An overview of the financial aid application process at Northwestern University

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Application Instructions for Regular Decision Prospective Students

Below you will see an overview of the financial aid application process for Regular Decision students.

Complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile online by February 15
Submit tax materials (and additional forms, if necessary) to the College Board’s IDOC Service by March 5.
Northwestern’s Committee on Financial Aid will determine your financial aid eligibility and aid package
Sign and return the award letter
Note: Application instructions are different for Early Decision Prospective Students, Transfer Students, and International Students.

1. Complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile online by February 15
All students (and their custodial parents) must complete the following materials:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Visit the FAFSA web site and complete the online form. (Or see your high school college counselor to obtain a paper FAFSA)
Designate Northwestern as the recipient of the information; our federal school code is 001739.
When it is processed, you will receive a SAR (Student Aid Report) summarizing your information. Resolve any incorrect information via the FAFSA web site (or by returning the corrected and signed SAR).
College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS Profile)
Visit the College Board web site and register with the site (there will be registration fee). Complete the CSS Profile.
Designate Northwestern as the recipient of the information; our CSS code is 1565 for prospective students.
When it is processed, you will receive a Data Confirmation Report summarizing your information. Any corrections must be submitted directly to Northwestern’s Office of Financial Aid.

2. Submit tax materials (and additional forms, if necessary) to the College Board’s IDOC service by March 5
After completing the CSS Profile, the College Board will provide instructions for filing the following materials:
Custodial Parents’ 2008 Federal Tax Return and W-2s
Student’s 2008 Federal Tax Return and W-2s
Federal Verification Worksheet 2009-2010 (pdf)
These signed forms will be mailed to the College Board’s Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC), not to the Northwestern Office of Financial Aid. A cover sheet (printed out from the College Board web site) must accompany them.
Exceptions: Students and/or custodial parents who are not required to file a 2008 Federal Tax Return must complete all of the following steps:
Check the appropriate box when completing the Federal Verification Worksheet and complete the appropriate Non-Filer's Statement.
Send both to IDOC services.
Send a written explanation of your circumstances to Northwestern’s Office of Financial Aid.

If necessary, complete additional forms by March 5
Based on the information you submitted in the CSS Profile, College Board may request that you fill out one or both of these forms:
Business/Farm Supplement
If your custodial parents operate a business or a farm, they must complete one Business/Farm Supplement (pdf) for each business or farm they operate. The form(s) should be mailed to IDOC services along with the tax documents detailed above.
Noncustodial Profile Application (NCP)
If your biological parents are divorced or separated, your noncustodial parent will need to complete the NCP, which can be done in two possible ways:
Online: The College Board will provide login information and instructions for completing the forms online, which you can share with your noncustodial parent.
Paper: If your noncustodial parent chooses not to complete the form electronically, he or she can download the pdf version and send it to Northwestern’s Office of Financial Aid.
If you have no contact with your noncustodial parent, or if he or she is unwilling to fill out the form, contact our office at 847-491-8000 to discuss the situation with a counselor.
See the Additional Application Foms web page for more information about the Business/Farm Supplement or the Noncustodial Parent Statement.


3. Northwestern’s Committee on Financial Aid will determine your financial aid eligibility & package
The basic equation for need based financial aid is as follows:
Cost of Attendance (COA) - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Demonstrated Institutional Need

When determining a student's Expected Family Contribution, the Committee performs a needs analysis on the required application materials. Northwestern will meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated institutional need, first by utilizing any federal funding the student may be eligible for, then by covering the difference with institutional grant money.
The FAFSA is used to calculate federal aid eligibility.
The FAFSA, CSS Profile and supporting documentation is used to calculate institutional aid eligibility.
4. Sign and return the award letter
You will receive your financial aid decision shortly after your admission decision. If you have demonstrated institutional financial need, your financial aid package may include a combination of student loans, scholarship or grant assistance and student employment.

Sign and return your financial aid award letter even if you are going to appeal the decision. Do this so we can keep track of our committed funds so that we will know what funds are still available. The financial aid award letter is not a contract but a confirmation that you have received and reviewed the information it contains.

If you have offered a loan, you will receive a loan information packet in June with instructions on how to apply for it.

If you would like to appeal an aid decision, see Appeal an Aid Decision for instructions.