Northwestern University is an excellent private university located in Evanston, Illinois. Currently, there are approximately 8,000 undergraduate and 12,000 graduate students studying at this university. In this article, we will be discussing the financial aid and scholarships that are available at Northwestern University.
Cost of Attendance
The tuition fee is the same for students from Illinois and students from outside of Illinois because Northwestern University is a private institution. The tuition fee is approximately $56,000 a year, and room and board are approximately $17,000 a year. Including personal expenses, the total cost of attendance is about $78,000 a year.
Northwestern University Financial Aid Overview
Before we look at the specific scholarships offered at Northwestern, let’s look at the general overview of the financial aid. The university is committed to providing 100% of the demonstrated need of every freshman that is admitted. Also, the financial package does not include any loans and work-study but consists entirely of grants and scholarships, which does not need to be repaid.
Also, the scholarships are awarded on need, but you do need to have merit to be accepted in the first place at Northwestern. The acceptance rate is approximately 10%, which means that you will need to be an exceptional student to be accepted.
If you are worried that your financial need will affect your admissions result, you don’t need to. Northwestern practices need-blind admissions for U.S. Citizens and Green Card Holders, which means that your need for financial aid has no effect on your admissions decision.
Additionally, Northwestern University is very generous in awarding scholarships. Each year, approximately $200 million is awarded to undergraduate students attending the university. This amount is awarded to approximately 60% of the students because 40% of them do not qualify for need-based aid since they are from wealthy families. This means that each student, who is eligible for financial aid, receives around $42,000 a year in scholarships. Some students receive fully funded scholarships (full tuition, room, and board) that covers the full cost of attendance because they are from a low-income family. So, let’s look at the options.
Northwestern University Scholarships
1. NU Scholarships
NU scholarship is the largest part of financial aid for most students. It is the donors, University funds, and endowment that support this scholarship. After outside scholarships, federal and state grants, and other scholarships have been applied, this scholarship will cover the rest of the demonstrated need.
2. Good Neighbor, Great University
This scholarship is for students who graduated from high schools in Chicago and Evanston Area. It is a maximum of $5,500 a year award based on the need of the student.
3. Debt Cap Scholarship
This award replaces the federal student loan offered by the government. No-loan policy at Northwestern University was implemented recently, so Northwestern University will offer scholarships that replace any loans from the government to meet your demonstrated financial need. The maximum amount of award is $9,500 a year. If you are awarded loans that are larger than $9,500 a year, other scholarships will be awarded to replace the loan.
4. National Merit Scholarship
National Merit Scholars are eligible to receive $2,000 a year award if they select Northwestern University as their first-choice university.
5. Founders Award
This award was created to honor the founders that have established the university in 1850. This award is for students from low-income and middle-income families who have been academically successful. The average award is around $13,000 a year.
There are many other scholarships that are available to incoming freshmen at Northwestern University. You can see these scholarships at Scholarships Page.
Grants offered at Northwestern
Northwestern University offers grants as part of the financial package. These are from the federal and state government.
1. Pell Grant
Pell Grants are federally administered grants that are awarded to students from low-income families. The maximum amount of award is approximately $6,000 a year. An additional benefit of getting a Pell Grant is that you will be eligible for scholarships whose eligibility is that the student is eligible for Pell Grant.
2. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
This grant is an additional grant on top of Pell Grant for students in financial need. The maximum amount of Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant is $4,000 a year.
3. Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP)
MAP is a state-funded grant that awards Illinois residents a maximum amount of $4,000 a year. Students need to be enrolled at least half-time in an approved Illinois institution. Also, they need to demonstrate financial need.
For more details about these grants, visit the Grants Page!
How to Apply for Grants and Scholarships
To apply for both federal and Northwestern grants and scholarships, you will need to submit FAFSA, CSS Profile, and tax forms. FAFSA is for federal aid, CSS Profile is for institutional aid, and tax forms verify the information provided in FAFSA and CSS Profile.
If you are applying Early Decision, you will need to submit FAFSA and CSS Profile by December 1 and submit the tax forms by December 5. If you are applying Regular Decision, you will need to submit FAFSA and CSS Profile by February 15 and tax forms by March 1.
Examples of Financial Aid Offered at Northwestern
If you are interested in looking at the amount of financial aid offered to students in different scenarios, you should look at the Aid Package Examples. By looking at the various examples that the university provided, you can gauge how much financial aid that you will receive. Please note that various factors affect your financial aid including family income, number of siblings, number of siblings currently in college, etc.
I hope that this article on Northwestern University scholarships and financial aid was helpful. If you are from Illinois, you should visit Illinois University Category to see scholarships offered at your state. There are many excellent universities in Illinois that give excellent financial aid to state residents. If you are not from Illinois, you should visit the Authority Scholarship Website and see scholarships offered at your state!
