for Northwestern University Scholarships?
The application process differs substantially between undergraduate, PhD, and MBA funding.
for Northwestern Undergraduate Financial Aid?
- Review Northwestern’s international undergraduate application information and decide whether to apply through Early Decision or Regular Decision.
For Fall 2027 entry
Early Decision applications are due November 1, 2026. Regular Decision applications are due January 4, 2027. Early Decision is binding. Applicants admitted through ED are expected to withdraw applications to other universities and enrol at Northwestern. Northwestern states that the financial aid calculation is the same under Early Decision and Regular Decision.
- Complete the Common Application or Apply Coalition with Scoir application.
International first-year applicants normally submit
Admission application
Northwestern supplement
Secondary-school transcript
School report
Counselor recommendation
Teacher recommendation
English-language proficiency evidence where required
Optional SAT or ACT
US$75 application fee or approved fee waiver
The Early Decision agreement is additionally required for ED applicants.
- Indicate that you are applying for financial aid.
This is extremely important. When completing the admission application, answer Yes to the question asking whether you want to be considered for financial aid. Northwestern uses this designation when evaluating international students under its need-aware admission policy. If you accidentally answer No, contact Northwestern before the relevant financial aid deadline to request that the designation be changed.
- Complete the CSS Profile.
International applicants normally submit the CSS Profile.
Northwestern’s CSS Profile school code is
1565
The CSS Profile collects information about household income, assets, expenses, family circumstances, and other factors used to determine demonstrated financial need.
- Use the ISAFA if the CSS Profile is unavailable or creates serious financial hardship.
International students who cannot submit the CSS Profile from their country, or whose family would face significant financial hardship from the CSS Profile fee, may instead complete Northwestern’s International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA). Applicants using the ISAFA may later be asked to provide additional documentation.
- Submit your parents’ tax or earnings documents.
After completing the financial aid form, provide
Parents’ national income tax forms from the most recent tax year; or
Employer-issued income statements if the country does not use an annual tax return. Documents not originally issued in English require official English translations. If financial amounts have been converted into US dollars, the exchange rate must also be identified.
- Submit all financial aid materials by the confirmed deadline.
Students who submit a complete financial aid application on time generally receive their financial aid information with or shortly after their admission result.
for Northwestern PhD Funding?
- Search Northwestern’s Graduate School programmes and select a PhD programme closely connected to your academic background and proposed research.
Review
Faculty research interests
Research centres and laboratories
Programme prerequisites
English requirements
Application deadline
GRE requirements, where applicable
Funding information
Supervisor expectations
The Graduate School application portal for Fall 2027 opens on September 15, 2026. Programme deadlines vary, with many PhD deadlines falling during December.
- Identify relevant faculty members.
In research-intensive fields, applicants should study the work of potential advisers and determine whether the programme has faculty whose research genuinely aligns with their interests. Where programme culture permits contacting professors before applying, send a short personalised email explaining:
Your current degree
Previous thesis or research
Research interests
Relevant publications
Technical skills
Why the professor’s current research interests you
Attach a concise academic CV. Do not send identical generic emails to large numbers of faculty members.
- Prepare your graduate application documents.
Northwestern’s central Graduate School requirements generally include
Online application
Application fee
Academic essays
Academic transcripts
English-language test results where required
Two recommendation letters
Individual programmes can request additional documents. Applicants can use our guides on writing a statement of purpose and requesting strong scholarship recommendation letters when preparing their application.
- Submit the online application through The Graduate School.
The current TGS application fee is US$95. Fee-waiver criteria are updated for each admission cycle and may be limited by availability. Each PhD programme sets its own deadline, so use the exact date shown on your selected programme’s website rather than another department’s deadline.
- Request consideration for funding where the programme asks.
Most incoming PhD funding is linked directly to admission and does not require an independent central scholarship form.
The department determines whether support will be provided through
Fellowship
Research assistantship
Teaching assistantship
Graduate assistantship
Research grant
Other institutional funding
Funding details are normally communicated in the admission offer.
- Attend an interview if requested.
Some departments interview shortlisted applicants before making final admission and funding decisions.
Be prepared to discuss
Previous research
Proposed doctoral questions
Methodology
Faculty fit
Technical preparation
Long-term academic goals
Reasons for choosing Northwestern
Our scholarship interview questions and answers guide can help with general preparation.
for Kellogg MBA Scholarships?
- Review Kellogg’s Full-Time MBA programmes and select the option that best fits your professional background and goals.
Kellogg offers several full-time formats, including the Two-Year MBA, One-Year MBA, MBAi, MMM, JD-MBA, and MD-MBA.
- Prepare the MBA application.
Kellogg applicants normally provide materials such as
Resume or CV
Academic transcripts
Test scores according to programme requirements
Recommendations
Essays
Employment history
Programme-specific responses
Kellogg assesses professional experience, leadership, collaboration, career direction, and academic preparation during its holistic admission process.
- Submit the application during one of the confirmed 2027 rounds.
- Most scholarship consideration is automatic.
All admitted Full-Time MBA students are automatically considered for Kellogg scholarships unless the individual award states otherwise. Successful recipients normally learn about the scholarship at the same time they receive their admission offer.
- Finance Fellows applicants must complete the additional scholarship response.
After submitting the MBA application, eligible Two-Year MBA candidates can access the Finance Fellows Scholarship Interest Form through their application checklist. The required response is approximately 250 words and asks applicants to explain their interest in finance and how they intend to make an impact through their post-MBA finance career.
Documents Required for Northwestern University Scholarships
Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Documents
International undergraduate applicants should prepare
Common Application or Apply Coalition with Scoir application
Northwestern writing supplement
Official secondary-school transcripts
School report
Counselor recommendation
Teacher recommendation
Passport or personal identification information
Official English-language proficiency result, where required
SAT or ACT results, if the applicant chooses to submit them
CSS Profile
ISAFA where the CSS Profile cannot reasonably be submitted
Parents’ national tax documents
Employer income statements where tax returns are unavailable
Official English translations of financial documents
Additional financial documentation requested by Northwestern
Northwestern may request additional information when the submitted documents do not provide enough evidence to calculate the family’s financial contribution.
PhD Application Documents
International PhD applicants should generally prepare
Graduate School online application
Bachelor’s degree certificate
Master’s degree certificate where applicable
Complete academic transcripts
Certified English translations
Statement of purpose or academic statement
Research statement or programme-specific essays
Academic CV
Two or more recommendation letters according to programme requirements
IELTS, TOEFL, or Michigan English Test result where required
GRE or other test result where required by the programme
Publications or research outputs
Previous thesis or dissertation information
Writing sample where required
Portfolio or audition materials for relevant disciplines
Additional programme-specific documents
International academic records must normally include the degree programme, attendance dates, courses studied, grades received, and degree-conferral information. Records issued in another language must be accompanied by a certified or notarised English translation.
Kellogg MBA Scholarship Documents
Most Kellogg scholarships do not require a separate document package.
Applicants should prepare a strong MBA application containing
Online MBA application
Resume or CV
Academic transcripts
Required test scores
Recommendation letters
MBA essays
Employment history
Leadership and extracurricular information
Career goals
Additional programme-specific materials
Finance Fellows candidates additionally submit the scholarship interest form and 250-word finance response.
Website
For more information about Northwestern University Scholarships, please visit the official pages:
Northwestern International Student Financial Aid
Northwestern University Scholarships
Kellogg Full-Time MBA Scholarships
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Northwestern University Scholarships fully funded?
Some Northwestern funding packages can effectively provide full funding. For admitted international undergraduate students, Northwestern meets 100% of demonstrated financial need and considers tuition, housing and food, health insurance, fees, books, personal expenses, and travel when constructing the aid package. The final scholarship amount depends on each family’s assessed ability to contribute. PhD students are typically fully funded with tuition, a stipend, health services fees, and health insurance support. Kellogg MBA scholarships vary from partial awards to full tuition.
Does Northwestern offer full scholarships to international undergraduate students?
Yes, an international student with sufficiently high demonstrated financial need can receive an aid package covering the gap between the family’s assessed contribution and the full cost of attendance. Northwestern guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need for admitted international first-year students receiving aid.
Are Northwestern undergraduate scholarships merit-based?
No. Northwestern states that it does not award general undergraduate scholarships based on academic merit. Its institutional undergraduate grants and scholarships are based on demonstrated financial need.
Does applying for financial aid reduce my admission chances?
Potentially. Northwestern uses a need-aware admission policy for international students. This means both the fact that you request financial aid and the amount of aid required may be considered by the admission committee.
Can international transfer students receive Northwestern financial aid?
No. Northwestern’s institutional international undergraduate financial aid is available to first-year applicants, not international transfer applicants.
How much is the Northwestern PhD stipend?
The minimum annual stipend for PhD students is US$47,748 for the 2026–2027 academic year.