Feinberg School of Medicine International MD Students

Students who submit their application materials after the deadline will be considered for financial aid but may not qualify for all financial aid programs based on the availability of funds. Bear in mind that students who are interested in obtaining a private student loan must typically have a credit-worthy US citizen/permanent resident cosigner on the loan.

Priority Deadline

• January 15, 2025 for students admitted on or around December 1, 2024
• March 17, 2025 for students admitted on or around March 1, 2025
• Within 5 days of admission for students admitted after March 15, 2025

Application steps

1. Complete the MD Entering University Aid Application
2. Submit additional items to our office
3. Receive a preliminary aid offer
4. Receive your official aid offer and accept or decline your loan package
5. Complete the required documents as outlined in your financial aid notification email

1. Complete the MD Entering University Aid Application

Priority Deadline: Based on admission date listed above 

• The MD Entering University Aid Application can be completed online here. The application can take up to 45 minutes to complete. The application must be completed in a single session as you will not be able to save and return to the application after starting it.
• To complete the application, you will need:
  
  • A copy of the 2023 federal tax return for the student applicant.
  • A copy of the 2023 federal tax return for the applicant’s parent(s).
  • Information about your assets and your parent(s) assets, including investments, businesses, homes, trusts, and vehicles.
• Students under the age of 26 (or who will not be 26 by August 1, 2025) must provide parental information if they wish to be considered for institutional need-based grants.
  • Exceptions to requirements for parental information: 
    • If you are married, and your spouse is NOT a student, you need only submit your and your spouse's information. If your spouse is a student, you will still need to submit your parents' information.
    • If you are active duty military or a veteran, you do not need to submit your parents' information.
    • All other exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Financial Aid are are extremely rare.
  • Note: If your parents are currently separated or were divorced after September 1, 2021, submit financial information for both parents; if they were divorced before that date, submit information for your custodial parent only. If your custodial parent has remarried, submit your stepparent's information as well.
  • All figures reported on the University Aid Application should be reported in whole US Dollars. Please do not use decimals or commas. Individuals with foreign income should convert currency to USD and note the conversion rate in the special circumstances section in the student section of the form.

 The Incoming MD University Aid Application is used to assist in determining eligibility for institutional need-based grants. If you do not wish to be considered for institutional need-based grants but do wish to apply only for private student loan funding, you are not required to complete the MD Entering University Aid Application. Please contact the Chicago Office of Financial Aid to request that our short-form University Aid Application be made available to you via CAESAR.

2. Submit additional items to our office

Priority Deadline: Based on admission date listed above 

Student income information

• Download and complete the 2025-26 Verification of Student (and Spouse) Income form
• Submit signed copies of your 2023 Federal Income Tax return and W-2 forms (if you filed an Income Tax return in 2023). If you have not yet filed your 2023 Federal Income Tax return, please submit a copy of your 2022 Federal Income Tax return and W-2 forms (if you filed US Federal Taxes in 2022).

• If you will be married by October 2025, you must also submit a copy of your spouse's 2023 tax forms.

OR

• Submit signed copies of your country’s tax forms for the most recent tax year (if you had foreign income in 2023). If your country does not have an annual tax form, please submit a signed wage statement from your employer verifying income. All non-US tax forms and earnings documents require official translation into English and must be converted to U.S. Dollars.  If converted to U.S. Dollars, the conversion rate must also be included.
• If you will be married by October 2025, you must also submit a copy of your spouse's 2023 tax forms.

Parental income information

If you are required to submit parent information based on the criteria above, you must submit the following income information: 

• Download and complete the 2025-26 Verification of Parents' Income form.
• Submit signed copies of your parents’ country's tax forms for the most recent tax year. If your country does not have an annual tax form, please submit a signed wage statement from your parents’ employer(s) verifying income. All tax or earnings documents require official translation into English and must be converted to U.S. Dollars. If converted to U.S. Dollars, the conversion rate must also be included.

Northwestern Dependents with divorced parents may need to submit additional tax returns:

• If your parents are currently separated or were divorced after September 1, 2021, submit tax forms for both parents.
• If your parents were divorced before September 1, 2021, submit a tax form for your custodial parent only. If your custodial parent has remarried, submit your stepparent's tax form as well.

Once you have your NetID from Admissions, you can check the status of your application. Please allow 3-5 business days for your materials to be marked as received. 

3. Receive preliminary financial aid offer

Once all materials are submitted, Northwestern will determine your financial aid eligibility and financial aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.

The Chicago Office of Financial Aid releases preliminary financial aid packages by email to your Northwestern email account on a rolling basis in early-to-mid March for students admitted in December and late March for students admitted after January 1.

No action is required on your preliminary aid offer.

4. Accept, reduce, or decline your financial aid package via CAESAR

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive your official financial aid notice email

Once tuition and fee figures are finalized for the upcoming academic year, the Chicago Office of Financial Aid will begin releasing official financial aid offers.

The Chicago Office of Financial Aid will release official financial aid packages to Northwestern email accounts in early Summer. Once you receive notification that the official package is available in CAESAR, you must accept, reduce, or decline the loan assistance offered to you for the academic year. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline .

5. Complete any required documents as outlined in your financial aid notification email

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive financial aid notice

You may be required to submit additional documentation. Information about this process will be included on your Financial Aid Notification email.