LLM Students
Applying for financial aid, including loans and fellowship funding, is separate from the admissions process. The Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid awards fellowship funding, while the Chicago Office of Financial Aid packages loan funding.
The information on this page goes over how students will apply for institutional fellowship funding as well as federal student loan funding.
Note this information applies to domestic students only. View application instructions for international students.
Student financial aid applications are due by the suggested submission dates listed below (or, if admitted after these dates, within seven days of admission). Students who submit their application materials after their suggested submission date will be considered for financial aid but may not qualify for all financial aid programs based on the availability of funds.
LLM and Tax-LLM
All students admitted to the LLM and Tax-LLM programs will be considered for fellowships on the basis of academic merit. No separate financial aid application is required to be considered for a fellowship. Contact the Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid with any questions about applying for institutional fellowship funding.
If you wish to also apply for loan funding, complete the steps below. If you do not wish to be considered for loan funding but do wish to apply only for institutional fellowship funding, you are not required to complete the FAFSA or the University Aid Application. Please email the Chicago Office of Financial Aid to request that the FAFSA and University Aid Application be removed from your To-Do list in CAESAR.
1. Complete the FAFSA
Suggested Submission Date: May 2, 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.
- 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.
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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.
- 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.
- International students are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid Application.
2. Submit the University Aid Application via CAESAR
Suggested Submission Date: May 1, 2025
- Students may access the electronic University Aid Application via their "To-Do List" in CAESAR on or after March 15, 2025. Your "To-Do List" can be viewed 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. If you are unable to access this document via your "To-Do List," please contact the Chicago Office of Financial Aid.
- 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 offered loan assistance via CAESAR
Suggested Submission Date: As soon as possible after you receive your financial aid eligibility notification email
After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.
The Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid releases fellowship notifications throughout the spring.
Official financial aid packages are sent via email on a rolling basis by the Chicago Office of Financial Aid beginning in early summer, but only if a student submits a tuition deposit. Once you receive notification, you must accept or decline any loan assistance offered to you. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.
LLM IHR
The institutional fellowship application process for LLM IHR applicants (step 1 below) is separate from the student loan application process (steps 2 and 3 below). Bear in mind that the due dates for the Admission Office's fellowship application may be different than the due date of the FAFSA and the University Aid Application.
1. Complete the Fellowship Application through the Admissions Office
Suggested Ssubmission Date: February 3, 2025
The Fellowship Application is available on the Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid's Admitted Student website. This site is linked in your decision letter under "Financial Aid". If you have any questions about completing the Fellowship Application, please contact the Admissions Office.
2. Complete the FAFSA
Suggested Submission Date: May 1, 2025
- Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and complete the online 2025-26 form 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.
- Designate Northwestern 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.
- International students are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid Application.
-
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.
3. Submit the University Aid Application via CAESAR
Suggested Submission Date: May 1, 2025
- Students may access the electronic University Aid Application via their "To-Do List" in CAESAR on or after March 15, 2025. Your "To-Do List" can be viewed 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. If you are unable to access this document via your "To-Do List," please contact the Chicago Office of Financial Aid.
- 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.
4. Accept or decline your offered loan assistance via CAESAR
Suggested Submission Date: As soon as possible after you receive your financial aid eligibility notification email
After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package. Learn more about how aid is determined.
The Law School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid releases fellowship notifications throughout the spring.
Official financial aid packages are sent via email on a rolling basis by the Chicago Office of Financial Aid beginning in early summer, but only if a student submits a tuition deposit. Once you receive notification, you must accept or decline any loan assistance offered to you. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.