JD-MBA Students

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

Deadlines

Students who submit their application materials after the stated deadline will be considered for financial aid but may not qualify for all financial aid programs, based on the availability of funds.

Application Steps

1. Complete the FAFSA
2. Complete the CSS Profile
3. Submit tax documents to our office, if needed
4. Review financial aid package and accept or decline award

1. Complete the FAFSA

Deadline: By deadline noted above

• Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and complete the online 2026-27 application. 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.
• 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.
• After the FAFSA is processed (allow two weeks), 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. You can also monitor your FAFSA submission status by logging into studentaid.gov. Your FAFSA status will appear under "My Activity" on your dashboard. 

2. Complete the CSS Profile

Deadline: By deadline noted above

• Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, all incoming admits to any JD program will be required to complete the CSS Profile for financial aid consideration, including scholarships. 
• You can complete the CSS Profile through the link provided to you on or after November 1st. Designate Northwestern University: Pritzker School of Law (CSS Code 1601) as the recipient of your profile information. 
  • Do not use any other Northwestern CSS code as they are school specific.
  • The application can take up to an hour to complete, and you can save your progress and return to the application at any time.
• Northwestern Law considers all JD-MBA applicants independent so parental information is not required or reviewed. However, if you are or will be married by October 1st, spousal information must be submitted.
• International students are not require to complete the FAFSA as they are ineligible for federal financial aid, but are still required to complete the CSS Profile. View application instructions for international students.

Please Note: The CSS Profile is administered by an outside company, and is utilized by multiple universities, similar to the FAFSA. While Northwestern will not review or consider parental information entered on the CSS Profile for JD-MBA Applicants, other institutions maintain different financial aid application requirements, so we cannot prevent College Board from asking questions about parental income. Additionally, we cannot provide guidance on what students should or should not enter on their CSS Profile. 

The CSS Profile is used to assist in determining eligibility for institutional scholarships. If you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding, but do wish to apply only for federal student loans, then you only need to complete the FAFSA (unless you’re an international applicant) along with our short-form University Aid Application. The short-form University Aid Application is different from the more in-depth CSS Profile noted above. In this case, please contact the Chicago Office of Financial Aid to request that our short-form University Aid Application be emailed to you.

3. Submit additional items to our office, if necessary

Deadline: By deadline noted above

International applicants or married applicants must submit all items to our secure document upload portal. If you are not an international applicant, or are not married, please do not submit financial documents unless explicitly requested by the Office of Financial Aid. 

Student income information

• If you were not required to file your 2024 Federal Income Tax Return download and complete the Verification of Student (and Spouse) Income form.

• If you are married or will be married by October 1^st 2026, both you and your spouse’s 2024 federal tax return, including all schedules and worksheets, must be uploaded directly to the Chicago Office of Financial Aid here.
• Students should report currency in US Dollars only. Foreign currency must be converted to US Dollars with the conversion rate included in the documentation submitted.

4. Review financial aid package and accept or decline award

Deadline: As soon as possible after you receive your official eligibility notice email in the early summer.

After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.

Scholarship award notices are typically sent out via email by the Admissions Office at the time of admission, provided that students met the above stated financial aid application deadline. Preliminary financial aid packages are released by the Chicago Office of Financial Aid before the relevant tuition deposit deadline. Once the preliminary package is released, no additional steps are needed with regards to financial aid until you receive your official financial aid package notification email from the Chicago Office of Financial Aid.

Official packages are sent via email during the summer before classes begin, but only if a student submits a tuition deposit. Once you receive notification that your official package is ready to review in CAESAR, you must accept or decline your financial aid award. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.