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Physician Assistant Program

Below you will see an overview of the financial aid application process for the Physician Assistant Program for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Note this information applies to domestic students only. View application instructions for international students.

Suggested Receipt Date

Return all completed application materials by May 1, 2025 to ensure the aid process can be completed in time for disbursement for your first period of enrollment. 

Importance of meeting deadlines

Meeting the financial aid application deadlines listed above ensures that students will receive their financial aid award notice, can complete all required loan documentation, and have their funds disburse by the first day of classes. Students who may be admitted after the application deadline are still eligible to apply for and receive financial aid, but they must submit their financial aid application materials within two weeks of when they were admitted.

Students who apply for financial aid after the deadline cannot be guaranteed that financial aid funds will disburse by the first day of class. Applications received after the deadline will be processed in the order in which they were received.

Financial aid applications may not be processed once a term has ended (in other words, students may not be eligible to receive funds for the Summer term if they apply for those funds during the Winter term).

Application steps

1. Complete the FAFSA

Suggested Receipt Date: May 1, 2025

  • Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and complete the online 2025-26 form. If you do not already have an FSA ID, you will need to set one up before completing the FAFSA. This FSA ID will be used for many Department of Education websites.
    • We recommend you submit your FAFSA by April 27, 2025 to ensure it is received by the May 1 deadline.
  • Designate Northwestern University - Evanston as the recipient of the information; our federal school code is 001739. Any other Northwestern University codes (001740, school-specific codes beginning with an "E") should not be used.
  • Please note that due to the late release of the FAFSA for 2025-2026, the US Department of Education has notified schools that we will not start to receive FAFSA data until late January or February and so your FAFSA application may not be marked as received until the early spring. We apologize for any inconvenience.
  • After the FAFSA is processed, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, summarizing your information. Resolve any incorrect information via the FAFSA web site or by returning the corrected and signed FAFSA Submission Summary. If you do not receive your FAFSA Submission Summary within four weeks, or if you need to request a duplicate, call 800-433-3243.

2. Submit the University Aid Application

Suggested Receipt Date: May 1, 2025

  • Students with access to CAESAR may access an online version of this document via their To-Do list in CAESAR. The online document will be available in early March. Your To-Do List can be reviewed in CAESAR through either the "Tasks" tile on the homepage, or by clicking on the "Financial Aid" tile from the homepage and then selecting "To-Do List" from the left-hand navigation.
  • International students who wish to apply for private student loan funding are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid Application.

3. Accept or decline your award package

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive award notice

  • After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.
  • Next, our office will begin sending financial award decision emails on a rolling basis beginning May 1, 2025. Your financial aid package will likely include a combination of student loans.
  • Student must accept or decline their award package via CAESAR. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.

Suggested Receipt Date

Return all completed application materials by May 1, 2024 to ensure the aid process can be completed in time for disbursement for your first period of enrollment. 

Importance of meeting deadlines

Meeting the financial aid application deadlines listed above ensures that students will receive their financial aid award notice, can complete all required loan documentation, and have their funds disburse by the first day of classes. Students who may be admitted after the application deadline are still eligible to apply for and receive financial aid, but they must submit their financial aid application materials within two weeks of when they were admitted.

Students who apply for financial aid after the deadline cannot be guaranteed that financial aid funds will disburse by the first day of class. Applications received after the deadline will be processed in the order in which they were received.

Financial aid applications may not be processed once a term has ended (in other words, students may not be eligible to receive funds for the Summer term if they apply for those funds during the Winter term).

Application steps

1. Complete the FAFSA

Suggested Receipt Date: May 1, 2024

  • Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and complete the online 2024-25 form once it becomes available (anticipated December 31 2023). If you do not already have an FSA ID, you will need to set one up before completing the FAFSA. This FSA ID will be used for many Department of Education websites.
    • We recommend you submit your FAFSA by April 27, 2024 to ensure it is received by the May 1 deadline.
  • Designate Northwestern University - Evanston as the recipient of the information; our federal school code is 001739. Any other Northwestern University codes (001740, school-specific codes beginning with an "E") should not be used.
  • Please note that due to the late release of the FAFSA for 2024-2025, the US Department of Education has notified schools that we will not start to receive FAFSA data until March and so your FAFSA application may not be marked as received until sometime in April. We apologize for any inconvenience.
  • After the FAFSA is processed, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, summarizing your information. Resolve any incorrect information via the FAFSA web site or by returning the corrected and signed FAFSA Submission Summary. If you do not receive your FAFSA Submission Summary within four weeks, or if you need to request a duplicate, call 800-433-3243.

2. Submit the University Aid Application

Suggested Receipt Date: May 1, 2024

  • Students with access to CAESAR may access an online version of this document via their To-Do list in CAESAR. The online document will be available in early March. Your To-Do List can be reviewed in CAESAR through either the "Tasks" tile on the homepage, or by clicking on the "Financial Aid" tile from the homepage and then selecting "To-Do List" from the left-hand navigation.
  • International students who wish to apply for private student loan funding are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid Application.

3. Accept or decline your award package

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive award notice

  • After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.
  • Next, our office will begin sending financial award decision emails on a rolling basis beginning May 1, 2024. Your financial aid package will likely include a combination of student loans.
  • Student must accept or decline their award package via CAESAR. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.