Cost & Financial Aid

Applying for Financial Aid

When you invest with us here at Northeastern, we invest in you.

The Northeastern Advantage provides students with a distinct edge in their future endeavors. By integrating rigorous academics and experiential learning through co-op, undergraduate research, global opportunities, service learning, and more, we prepare students for success in a high-velocity world.

The Northeastern Value

Northeastern has been the nation’s leader in experiential learning for more than a century and the Princeton Review consistently ranks Northeastern among the top universities in the nation for career services, including four years ranked #1.

Northeastern Promise

At Northeastern, we believe in your future. We also believe that financing your education is a partnership that continues throughout your enrollment, not just for your first year. Our commitment is reflected in our unique Northeastern Promise. The Promise enables you to plan for the entire cost of your degree. Under the Promise, we guarantee that:

1

We are dedicated to meeting the full demonstrated need for each admitted student eligible for federal financial aid.

2

Northeastern University scholarship and grant funds will not be reduced during your undergraduate program (for up to eight in-class semesters).*

3

Northeastern University need-based grant funds will be increased annually at the same percentage rate as the increase in tuition.

4

If your family experiences a substantial negative change in financial circumstances, we will reevaluate your aid package and make available all financial resources for which you qualify.

Laptop on table

Applying for Aid

Qualifying for financial aid depends on a number of factors: your family’s financial need, your academic profile, and the availability of university funds.**

The only way to know if you are eligible for grants, Federal Work-Study, and loans is to apply for aid. Regardless of your family’s income and assets, many options are available to help pay educational expenses. Funds such as the Northeastern Grant, Federal Pell and SEOG grants, subsidized Stafford Loans and Federal Work-Study, to name a few, may provide the foundation of your financial support.

To apply for financial aid, complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile applications.***

CSS Profile

(NU code 3667) Students applying for institutional need-based aid must fill out a profile. Students seeking federal student aid only are not required to complete the CSS Profile Form.

The priority filing date for the CSS Profile depends upon your admission application status:

  • Early Decision I: November 15
  • Early Action: December 1
  • Early Decision II:  January 15
  • Regular Decision: February 15
  • Fall Transfer: April 15
Fill out your CSS profile

FAFSA

(NU code 002199)

Once all of your information has been submitted and reviewed by the Student Financial Services Office, a financial aid award will be created for you, outlining the funding that you are eligible to receive for the academic year. Provided we have received all the necessary application materials, you will receive your financial aid award at the same time as your admission decision. Please note that the 2024–2025 FAFSA will not be available until December. Please submit the CSS Profile by the deadline and the FAFSA as soon as possible when available. Visit studentaid.gov for more information.

Complete your FAFSA

Student Financial Services

Expert Advice. Personalized Support.

Northeastern's Student Financial Services team will help you navigate the forms, terminology, numbers, and deadlines associated with applying for and receiving financial aid.

*In order to be eligible for need-based financial aid, a student must be a U.S. citizen or a Permanent Resident. Information for international students is available here.
** Students must file the FAFSA each year and meet satisfactory academic progress standards to be eligible for Northeastern University grant funds. Students must maintain the minimum cumulative GPA required to be eligible for any scholarship funds.
***Students seeking federal student aid only are not required to complete the CSS Profile Form.