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JD-MBA Students

Applying for financial aid, including scholarships, is separate from the admissions process. The Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid determines scholarship awards, while the Chicago Office of Financial Aid (CFAO) administers loan funding.

Northwestern Law considers all JD-MBA applicants independent and does not require parental information. However, if you are married, spousal information must be submitted.

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

2026-27

Students must submit all completed application materials by the deadline listed below based on the round in which they were admitted:

Deadlines

JD-MBA 2026-27 financial aid application deadlines
Admission Round Deadline
Round 1 November 12, 2025 (CSS Profile and taxes only)
Round 2 March 3, 2026
Round 3 April 21, 2026

Importance of meeting deadlines

Meeting the financial aid application deadline listed above ensures that students will receive their financial aid offer, can complete all items on their To Do checklist, and have their funds disburse by the first day of classes. Students can expect their application to be reviewed within 6 weeks of submission.

Note: Applications received after the deadline will be processed in the order in which they were received. Financial aid applications cannot be processed once a term has ended.

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1. Complete the FAFSA

  1. Complete the 2026-27 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) using your FSA ID user name and password.If you do not already have an FSA ID, you will need to set one up. 
  2. Add our federal school code: (001739 Northwestern University - Evanston).
  3. Monitor your FAFSA submission status by logging into studentaid.gov. Your FAFSA status will appear under "My Activity" on your dashboard.
    1. After the FAFSA is processed, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS).
    2. Resolve any incorrect information via studentaid.gov or by returning the corrected and signed FSS.

2. Complete the CSS Profile

  1. Complete the CSS Profile through the link provided 
    1. The application can take up to an hour to complete. You may save your progress and return at a later time if needed.
  2.  Pritzker School of Law CSS Code is 1601. Do not use any other Northwestern University CSS Code as they are school specific.
    • Note: Northwestern University does not offer fee waivers
    • Northwestern Law considers all JD-MBA applicants independent so parental information is not required or reviewed. 
    • The CSS Profile is not unique to Northwestern. Even though we don’t require parental information for applicants 26 or older, we cannot restrict the CSS Profile from asking for that information.
      • We cannot provide guidance on what applicants should enter in the parental information fields, as that can have significant ramifications for applicants seeking aid at other institutions during the admissions process.
      • All parental information received for applications over the age threshold (or those classified as independent) will be discarded and not considered in the application review.
Married Students

If you are married (as of October 1, 2026) and your spouse is not a student, submit your spouse's income information.

  • If your spouse is a student, you will still need to submit your parents' information

3. Complete items on To Do Checklist

Note: International applications/married applicants must submit all requested items via the secure document upload portal. If you are not an international applicant/not married, do not submit financial documents unless requested by CFAO.

CAESAR will update to reflect received documents within 3-5 business days of submission. Note that during peak times, document processing might take longer. Once you have your Student ID from Admissions, you can check the status of your application. 

Spousal income information

  • If you will be married by October 1, 2026, you must submit a copy of your future-spouse's 2024 Federal Income Tax return including all schedules and worksheets.
  • If you are already married, your spouse's tax return is also required if you were either single or filed separately during the 2024 tax year.

4. Receive preliminary financial aid offer

  • Scholarship notifications are sent out via email by the Admissions Office at the time of admission, provided that application deadlines were met.
  • Preliminary financial aid offers for students who complete application materials are released by the CFAO before the relevant tuition deposit deadline. No action is required on your preliminary aid offer.

5. Review your financial aid offer via CAESAR

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive your official financial aid notice email. Students must take action on loan offers as they will expire within 60 days. 

  • Once tuition and fee figures are finalized for the upcoming academic year, CFAO will release official financial aid offer letters. Learn more about how aid is determined.
  • Official financial aid letters  are sent to Northwestern email accounts in early Summer (if tuition deposit is completed)
  • Upon notification, you must accept or decline the loan assistance offered to you for the academic year via CAESAR.  

 

6. Private Loan Consideration (Optional)

  • Applications for private loan funds must be completed through a lender of your choice. You can begin your private loan search via our Private Loans page.
  • Private loan funds like other types of aid are academic year specific. This means that the loan application that you complete can only be used within one academic year at a time.
  • You must notify our office of your private loan approval via our Private Loan Certification Request form 
  • Final private loan funds eligibility are subject to a combination of your lender's eligibility criteria, cost of attendance, Satisfactory academic progress, and enrollment. 
  • International students interested in obtaining a private student loan may need a credit-worthy U.S. citizen/permanent resident cosigner.