Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for the part-time M.S. in Information Technology program (2 courses per quarter offered Saturdays only) includes not only the cost of instruction, but also books and other classroom materials, orientation and graduation events, meals and refreshments on class days, resources provided by the staff, and a variety of Northwestern University services. Tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year is $10,200 per quarter, or $30,600 per year.
Tuition for the full-time M.S. in Information Technology program assumes registration in four courses per quarter (2 EECS courses offered weekdays; 2 MSIT courses offered Saturdays). Full-time tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year is $13,612 per quarter. See full-time total cost of attendance and additional information here.
Financial Aid:
Approximately 50% of our students receive at least some financial support from their employer, and about 75% apply for financial aid in the form of loans. Scholarships, grants and other similar awards are not available at this time.
Private outside scholarship assistance may be found at http://petersons.com. Financial literacy, loan forgiveness provisions, and repayment calculators are available at http://mappingyourfuture.org.
Students considering applying for financial aid should refer to The Graduate School’s financial aid web site at http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/financialaid/studentloans/ for helpful information on terms, deadlines, and downloadable forms.
Financial aid will not be processed until a student has announced their intention to enroll (matriculates) in the IT program. However, certain forms, such as the FAFSA (see below) may be filed early.
Federal loans:
All U.S citizens and permanent residents interested in loans are eligible to apply for federal loans, which include the Stafford and Plus loan programs. The Stafford loan is not credit-based, but as of 2011-2012 has an annual maximum of $20,500. The Graduate Plus loan, which is available for students who have borrowed the maximum in Stafford Loans, requires a credit check. It does not have an annual maximum, i.e. students can borrow up to the full cost of attendance.
To apply for federal loans, students must:
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File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov The school code for Northwestern University is 001739 (You will only need to do this once. You will complete a shorter renewal form for future years).
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Submit a copy of your permanent resident card, if applicable.
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Submit a copy of your employer’s tuition reimbursement policy, if applicable.
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Accept the financial aid award (emailed to you by the financial aid office to your Northwestern email account, which will be set up after you’ve been accepted. Please note: you will not receive an award notification via postal mail. If you need a paper copy of your award, you may print it from CAESAR.)
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Apply for Supplemental Grad Plus Loan, if needed.
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Complete Entrance Counseling Session(s) [new borrowers only].
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Complete the Master Promissory Note.
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Check your “To Do” list on CAESAR for any outstanding requirements.
Alternative loans:
Alternative loans are an option for international students or other students ineligible for federal loans, or students who have borrowed the most in federal Stafford loans. Alternative, or private loans, are credit-based and could require a co-signer. For more information, visit http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/financialaid/studentloans/alternativeloans/
To apply, students must:
Additional private student loan comparison information for students not eligible for federal loans is available at http://www.finaid.org/loans/privatestudentloans.phtml
Payment Options
Tuition bills are generated by the registration process. The exact date of billing is dependent on the date of registration. Billing notices are emailed to students via their NU email address (no postal mail). Payments are due on the first day of the next month after the bill has been received. For more information on payment options, see http://www.northwestern.edu/sfs/payments/methods.html
There are three main ways of paying tuition:
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ePay through QuikPAY® - The QuikPAY® ePay service allows you and your authorized payers to make convenient and secure electronic payments from U.S. bank accounts and credit cards (American Express, Discover and MasterCard only – NOT VISA) via QuikPAY®. Note that there will be a 2.75% service fee for all credit card payments.
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The University will send tuition bills directly to your company as long as the company is willing to pay the bill at the beginning of the quarter (just as you are obligated to do when the bill goes to you). This is called Third Party Billing. Your company must write a letter accepting responsibility for payment. In our experience, most companies will not go along with this plan because reimbursement policies are generally tied to employees’ grades.
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Under the "9-Pay" plan, the whole year's tuition can be paid in nine equal installments, starting in July, and ending in March. Your company may also use the 9-pay plan if it is paying the University directly. For more info, see http://www.northwestern.edu/sfs/payments/9PAY/index.html
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