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You may be eligible for refundable fees and some of your tuition, depending on when you turn in your Withdrawal Form to the Registrar's Office. Student Finance and the Office of Financial Aid consider the date the completed form is received at the Registrar's Office as the official date governing financial adjustments. If you leave the University without official notification of your intent to withdraw, the midpoint of the quarter will be recorded as the official withdrawal date.

The percentage of tuition you receive depends on your school or program. For the refund schedule, see the Withdrawal from the University page.

Different programs have different definitions of full-time status. The following schools and programs have identified the number of units required to meet their definitions of full-time status:

• Kellogg School of Management: 3 - 5 units
• McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science: MEM and MPM: 3 - 4 units; MIT: 2 units
• Medill School of Journalism: Graduate Journalism and IMC: 3 - 4 units; PMP-IMC: 2 units
• Bienen School of Music: 3 - 5 units
• The Graduate School: 3 - 4 units
• Undergraduate Division: 3- 4 units

You may be eligible for federal tax credit programs for tuition and fees.

• For more information on tax benefits, see the web page.
• For more information about tax documents that Northwestern provides, visit our Tax Information page.

ÀÖÓãÌåÓý requires all degree-seeking students to carry good health insurance. To that end, the University defaults all students into the Northwestern Student Health Insurance Plan (NU-SHIP) each year. Unless you have already waived NU-SHIP online, you are charged the annual NU-SHIP premium at the same time your account is billed for tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year. (Open enrollment for fall runs from July 1-Oct. 1.)

If you have alternate insurance coverage and do not intend to use NU-SHIP, you should waive your NU-SHIP enrollment as soon as possible via the . (We encourage you to verify that your plan meets all requirements to waive NU-SHIP enrollment by reviewing the Comparable Coverage Requirements.) A confirmation email will be sent to your Northwestern email account upon successful submission of the waiver application, and the premium will be reversed within 24-48 hours (look under “View My Account” to see real-time changes reflected).

The student health fee is charged to students (both undergraduate and graduate) with regular access to on-campus health services.  This fee, along with other funding sources, provides Northwestern students with equitable access to a variety of health services at the university including: Northwestern Medicine Health Service in Evanston and Chicago, Counseling & Psychological Services, TimelyCare services, and other on-campus health and wellness initiatives

The ÀÖÓãÌåÓý Student Health Insurance Plan (NU-SHIP) is comprehensive student health insurance offered through the University, unless coverage is waived.  

The health fee, and other funding sources, provides Northwestern students with equitable access to a variety of health services at the university, including Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service in Chicago and Evanston, Counseling and Psychological Services, TimelyCare and other on-campus health and wellness initiatives.   

Students who are enrolled in a program that is exempt from the health services fee (examples are: study abroad, internships, online programs, weekend programs, etc.) can have the fee waived. Please ask your academic program to email studentaccounts-ev@northwestern.edu  with justification of why the fee should be removed.

You will be charged $25 for registering at an unscheduled time. If you cannot pay the penalty fee at registration, you will be charged an additional $5 surcharge for billing.

For more information about transcript requests, please visit .

For more information on applying for housing, visit Residential Services.

Rental rates vary according to the facility. See Residential Services for undergraduate and graduate housing options. There are also other

Residence hall and sorority and fraternity housing charges are billed to your student account at the beginning of each quarter.

University housing and meal contracts are binding for the term of the contract. Unless formally released from your contract, you are responsible for the room rental charges for the contract's term. See Residential Services for more information.

If you wish to cancel your room reservation, you must notify Residential Services immediately. A refund, when authorized, will be applied first against any outstanding University charges on your account.

• Evanston campus: Undergraduate students living in University residence halls or graduate students living in Evanston campus apartments should explore meal plan options at . (Note: Students living in sorority or fraternity houses must contact the individual organizations for information).
• Chicago campus: There is no meal plan available for Chicago campus students, though campus a la carte options are available.

You can make sure you have completed all necessary steps in CAESAR. This information can be found in your To Do Item History. Navigate to: CAESAR > Main Menu > Student Financial Services > To Do Item History

Your financial aid award can also be viewed online. Navigate to: CAESAR > Main Menu > Student Financial Services > View My Financial Aid

For more information about Federal Financial Aid programs, refer to the website of your Financial Aid office or contact them directly. Federal Title IV Financial Aid includes:

• Stafford Loans
• Grad PLUS Loans (for graduate students)
• PLUS Loans (for parents of undergraduates)
• Pell Grants (for undergraduates)
• Supplemental Educational Grant (SEOG for undergraduates)
• Work-Study Program

If the financial aid applied to your account exceeds the amount due on your bill (actual Account Balance, not Anticipated Aid), you may request a refund online through CAESAR after classes begin. Navigate to: CAESAR > Main menu > Student Financial Services > Request a Refund. Note that, for most programs, credit account balances are not automatically refunded; they must be requested for each applicable term. 

After your request is approved, the amount remaining in your account may be refunded via direct deposit to your financial institution or by check. Direct deposit is the quickest way to receive your refund.  To sign up for direct deposit, navigate to: CAESAR > Main Menu > Student Financial Services > Setup Direct Deposit. If you are unable to use CAESAR, you may request a paper Direct Deposit form by contacting Student Finance. 

When your refund has been processed, you will receive an e-mail notification at your Northwestern email address.

Do not pay the anticipated aid amount on your invoice. Anticipated aid reflects the amount of financial aid that will be paid to your student account that has not yet been received. As financial aid funds are disbursed, they will be recorded as payments on your student account.

If any financial aid is cancelled either by the Financial Aid Office or by Student Finance, the anticipated aid amount will be reduced by the amount cancelled.

In the event anticipated aid has been applied to your student account for loan funds that are intended for your living expenses, you may be eligible to receive the funds via a cash advance. Contact Your Financial Aid Office to apply for a cash advance.

Federal Title IV financial aid is applied directly to your student account, which contains charges for tuition, allowable fees, and room and board (which may include off-campus living expenses).

You may authorize the University to pay for all charges billed to your student account, including charges such as library fines, parking fines, room damage charges, and health service fees. You may change this authorization at any time by contacting Student Finance.

Federal Work-Study funds are not automatically credited toward tuition and fees. They are issued directly to you. The University Payroll department now requires work-study paychecks to be direct-deposited into your bank account.

If your grant or scholarship exceeds qualified tuition and related expenses, it may be taxable and therefore reportable to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Qualified tuition and related expenses are defined as tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance and fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses and instruction.

You should direct questions concerning the taxability of a grant or scholarship to the IRS or a qualified tax consultant. See the IRS web site FAQs for more information.

Financial aid recipients who withdraw from the University may be required to return a portion of their Title IV funds, Title IV-funded living expenses, and non-Title IV grant and scholarship aid.

Return of Title IV Funds

The percentage of Title IV funds you can keep depends on the percentage of time you were enrolled during the quarter:

• If 0 – 60% of the quarter has elapsed before your withdrawal, you may keep the percent of the funds equal to the percent of the quarter that has elapsed (e.g. if 50% of the quarter has elapsed, you may keep 50% of the funds).
• If 60 – 100% of the quarter has elapsed before your withdrawal, you may keep all of the funds.

Repayment of Title IV-Funded Living Expenses

You may need to repay some of the Title IV financial aid that was given to you as a cash disbursement (excluding federal work-study) to cover living expenses (educational costs above and beyond tuition and fees, such as books, transportation, etc.)

Return of Non-Title IV Grant and Scholarship Aid

If the amount of non-Title IV funds (state assistance, outside scholarships and/or University-appropriated grants) you received exceeds any unpaid University charges, you may be required to return the remaining portion. If any funds remain after all necessary adjustments have been made, you may keep them; if a balance is due on your tuition account, you must make the appropriate payments.

Mail your payment with your invoice to:

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P.O. Box 70385
Chicago, IL 60673

The schools and programs which accept online deposit payments via CAESAR are:

The month after you have paid your account in full, you may receive a bill that shows the payment you made and a resulting zero balance. No payment is necessary. This statement is for your records only.