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Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA
2020-21 Academic Year FAQs
Why does my 2020-21 financial aid notice include aid for summer only?
Although the 2020-2021 financial aid year includes Summer 2020 through Spring 2021, we are currently releasing financial aid notices containing information about loans available for the Summer Quarter only. After Kellogg announces tuition for next year, we will send students an updated financial aid notice that that will contain loan offers for the rest of the academic year based on the enrollment the student reported on the university aid application.
Once a student receives their financial aid notice for the Summer Quarter, they will be directed to log into CAESAR to accept, reduce or decline the offered funds. They will receive a second financial aid notice when we are able to offer the funds for the Fall-Spring Quarters and will need to log into CAESAR a second time to complete the Accept/Decline process for the Fall-Spring loans. We apologize for this inconvenience, but we wanted to make sure that student received their Summer Quarter financial aid information in time for the Summer Quarter tuition bill.
As a reminder, student must be in enrolled in 2 units in a term to qualify for federal student loans. If a student will be enrolled in less than 2 units we can provide them with information about private education loans. Please feel free to contact the Chicago Financial Aid Office for more information.
When will my summer quarter loans disburse?
The current interest rate on federal student loans with a first disbursement between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 is fixed interest rate of 6.08% for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and 7.08% for the Federal Direct GradPLUS. The Department of Education recently announced the new interest rates for loans with a first disbursement between July 1 2020 and June 30, 2021. They are a fixed interest rate of 4.3% for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and 5.3% for the Federal Direct GradPLUS Loan.
In order to allow Kellogg students to take advantage of these lower rates, we are holding the disbursement of the Summer Quarter federal student loans until July 1, thus locking in the lower rate for federal loans borrowed in the 2020-21 academic year. If a student's loans will cover more than tuition and fees, they will be able to request a refund on/after July 1. If a student needs to receive a refund prior to July 1 to assist with the purchase of books or with living expenses, we can work with Student Finance to provide a funding advance of up to $1,500 if all necessary steps have been completed for the Summer Quarter loan. Please contact the Chicago Financial Aid Office for more information about receiving a funding advance for summer 2020.
How did passage of the CARES Act impact my federal loans?
As you may have heard, part of the CARES Act contains relief for many student loan borrowers. Specifically, for federally held loans, this means:
- Interest rates have been reduced to 0% on all federally held student loans from March 13th through September 30th, 2020
- Payments on federally held student loans are automatically suspended through September 30, 2020.
We do want to provide few points of clarification:
-This applies to only borrowers with federally held student loans.
All Federal Direct Loans (the type of federal student loan offered to you while you’re attending Kellogg) are included. If you had federal loans as an undergraduate student, these are most likely Direct Loans as well, with the exception of the Perkins Loan.
Many Perkins Loans may still held by your undergraduate institution and so you will need to check with your undergraduate institution to determine the status of your Perkins Loan.
If you borrowed federal loans as an undergraduate prior to July 1, 2010, you may have borrowed under the Federal Family Education Loan Program or FFEL Loan program. Although these are federal loans, many are still held by commercial lenders and so unfortunately currently do not qualify for these benefits. You should check with your servicer/loan holder to determine the status of your loan.
- The 0% interest rate applies to loans that are in an in-school status and in a grace period as well as in a repayment status.
-If you have private loans (loans through private educational lenders like Sallie Mae, Discover or Wells Fargo) these loans are not covered under the CARES Act. Many private and institutional lenders are offering options for assisting students while in repayment. Please make sure to reach out to your lender for more information (most lenders have provided information prominently on their websites)
A great resource to keep up to date on all COVID-related changes to federally held student loans is the federal studentaid.gov COVID resource page
What is CAESAR and how do I use it?
CAESAR is the Northwestern University’s Student Information Portal.
You will need your NetID and password to log onto to CAESAR. A few of the things that you can do on CAESAR include checking the status of your financial aid application in “To Do Item History” or your “To Do List”, accepting or declining your financial aid award, viewing your account and paying your ebill. You can also access your online University Aid application via your “To-Do List“, if you have not yet completed this form.
Financial Aid Eligibility
I don’t think I will qualify for financial aid. Should I apply anyway?
You should apply for financial aid if you will need assistance funding your program. After you have completed the financial aid application process we can determine your eligibility for the Unsubsidized Stafford loan and the Graduate Plus loan which are awarded to eligible students regardless of financial need.
To qualify for federal financial aid, students must be a degree seeking student enrolled in a minimum of two units.
Are grants and scholarships available?
What types of loans are available to students?
How many classes are required to qualify for federal loans?
What happens if I enroll in less than two units in a term?
Does academic performance impact my ability to continue to receive financial aid?
Federal regulations require that recipients of federal financial aid maintain satisfactory academic progress in their program of study. It is the University's expectation that students will make progress towards completion of the degree in which they are enrolled. These requirements apply to part-time as well as to full-time students for all terms of enrollment within an academic year, including those terms for which no financial aid was granted.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for federal financial aid purposes is reviewed at the end of each academic term. Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress will have their aid suspended for the next term of enrollment. You can find more information about the Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, as well as the requirements to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress, on our website.
Can I still apply for financial aid though I plan to participate in my employer’s tuition reimbursement program?
What kind of financial aid is available for International Students?
How is the status of an eligible noncitizen defined?
The Department of Education defines an eligible noncitizen as someone who meets the following criteria:
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A U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C permanent resident card
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A person holding an Arrival Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with any of the following designations:
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Refugee
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Asylum granted
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Parolee
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Victim of human trafficking T-Visa (T-2, T-3 or T-4) holder
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Cuban-Haitian entrant
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Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
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Applying for Financial Aid
How do I apply for financial aid?
When should I apply for financial aid?
Do I need to re-apply for financial aid?
My financial aid applications documents are complete according to CAESAR. What are my next steps?
Once your application for financial aid is complete we ask that you allow 4 to 6 weeks for the determination of your award. During this time, you will not be contacted by the Financial Aid Office unless we require additional documentation. Please make sure to log onto CAESAR and check your “To Do Items” to make sure that you do not have any outstanding documents necessary to complete your financial aid application.
You will receive your financial aid award notice via email and it will be sent to your Northwestern email address. This email will provide instructions on how to accept, reduce or decline your financial aid offers as well as information about any loan documents that will be necessary for you to complete to receive your loan funds. This information will also be listed in your “To Do List” on CAESAR.
Once you have completed the Accept/Decline Financial Aid process and any necessary loan documents, your funds for the quarter will disburse by the first day of classes or within seven business days of the completion of all necessary documents if the quarter has already begun.
What should I do after completing my application if I have not received my financial aid award?
We recommend checking the following:
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Check the date your application was completed. We ask that you allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing after your application is completed
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Check your ‘To Do’ list in CAESAR to determine if additional documents are needed to complete your financial aid application.
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Check your Northwestern University email account. Official notification of your financial aid award will be sent to your Northwestern email account.
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After reviewing all of the above and allowing 4 to 6 weeks, please contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional assistance regarding the status of your application.
What happens if my financial aid documents are not in by the financial aid deadline?
Are there additional documents that I may be asked to provide?
Documentation of your citizenship status, selective service compliance or documentation to confirm your name and/or date of birth may be requested if comments listed on your SAR indicate that the Federal Processor was unable to confirm some of the information provided on your FAFSA. In cases such as these additional information must be collected by the Financial Aid Office to resolve the discrepancy before federal financial is can be award.
There are also cases where we will request copies of your federal tax return and W-2s. This will occur if your FAFSA is randomly selected by the Department of Education for a process called Verification. If the comments section of your SAR indicates that you have been selected for Verification, additional documents must be submitted and reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid before financial aid can be awarded.
How can I verify if additional documents are needed to complete my financial aid request?
Financial Aid Notices
How will I be notified of my financial aid eligibility?
How is financial need determined?
Tuition, Fees, and Payment
How much is tuition for the Evening & Weekend MBA program?
Will I receive a bill and when is my tuition due?
An e-bill will be sent to your Northwestern e-mail account after the 10th of each month. Account balances not covered by financial aid are due by the first of the following month. Please visit the Student Financial Services website at for additional information on billing and payment dates.
Please note that the information on your bill will be as of the 10th of the month. Any activity that has occurred after the 10th of the month will not appear on your bill until the following month. For a real-time view of your account, please log into CAESAR and select View My Account.
How much of my tuition cost will my financial aid cover?
What should I do if my financial aid has not yet been determined by the tuition deadline?
How do I pay for books?
If your financial aid application was completed by the deadline date and you borrowed funds in excess of tuition, the remaining funds will be available to you for a refund after the first day of classes each term. Once the loans have posted to your student account, you can request a refund of the credit balance that can be used to pay for books.
If your application for financial aid was completed after the deadline date, you will be expected to use your own funds to pay for books and reimburse yourself after loans have posted to your student account.
Besides financial aid what other payment options are available?
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A check or money order made payable to Northwestern University can be mailed to the Student Finance Office at 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611.
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A credit card (American Express, Discover and MasterCard) payment can be made online via the QuickPay system. A 2.75% service fee is assessed on all online credit card payments. Students can access the QuickPay system by selecting the E-Bill and E-Payment link located on the homepage of their CAESAR account.
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In person credit card payments (Visa/MasterCard only) can also be made at the Evening & Weekend MBA Program office. A schedule of dates and times when payments can be submitted is available on the Tuition Payments/Financial Aid section of the Evening & Weekend MBA Student Intranet.
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The Employer Reimbursement Plan administered by the Office of Student Finance is designed for students whose employer offers reimbursement for tuition charges. It allows participants to defer their tuition payments until after the term has been completed. Additional information on this plan can be found on the Tuition Reimbursement page on the Student Financial Services website.
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If a third party such as your employer or other sponsor pays your tuition at the beginning of the term without stipulations, the Office of Student Finance is able to facilitate the billing and payment process for you. Learn more about Third Party Billing.
How do I check my tuition balance before submitting a payment?
You can access your account balance through the ‘My Account’ tile located on the homepage of your CAESAR account. If your financial aid award has been determined, it will be displayed in the section labeled ‘Anticipated Aid’. You will be responsible for any charges not covered by your loan funds.
For more information about the billing and payment process or how to request a refund of a credit balance, please see the Student Finance website.
Why has a financial hold been placed on my student account?
What types of tax benefits are available for educational expenses?
Refunds
My student account has a credit. How can I receive those funds?
Loan Information
How are loan funds disbursed?
I accepted more loan assistance than I need. Is it too late to reduce or cancel my loan?
Why is the loan amount posted to my account less than the amount initially accepted?
Loan Repayment
When will I be expected to begin repayment on my federal loans?
What repayment plans are available for my federal loans and what type of monthly payment can I expect?
Students entering repayment on their federal loans can chose from the following payment plans:
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Standard Repayment Plan- Under this plan the borrower will make fixed monthly payments for up to 10 years. The minimum monthly payment amount is $50. This plan may be good for borrowers who can manage larger monthly payments and want to repay the loan quickly.
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Graduated Repayment Plan- Under this plan the borrower will make lower monthly payments initially with payment amounts gradually increasing every two years. The borrower has up to 10 years to repay the loan. This plan may be good for borrowers who expect their income to increase steadily over time.
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Extended Repayment Plan- To be eligible for this plan the borrower’s federal loan debt must be greater than $30,000. The borrower should also have no Direct Loan balance as of October 7, 1998. Under this plan the borrower will make lower monthly payments based on fixed annual or graduated repayment amounts and will have up to 25 years to repay the loan. This plan may be good for borrowers needing smaller monthly payments. This plan extends the repayment period of the loan resulting in more interest being paid.
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Income-Contingent Repayment Plan- Under this plan the borrower’s monthly payments will be adjusted annually based on their adjusted gross income. The maximum repayment period is 25 years. At the end of the 25 year period the unpaid balance is discharged. The student may be taxed on the discharged amount.
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Income-Based Repayment Plan- Under this plan monthly payments are based on income and family size. The borrowers must be experiencing a partial financial hardship when selecting this plan. The maximum repayment period is 25 years.
The Federal Student Aid site has a loan calculator where you can estimate your monthly payment amount under each plan.