not required to complete the summer aid application. We will add your federal aid after you are registered for classes and closer to the start of summer term.

Non-Aid Recipients: Students who have not previously applied for aid during the academic year should contact our office to learn what additional application materials are required and what types of aid you may be eligible to receive.

Summer Aid Estimates