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Financial Aid Process

Reapplying for Your 2020-21 Financial Aid Package

Students must reapply for financial assistance each year. Below are the steps necessary to apply for financial aid for the 2020-21 academic year.  Using your netID and password, you can check the status of your application materials online at https://caesar.northwestern.edu/ 

Deadlines for financial aid application materials:
2020-21 enrollment will begin in the Summer Quarter: May 15, 2020
2020-21 enrollment will begin in the Fall Quarter: August 10, 2020
2020-21 enrollment will begin in the Winter Quarter: December 1, 2020
2020-21 enrollment will begin in the Spring Quarter: March 1, 2021

Questions? Contact TarKia Aponte at (312) 503-8722 or tarkia.aponte@northwestern.edu

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
All students are encouraged to complete the financial aid application process well in advance of the deadline. To be considered for all available financial assistance, students should return all completed application materials no later than the deadlines listed above. Students who submit their application materials after the deadline will be considered for financial aid but we cannot guarantee that funds will be disbursed by the start of classes.

A complete application consists of the following items:

1. 2019-20 University Aid Application - https://caesar.northwestern.edu/ 
-Available online by mid March.
-Log into CAESAR using your Net ID and password and find it on your “To Do List”.

2. 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Renewal FAFSA - http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
- SEND TO: Use Northwestern’s federal school code of 001739 so it will be sent to us electronically. If you don’t have a Personal Identification Number (PIN), you will need to apply for the PIN online at http://www.pin.ed.gov prior to completing the FAFSA online.


Please note: Students should log onto CAESAR at 
https://caesar.northwestern.edu/ to confirm that all financial aid forms are received.


NOTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES
All complete applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received.

CHANGES IN CIRCUMSTANCES

Notify the Office of Financial Aid, Chicago at financial-aid-chicago@northwestern.edu immediately if your financial circumstances change from what you report on your application materials. Notification of any changes in circumstances should be submitted in writing or e-mail. Failure to notify our office of such a change may jeopardize your eligibility for assistance in the current and/or subsequent academic period. A change in circumstances can include marriage, a change in enrollment, expected earnings and/or those of your spouse (if married), receipt of an outside scholarship or other monetary gift, etc. Contact a financial aid advisor if you have any questions regarding this matter.

CHECKING THE STATUS OF YOUR FAFSA
If you provide an e-mail address on your FAFSA application, you will receive an electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) via e-mail. If you do not provide an email address on your FAFSA, you will receive a SAR in the mail. Allow one week for your FAFSA on the Web to be processed by the Central Processing Service (CPS). Please review your SAR immediately to see if you need to take further action. If you do not receive your SAR within two weeks or need a duplicate SAR, please contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at (800) 433-3243.

IF NECESSARY, ANY ADDITIONAL COMPLETED FORMS SHOULD BE SENT TO:
Northwestern University
Office of Financial Aid, Chicago (C315)
Abbott Hall, Room 629
710 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611-3078
Phone: (312) 503-8722
Fax: (312) 503-8700
E-mail: financial-aid-chicago@northwestern.edu