You do not need to do anything to accept your scholarships and grants. Those will automatically be applied to your student account. You will receive half of your scholarships and grants for the fall and half for the spring.  

You do need to accept/decline your loan offers. Instructions for this are included later in the FAQs. 

We do our best to include all financial aid opportunities available to you in your award notification. 

We do have an appeal process for unusual financial circumstances that cannot be reported on the FAFSA. If you are considered a dependent on the FAFSA, please have your parent complete the Parent Appeal Form. If you are considered an independent on the FAFSA, please complete the Student Appeal Form. The appeal forms can be found here. You will need to submit the appeal form to the Financial Aid Office, with supporting documentation. We cannot make any promises, but it is possible that with an appeal, we might be able to offer additional need-based grants. 

You will have the opportunity to apply for the Northwestern Endowed Scholarship in fall 2023. The Northwestern Endowed Scholarship is available to all continuing/returning students. The Northwestern Scholarship Application will be available on theROCK during the fall semester. If you are awarded the Northwestern Endowed Scholarship, you will receive the scholarship for the 24/25 academic year at Northwestern. Students will be notified when it is time to apply for the Northwestern Endowed Scholarship by the Advancement Office. 

You do need to apply for the FAFSA every year to be considered for need-based grants and student loans. The FAFSA application is available after October 1st prior to the year for which you are applying for financial aid. 

As long as you continue to meet the necessary requirements to keep your UNW scholarships, your scholarships will be carried forward automatically. You do not need to complete the FAFSA if you know that you won't qualify for need-based grants and/or you are not interested in student loans.

We start awarding continuing/returning students during the spring semester prior to following fall semester. You will receive your Financial Aid award letter at your UNW email.  

If you have not received a financial aid award package from us, it may be for one of the following reasons: 

• Northwestern has not received your completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA can be

To accept a loan offered on your Award Letter follow these instructions: 

• Log in to theROCK
• Under Student Services (far right column), select Financial Aid then View your Financial Aid
• Select Aid Year and then Submit 
• Select Accept Award Offer tab to accept, change amount, or decline any of the loans offered 
• Complete additional loan requirements defined below if they apply to you. 

Federal DL Loan 

If you are accepting the Federal DL Loan (Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized) at Northwestern, you must: 

• Go to https://studentaid.gov 
• Login with FSA ID
• Under Complete Aid Process click on “Master Promissory Note (MPN) for Undergraduates” and complete  
• Under Complete Aid Process click on “Complete Entrance Counseling” and complete

Federal DL PLUS Parent Loan 
If you are accepting the Federal DL PLUS Parent Loan, a parent must:  

• Go to https://studentaid.gov 
• Log in with the parent FSA ID
• Under Apply for Aid click on “Apply for a Parent PLUS Loan” and complete 
• Under Complete Aid Process click on “Master Promissory Note (MPN) for Parents” and complete 

Other Loan Options 

• You do have the option of borrowing a private student loan. Review private loan options that our students have been successful with here.

Traditional Undergraduates Taking less than a full-time load or online courses 
Students taking only online credits will not be eligible for UNW scholarships, discounts, and grants, but may be eligible for Federal and/or State aid and loans. Students less than full-time or taking a combination of traditional undergraduate courses and online courses will receive a prorated amount of institutional aid based on these guidelines.  

 
                                       Institutional Financial Aid Proration Table 

Federal and State requires that funds only pay for credits that apply directly to your program of study.  Note: To receive the full amount of the Pell Grant (if eligible), you must be taking at least 12 credits that count toward your program degree completion. To receive the full amount of the MN State Grant (if eligible), you must be taking at least 15 credits that count toward your program degree completion. If you plan to take less than the minimum credits required for the full grant(s), please let the Financial Aid Office know so we can adjust your award. To see how this will affect you please refer to the Pell/State Grant chart included with your financial aid award offer. 

Tuition Costs 

Traditional undergraduate credits and online credits are charged separately. Online credits are not included in the 12-18 credit tuition rate. Review current tuition and fee rates here.

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