Returning Students (All Programs)
Below you will see an overview of the financial aid application process for domestic returning students. (PLEASE NOTE: non-U.S. citizens should review application instructions for international students).
The information on this page applies to the following programs.
- Feinberg School of Medicine (MD Program)
- Pritzker School of Law (all programs, including Transfer Students)
- Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA Program
- Physical Therapy Program
- Prosthetics/Orthotics Program
- Physician Assistant Program
- SPS Graduate Programs
- SPS Undergraduate Programs
Please note: Students in the Graduate and Undergraduate School of Professional Studies who wish to apply for financial aid for the Summer 2025 term must complete the 2024-25 application requirements. Please note the final deadline to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA is June 30, 2025.
Note: Students in SPS non-degree and professional development programs (not including Professional Health Certificate programs) need to only complete the 2025-26 Non-Degree University Aid Application.
Suggested Submission Dates
Students are encouraged to return all completed application materials by the suggested submission date listed below. For programs that list suggested submission dates by term, your application suggested submission date is based on the first term for which you are applying for financial aid for the academic year.
| Program | Suggested Submission Date |
|---|---|
| Feinberg School of Medicine (MD program) | April 1, 2025 |
| Pritzker School of Law | JD, JD-MBA, Tax-LLM: May 1, 2025 Residential and Online MSL: July 1, 2025 |
| Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA Program | Summer: May 13, 2025 Fall: August 1, 2025 Winter: November 28, 2025 Spring: March 2, 2026 |
| Physical Therapy Program | May 1, 2025 |
| Prosthetics/Orthotics Program | May 1, 2025 |
| Physician Assistant Program | May 1, 2025 |
| SPS (all graduate and undergraduate programs) | Fall: July 15, 2025 Winter: November 12, 2025 Spring: February 9, 2026 Summer: April 24, 2026 |
Importance of meeting suggested submission dates
Meeting the financial aid application suggested submission dates 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 apply for financial aid after their suggested submission date cannot be guaranteed that financial aid funds will disburse by the first day of class. Applications received after the suggested submission date 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 Fall term if they apply for those funds during the Winter term).
Application steps
1. Complete the FAFSA
- 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 or Northwestern College codes (001740, school-specific codes beginning with an "E") should not be used.
- 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. You can also monitor your FAFSA submission status by logging into studentaid.gov. Your FAFSA status will appear under "My Activity" on your dashboard.
- International students are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid application if they are seeking private loan assistance.
- 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.
2. Complete the University Aid Application
- Students may access this document online via their To-Do list for the 2025-26 academic year in CAESAR in the spring of 2025. 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. 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 loan assistance
Suggested submission date: As soon as possible after you receive financial aid eligibility notification
- After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package which may include scholarships, grants and/or loans. Learn more about how aid is determined.
- Next, our office will begin sending financial aid eligibility notification emails on a rolling basis beginning June 1, 2025. Your financial aid eligibility will likely include a combination of student loans but may also include scholarships or grants depending on your program and individual eligibility as determined by your application for financial aid.
- Student must accept or decline any loan assistance offered to them via CAESAR. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.Scholarship and grant assistance is automatically accepted.
Note: Students in SPS non-degree and professional development programs (not including Professional Health Certificate programs) need to only complete the 2024-25 Non-Degree University Aid Application.
Suggested Submission Dates
Students are encouraged to return all completed application materials by the suggested submission date listed below. For programs that list suggested submission dates by term, your application suggested submission date is based on the first term for which you are applying for financial aid for the academic year.
| Program | Suggested Submission Date |
|---|---|
| Feinberg School of Medicine (MD program) | April 1, 2024 |
| Pritzker School of Law | JD, JD-MBA, Tax-LLM: May 1, 2024 Residential and Online MSL: July 1, 2024 |
| Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA Program | Summer: May 13, 2024 Fall: August 1, 2024 Winter: November 27, 2024 Spring: March 1, 2025 |
| Physical Therapy Program | May 1, 2024 |
| Prosthetics/Orthotics Program | May 1, 2024 |
| Physician Assistant Program | May 1, 2024 |
| SPS (all graduate and undergraduate programs) | Fall: July 15, 2024 Winter: November 12, 2024 Spring: February 10, 2025 Summer: April 25, 2025 |
Importance of meeting suggested submission dates
Meeting the financial aid application suggested submission dates 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 apply for financial aid after their suggested submission date cannot be guaranteed that financial aid funds will disburse by the first day of class. Applications received after the suggested submission date 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 Fall term if they apply for those funds during the Winter term).
Application steps
1. Complete the FAFSA
- Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and complete the online 2024-25 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 or Northwestern College codes (001740, school-specific codes beginning with an "E") should not be used.
- 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. You can also monitor your FAFSA submission status by logging into studentaid.gov. Your FAFSA status will appear under "My Activity" on your dashboard.
- International students are not required to complete the FAFSA and are only required to complete the University Aid application if they are seeking private loan assistance.
2. Complete the University Aid Application
- Students may access this document online via their To-Do list for the 2024-25 academic year in CAESAR in mid-March 2024. 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. 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 loan assistance
Suggested submission date: As soon as possible after you receive financial aid eligibility notification
- After you submit all application materials, Northwestern will determine your aid package which may include scholarships, grants and/or loans. Learn more about how aid is determined.
- Next, our office will begin sending financial aid eligibility notification emails on a rolling basis beginning June 1, 2024. Your financial aid eligibility will likely include a combination of student loans but may also include scholarships or grants depending on your program and individual eligibility as determined by your application for financial aid.
- Student must accept or decline any loan assistance offered to them via CAESAR. Learn more about the steps to accept or decline.Scholarship and grant assistance is automatically accepted.