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 Law Entering University Aid Application
3. Submit tax documents to our office
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 2025-26 application once it becomes available (anticipated December 1, 2024). 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.

• Please note that although the FAFSA for 2025-26 is available to complete now, due to system and processing delays your FAFSA application may not be marked as complete until sometime in February or upon receipt from the Department of Education. We apologize for any inconvenience.

• 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 Law Entering University Aid Application

Deadline: By deadline noted above

• You can complete the university aid application through the link provided to you on or after November 1. 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.
  
  • Northwestern Law considers all JD-MBA applicants independent so parental information is not required. However, if you are married, spousal information must be submitted on the University Aid Application.
  • Students should report currency in US dollars only. Foreign currency should be converted to US dollars with the conversion rate noted in the special circumstances section of the university aid application.
• International students are not require to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid Application.

The Law Entering University Aid Application 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 Law Entering University Aid Application 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

Deadline: By deadline noted above

Submit all items to our secure document upload portal.

Student income information

• If you filed an Income Tax return for 2023, submit signed copies of your 2023 Federal Income Tax return and W-2 forms.
• If you have not yet filed or were not required to file your 2023 Federal Income Tax return download and complete the 2025-26 Verification of Student (and Spouse) Income form.
  • Please also submit a copy of your 2022 Federal Income Tax return and 2023 W-2 forms along with the Verification of Student (and Spouse) Income form.

• If you will be married by October 2025, you must also submit a copy of your spouse's 2023 Federal Income Tax return.
• These documents are used to ensure accuracy and verify data reported on the university aid application.

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.