Cost & Financial Aid

Financial Aid for Admitted Students

Northeastern is committed to helping our students make their higher education goals a reality. Discover financial awards and scholarships that can help make your degree more obtainable, as well as the steps for paying for college.

Financial Resources

There are four methods of meeting the cost of your education:

  1. Paying from your family income and savings
  2. The Northeastern University Monthly Payment Plan, administered by Flywire
  3. Financial aid
  4. Supplemental loans

No matter which option or combination of options you and your family choose, you should strive to reduce the overall cost of your education by:

  • Paying as much as you can out of your current income and savings as the bill becomes due, or by using the monthly payment plan.
  • Using student loans that have been awarded through the financial aid process (e.g., the Federal Nursing, Health Professions, and Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans) before considering other types of loans.
  • Minimizing borrowing whenever possible. The less interest you pay on the money you borrow, the lower your total cost will be.

Paying for College

  • Northeastern University uses an online billing and payment system. All Northeastern students and authorized third parties, such as parents, guardians, or sponsors, must view billing statements electronically. Students and any authorized third parties will be notified via email whenever an e-bill is generated.

  • The university offers interest-free monthly payment plans administered through Flywire. The extended-payment plan allows families to divide the annual cost into smaller, more manageable installments. More information is available on the Student Financial Services website.

  • Your offer of financial assistance is based on a number of factors. We begin with the estimated cost of education. From this, we subtract the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is calculated from information you submitted on the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms, to arrive at your financial need. We are dedicated to meeting the full demonstrated need for each incoming domestic financial aid applicant.

  • Information about charges for 2022–2023 will be available in Spring 2022. Students will only pay tuition for the academic experience, tuition is not charged for the experiential education periods. If you choose to live on campus during co-op, you will be responsible for room and board charges.

Types Of Financial Assistance


The four major types of financial aid are scholarships, grantsloans, and work earnings. Grants and scholarships are a form of aid that does not have to be repaid; loans must be repaid.

 

Money from both grants and loans is applied directly to your tuition bill. The money you earn from work is intended to help you with expenses during the academic year. These earnings are not credited to your tuition bill. More detailed information on all types of financial assistance is available on the Student Financial Services website.

  • In addition to its generous need-based financial aid program, Northeastern University awards merit scholarships to select students.

    Recipients of the prestigious Dean’s Scholarship are awarded up to $28,000 annually. All fall first-year applicants who apply for undergraduate admission to Northeastern no later than the Regular Decision deadline of January 1 are considered.

    All fall first-year students admitted to Northeastern University London are considered for the Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and our expectation of superior performance.

     

  • Most grants and non-merit scholarships funded by Northeastern require that a student demonstrate financial need.

  • Federal Pell Grants are available to undergraduate students who have not yet earned a bachelor’s or professional degree. As a program targeted to high need students, eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant depends upon your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC is calculated utilizing a formula established by Congress when your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is processed.

    Beginning with the Fall 2021 entering class, undergraduate day students who qualify for a federal Pell Grant will have their full demonstrated need met through a combination of grants, scholarships, and work-study from federal, state, and institutional resources. Financial aid awards for eligible Pell Grant recipients will not include Federal Direct loans. In place of Federal Direct Loans, qualifying students will be awarded a Northeastern University Access Grant.* Students who enroll for the Fall 2021 class and qualify for the Federal Pell Grant during future undergraduate academic years, will continue to receive the Northeastern University Access Grant, in place of Federal Direct Loans. Please note that eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is determined each academic year, based upon established financial and academic criteria.

    Federal Pell Grant eligibility is determined by your enrollment status ((full-time, 3/4 time, 1/2 time, less than 1/2 time). The maximum a student may receive for the 2021–2022 academic year was $6,495.

    * Northeastern reserves the right to reduce/eliminate a NU Access Grant in extreme or highly unusual family income situations.

  • This grant is awarded directly from Student Financial Services to students who demonstrate exceptional need.

  • Many states offer support to students who meet specific qualifications. If we have added a state grant to your award, it reflects our best estimate of your eligibility.

  • These may be subsidized, unsubsidized, or a combination of both. With a need-based subsidized loan, the federal government pays the interest that accrues while you are in school. On a non-need-based unsubsidized loan, interest accrues while you are in school.

  • There are a number of educational loan programs available to assist you in covering your expenses over and above any financial aid that may be awarded to you. Talk to Student Financial Services if you have questions about these options.

  • This program assists students in securing part-time employment on campus, or at an approved off-campus agency, to help pay for incidental expenses during the year.

Awarding Financial Aid

  • Information reported on your financial aid application materials, including the FAFSA and CSS Profile, is used to determine a student's eligibility for available forms of financial assistance. Financial aid offers for first-year students are released in coordination with their offer of admission, provided all required financial aid application materials have been received. In some cases, additional documents may be requested in addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile. If necessary, we will review and recalculate your aid eligibility using the correct data. In the event there is a change in your financial aid award, a revised offer of financial assistance will be sent to you.

  • Approximately one-third of all financial aid applicants are randomly selected by either the U.S. Department
of Education or Northeastern’s Student Financial Services office to verify the accuracy of information provided. If you have been selected for verification, your offer of assistance is tentative, pending the completion of the verification process. Upon receipt of the required materials, we will finalize the review of your application for financial aid. If documentation is not received by May 1, 2021, your offer of assistance could be canceled.

    Should the verified financial information differ significantly from the original information provided, your aid may have to be adjusted. Please be sure to respond to requests for follow-up documentation in a timely manner.

  • Information about your financial aid offer can be viewed on your Application Status Check. Additional information about financial aid for admitted students is also available on the Student Financial Services website.

  • We recognize that a family’s income is not always consistent from one year to the next, and that circumstances beyond a family’s control may inhibit the ability to contribute to educational expenses. Therefore, we welcome the opportunity to discuss any change in your family’s financial status that is not reflected on the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms.

 Expert Advice. Personalized Support.
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 receiving financial aid and paying tuition.