Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships are funds awarded by entities apart from the federal, state, and institutional aid programs. Because Northwestern awards financial aid to meet full demonstrated need, federal regulations require that these scholarships are evaluated and incorporated into a student’s financial aid award, and adjustments may need to be made to existing aid.

When adjusting a student’s need-based award, an outside scholarship will reduce or replace Federal Work-Study or need-based loans prior to reducing Northwestern Scholarship. Therefore, outside scholarships benefit students by reducing the need to work or borrow to help finance their education.

After the Federal Work-Study or need-based loan has been replaced, Northwestern Scholarships might be reduced for any remaining amount. In some cases where the CSS Profile contribution is higher than the FAFSA SAI, the parent contribution might be replaced. Whether this is an option depends on the individual circumstances of each student. The examples below illustrate how outside scholarships might impact financial aid awards. In the example below, the student has a Subsidized Direct Loan that is replacing their CSS Profile defined family contribution.

	Example Base Award	Scenario #1	Scenario #2	Scenario #3
Total Outside Scholarship Amount:	0	$2,500	$5,000	$7,500
Subsidized Direct Loan	$3,500	$1,000	$0	$0
Federal Work-Study	$3,600	$3,600	$2,100	$0
Northwestern Scholarship	$30,000	$30,000	$30,000	$29,600
Changes to Student’s Financial Aid Award:	N/A	Subsidized Loan reduced by $2,500, no change to Work-Study or NU Scholarship	Subsidized Loan eliminated, Work-Study reduced by $1,500, no change to NU Scholarship	Subsidized Loan and Work-Study eliminated, NU Scholarship reduced by $400

Special Circumstances

The Financial Aid Office makes every effort to avoid a reduction of a student’s Northwestern Scholarship assistance. Students who receive an outside scholarship in excess of their federal work or federal loan amounts may want to contact our office to discuss their financial circumstances.

Scholarship Funds Crediting to the Student Account

Typically, scholarship amounts are divided into thirds and credited over the three terms of the academic year. Students will receive an updated copy of their financial aid award letter when aid is adjusted for outside awards.

Reporting Outside Scholarships

Students must notify our office of all outside awards received, including awards paid directly to you. Please report your outside scholarships to our office using our online Scholarship Reporting Form and include a copy of any correspondence (e.g., letter or email) from the scholarship donor if available.

Receiving Outside Scholarship Funds

Scholarship agencies should send students’ outside scholarship payment directly to our office to the attention of the Outside Scholarship Coordinator. The scholarship check should be made payable to Northwestern University so that funds may credited directly to the student's university bill. The student's full name and Student ID number should be included in the memo section of the check.

Checks made payable to the student or co-payable to the student and Northwestern University must be signed by the student prior to submitting the scholarship check to our office.

Outside Scholarship Donors

If you are an outside scholarship donor and need information on how to transfer funds to the University, please review our Bank Information Document.