Summer Courses FAQs

• Are active students at Northwestern and are not scheduled to graduate in June of the current year, and
• They receive aid during the standard academic year, and
• They enrolled in credit-bearing coursework or internships through Northwestern University for the summer term.

No. Summer costs and enrollment vary, so aid amounts may differ. Summer institutional aid, for example the Northwestern Scholarship, will never exceed your summer tuition and fees or create a refund.

Institutional aid is only available to up to the cost of tuition and fees tuition and fee charges. Institutional financial aid (scholarships) may be used for up to 4 credits of coursework taken over the summer. Unlike in previous years, eligibility for institutional aid may start with as few as 1 unit of enrollment over the summer. Your summer aid offer may change if your enrollment changes.

For students who need support for other expenses, Pell Grants and federal loans may be available to help cover costs beyond tuition and fees for those who qualify.

There is no separate summer aid application. If you already completed your financial aid applications (FAFSA, U-App, and/or CSS profile as needed for your student status) in the beginning of the academic year, you will automatically be reviewed for summer aid eligibility.

If you did not apply for regular-year financial aid, you may not be eligible for summer aid. Please reach out to our office if you are considering applying for aid for the summer term and have not received financial aid during the regular academic year. 

As of February 20th, 2026, summer estimates for Summer 2026 have been sent to all students who have applied for aid for 2025-26 and are not currently scheduled to graduate by the end of this academic year. Estimates were sent to students' Northwestern email addresses under the subject line "Summer Financial Aid Estimate" or "Summer Financial Aid Notice" beginning in late January through the middle of February. If you have questions about the estimate you received, or if you did not receive one and believe you should have, please contact our office for assistance.

In future years, our office plans to send out summer aid estimates in the February before the summer term. Summer aid estimates will not be included in the standard academic year packaging.

Students can receive aid for multiple summers for credit bearing courses taken at Northwestern or credit bearing internships through Northwestern. Students who are eligible for financial aid may use aid for any summer after their first year at Northwestern up until their planned graduation. If a student extends their graduation beyond June of their fourth year, aid is not guaranteed for the following summer, and they will be reviewed separately for summer aid eligibility.

Students can receive financial aid for only one summer Study Abroad experience.

Students may qualify for one or multiple of the below types of financial aid.

Institutional need-based aid (Northwestern Scholarships).

Please note that your institutional summer aid award will likely differ from your regular academic year’s financial aid award over the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Your institutional aid award will be based on your financial need, your summer tuition, mandatory fees, and enrolled units. For students who qualify for institutional summer aid, eligibility starts once the student enrolls in one unit and generally caps out at four units of enrollment. Institutional aid will never be greater than your summer tuition and mandatory fee charges. Need determines how much of the cost of tuition and fees is covered; students with higher need may see more of the costs covered, whereas students with lower need may see less coverage.

Federal Aid

• Pell grants (for those who qualify). Pell Grants will automatically be reviewed and applied to eligible students based on information provided on the FAFSA as determined by the Department of Education.
• Federal student loans - Students who wish to use Direct Loans need to be enrolled in at least 2 or more units of coursework over the summer and must notify our office of your intent to borrow a direct loan. If you used your full loan eligibility during the regular academic year, your eligibility may be reduced or limited over the summer quarter. Read about Direct Loans.

SIGP Grant

The Summer Internship Grant Program (SIGP) is a Northwestern-funded program designed to support undergraduate students who pursue unpaid or low-paid summer experiential learning opportunities. SIGP funding helps offset basic living expenses so that financial considerations do not prevent students from engaging in meaningful summer experiences.

While SIGP commonly supports unpaid or low-paid internships, funding may also be used to support other qualifying experiential opportunities, such as:

• Research experiences (including faculty-mentored or independent research)
• Public service or nonprofit work
• Community-based or civic engagement programs
• Creative, artistic, or entrepreneurial projects
• International or domestic experiential learning opportunities that are not credit-bearing

SIGP is generally available to undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need and meet program eligibility and application requirements established by the University.

Please note that SIGP is not administered by the Office of Financial Aid, and funding through this program is separate from federal, state, and institutional financial aid. While SIGP support may be considered when reviewing a student’s overall summer resources, questions about eligibility, applications, timelines, and award amounts should be directed to the program administrators.

For full details about the program, including eligibility criteria, application instructions, and deadlines, students should visit the Northwestern Career Advancement website: What is SIGP?: Northwestern Career Advancement - Northwestern University

Outside Scholarships

If you receive an outside scholarship that applies towards your summer quarter:

• You must notify the Undergraduate Office of Financial Aid
• Outside aid may reduce the amount of institutional funding you receive, depending on your total eligibility.
  
  

Summer financial aid is not awarded at the beginning of the school year. Rather, eligible students receive an aid estimate for summer quarter during winter quarter. The timeline and important action items to receive financial aid is listed below.

1. Our office prepares an estimate, which you should review to help plan for your summer (February-March)
   1. If you are eligible, you will receive a summer aid estimate via email in January or February.
   2. Note: If your graduate date is extended from June or you are returning from a leave of absence over the summer, please reach out to our office for an estimate.
2.  You register for Summer Classes (April – June)
   1. Tuition is charged per unit during the summer
   2. Your course load determines your total cost and aid eligibility
3.  We review your eligibility and apply aid (May – June)
   1. Our office automatically reviews your award eligibility based on your enrollment and the estimate provided to you. Summer aid is applied before the summer bill is processed. Students can expect to see summer financial aid posted by late May or early June.
   2. Reach out to our office if you intend to use Direct Loans.
   3. If additional documentation is needed, we will notify you.
4.  Monitor Your Enrollment Changes (June – August)
   1. Adding, dropping, swapping, or withdrawing from courses after your aid is finalized may change your funding.
   2. If your enrollment decreases, your institutional or federal aid may be reduced, and you may owe a balance on your account
   3. If you swap our classes after they have begun, you may be assessed a partial charge for the dropped course and a new charge for the added course. Financial aid will not be available to cover partial charges due to swapped coursework.
   4. If your enrollment increases, our office will automatically review and adjust your aid based on your enrollment change, up to 4 units of coursework

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid if you plan to make any changes to your course enrollment after the start of the Summer quarter, including adding or dropping courses. Depending on when a course is dropped or withdrawn, you may be subject to a refund calculation and could be required to return financial aid for which you are no longer eligible. The following enrollment changes may impact your financial aid award:

• Adding, dropping, swapping, or withdrawing from courses after your aid is finalized may change your funding.
• If your enrollment decreases, your institutional or federal aid may be reduced, and you may owe a balance on your account
• If you swap out classes after they have begun, you may be assessed a partial charge for the dropped course and a new charge for the added course. Financial aid will not be available to cover partial charges due to swapped coursework.
• If your enrollment increases, our office will automatically review and adjust your aid based on your enrollment change, up to 4 units of coursework

Shortly before your summer courses begin, after you register for classes and your enrollment is confirmed your summer aid will be packaged.

Your aid may be reduced based on your new enrollment level, and you may be responsible for any resulting charges.

Work-study availability varies by year and funding levels. Check with the financial aid office for current opportunities.

If a student extends their graduation beyond their planned June graduation, aid is not guaranteed for the following summer, and they will be reviewed separately for summer aid eligibility. Please reach out to our office directly to speak more about your request for extended aid.

No. Students who have already graduated or completed their degree and program requirements are not eligible for institutional or federal aid over the summer.

No. Please visit our study abroad website for more information on our summer study abroad policies. Please note that eligibility for financial aid towards a summer study abroad experience is limited to one summer of assistance.

No. Starting Summer 2026, there is no separate application. Aid is based on your FAFSA and your summer enrollment.