Physical Therapy FAQs
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- When should I apply for financial aid?
- Do I need to reapply for financial aid every year?
- Which forms are required in order to apply for financial aid?
- What happens if my financial aid documents are not in by the financial aid deadline?
- I filed an extension with the IRS. What can be done in the interim?
- How much is tuition for the Physical Therapy program?
- How is financial aid determined?
- How much of the costs will my financial aid cover?
- Are grants and scholarships available?
- What loan programs are available?
- What is the difference between a Subsidized Stafford and Unsubsidized Stafford loan?
- What kind of financial aid is available for International Students?
- I have an anticipated credit on my account. Can I receive those funds before classes start?
- Classes have started but my funds have not yet disbursed. I need money for living expenses and books. What should I do?
- I accepted more loan assistance than I need. Can I reduce or cancel my loans?
- Am I able to request additional loan assistance than what I accepted?
- How will an outside scholarship affect my financial aid?
- Where should my outside scholarship check be sent?
- Do I have to submit my parents' information with my application?
- I am getting married. Will that change my dependency status? How will it affect my aid?
1. When should I apply for financial aid?
The deadline for applicants is generally mid-February each year. Returning students should submit their financial aid application by the May 1 each year.
2. Do I need to reapply for financial aid every year?
Yes. Students must submit all of the required application documents each year they wish to receive financial aid.
3. Which forms are required in order to apply for financial aid?
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- The University Aid Application
4. What happens if my financial aid documents are not in by the financial aid deadline?
The Office of Financial Aid can not guarantee they can release a financial aid award by the deposit deadline for applicants who do not meet the financial aid deadline. For returning students who do not submit their application by the deadline, the Office of Financial aid cannot guarantee that an award and funds will be posted to your account by the first day of classes. This may result in late fees, registration/transcript holds, and not receiving a living/book expense refund in a timely manner. If you are passed the deadline, please submit the missing items immediately. The sooner these are in the sooner you will receive an award. We ask that you allow 4 to 6 weeks to process an award after all of your financial aid documents are in. Please be sure to view your checklist to be sure no further information is required and all documents are received.
5. I filed and extension with the IRS. What can be done in the interim?
Please submit a copy of the extension form submitted to the IRS, the previous year's tax return and this year's W-2s. After this is received, a preliminary award can be completed. However, we will need a copy of the federal tax return once you do submit it. Without this, the financial aid office can not do an official award.
6. How much is tuition for the Physical Therapy program?
Based on tuition data for the 2010-11 academic year, tuition for the Physical Therapy program was $11,337 per term. Tuition typically increases by a small percentage each academic year.
7. How is financial need determined?
There are several components taken into consideration when determining a student's financial need. A student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is determined by information provided on the FAFSA and other data reported on the University Aid Application. The EFC is then subtracted from the student's cost of attendance, which is an estimate of the expenses a student will incur during the academic year. The end result is the student's financial need.
8. How much of the costs will my financial aid cover?
Students will be offered financial aid to cover 100% of their cost of attendance for the academic year.
9. Are grants and scholarships available?
At this time, the Physical Therapy Program does not offer any institutional grants or scholarships. The Office of Financial Aid lists links to outside scholarships on their website and also has information available in their office. Students may also look for outside scholarship assistance on the web at websites such as www.fastweb.com, www.scholarships.com or any other scholarship search engine. Please keep in mind that students should not be required to submit any form of payment in order to apply for outside scholarships.
10. What loans programs are available?
Please refer to the section entitled "Loans" on the Physical Therapy financial aid page.
11. What is the difference between the Subsidized Stafford loan and Unsubsidized Stafford loan?
Essentially these two loans are the same, however the Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan's interest is paid by the government while a student is in school at a rate of half-time or greater and therefore does not accrue interest for the student while in school. The Unsubsidized Loan does accrue interest while in school and you, as the student, can choose to pay the interest while in school (so it does not compound) or defer all payments until out of school.
14. What kind of financial aid is available for International Students?
International students are generally offered financial aid through private loan programs approved for international students. These loans generally require the student to have a credit-worthy cosigner who is a US citizen or permanent resident.
15. I have an anticipated credit on my account. Can I receive those funds before classes start?
No. Students may not request a refund via CAESAR until the first day of class.
16. Classes have started but my funds have not yet disbursed. I need money for living expenses and books. What should I do?
If a student has completed all required documents and their term has officially started but their funds have not disbursed, they may come to the Office of Financial Aid with their Wild Card to request a cash advance. The maximum amount of cash advance per month varies per program. The cash advance will appear as a charge against the student's
anticipated credit.
17. I accepted more loan assistance than I need. Can I reduce or cancel my loans?
Yes. Students who wish to reduce or cancel their loans can e-mail the Office of Financial Aid from their NU e-mail account and request to reduce their loan assistance. Students must include their name and student ID number and state the loan program they wish to reduce or cancel. If they wish to reduce the loan and not completely cancel it, they should state the amount to which they want the loan reduced.
18. Am I able to request additional loan assistance than what I accepted?
If students rejected a portion of their loan assistance at the beginning of the year and decide later that they need those funds, they can request that the Office of Financial aid reinstates their originally offered loan amounts. Students may be required to complete additional loan applications or documents depending on the loan type. If students accepted 100% of the aid they were offered in their financial aid award, they are generally not eligible to receive additional funding unless they can document extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical bills not covered by insurance). For more information on requesting additional funding for extenuating circumstances, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
19. How will an outside scholarship affect my financial aid?
If a student has accepted 100% of their loan assistance, the Office of Financial Aid will be required to return an equal portion of their loan assistance to make room in the cost of attendance for the outside scholarship. If a student has declined a portion of their loan assistance equal to or greater than the amount of the scholarship, their other aid will not be affected.
20. Where should my outside scholarship check be sent?
Scholarship checks should be sent to the Office of Financial Aid at 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 629, Chicago, IL 60611.
21. Do I have to submit my parents' information with my application?
No. Parent information is not required for the Physical Therapy program.
22. I am getting married. Will that change my dependency status? How will it affect my aid?
Students who will be married on or before October 1 of the upcoming academic year are required to include their spouse's information with their financial aid application.