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Instructions:
- Print out any required form (as indicated by our office or your To Do list in CAESAR)
- Submit signed and completed forms via our Document Upload, email or mail
- Email submissions should be attached as PDFs. Picture and image files are not accepted.
Application Forms
- Students seeking federal aid will begin the application process by completing the FAFSA
- Additional application forms will also appear on your To-Do list in CAESAR
- If you do not see any financial aid application forms in CAESAR, contact our office
Click the applicable link below for application instructions and forms based on your student type and program:
Appeals Forms
Be sure to review the financial aid appeal process before submitting an appeal to our office.
Additional Forms
These forms generally do not need to be completed unless specifically requested by our office either through your To-Do list in CAESAR or via email.
Verification Forms
The Department of Education selects certain FAFSA filers for a review process called verification. During this process, our office is required to review the information reported on the FAFSA for accuracy. If necessary, we will update your FAFSA application and send it to the Department of Education for processing. For more information on the federal Verification process, please see the Verification FAQs.
2025-2026 Verification Forms
Independent Students
| 2025-26 Family Size Verification Form (INDEPENDENT) |
Graduate students: (including Med and Law regardless of NU Dependency Status) selected for verification for the 2025-26 academic year should complete this form. Undergraduate students: who are considered independent for the purposes of federal aid should complete this form if selected for verification. |
| 2025-26 Student (and/or Spouse) Non-Filer Statement | Complete if you (or your spouse) did not file taxes in 2023 |
| 2025-26 Other Untaxed Income Reported (INDEPENDENT) | Complete if you are an independent student who reported untaxed income on the FAFSA |
| 2025-26 Identity Verification Form | Complete in person in the Chicago Office of Financial Aid and should only be completed if specifically required by our office and the Department of Education. Please request an appointment (in person or via zoom). |
|
Signed 2023 1040 Tax Return 2023 IRS Tax Transcript |
Submit a copy of your 2023 Federal tax return. Instructions on requesting tax return forms can be found in the Federal Tax Transcripts section below. |
Dependent Students
| 2025-26 Other Untaxed Income Reported (DEPENDENT) | Complete if you are a dependent student and you or your parent(s) reported untaxed income on the FAFSA. |
| 2025-26 Family Size Verification Form (DEPENDENT) | Undergraduate student: Complete if you were selected for verification for the 2025-26 academic year and are dependent |
| 2025-26 Parent Non-Filer Statement | Undergraduate student: Complete if your parent(s) did not file taxes in 2023 and you are dependent. |
| 2025-26 Identity Verification Form | Complete in person in the Chicago Office of Financial Aid and should only be completed if specifically required by our office and the Department of Education. Please request an appointment (in person or via zoom). |
|
Signed 2023 1040 Tax Return 2023 IRS Tax Transcript |
Submit a copy of your 2023 Federal tax return. Instructions on requesting tax return forms can be found in the Federal Tax Transcripts section below. |
2026-2027 Verification Forms
Independent Students
| 2026-27 Family Size Verification Form (INDEPENDENT) |
Graduate students: (including Med and Law regardless of NU Dependency Status) selected for verification for the 2026-27 academic year should complete this form. Undergraduate students: who are considered independent for the purposes of federal aid should complete this form if selected for verification. |
| 2026-27 Student (and/or Spouse) Non-Filer Statement | Complete if you (or your spouse) did not file taxes in 2024 |
| 2026-27 Other Untaxed Income Reported (INDEPENDENT) | Complete if you are an independent student who reported untaxed income on the FAFSA |
| 2026-27 Identity Verification Form | Complete in person in the Chicago Office of Financial Aid and should only be completed if specifically required by our office and the Department of Education. Please request an appointment (in person or via zoom). |
| Signed 2024 1040 Tax Return, 2024 IRS Tax Transcript | Submit a copy of your 2024 Federal tax return. Instructions on requesting tax return forms can be found in the Federal Tax Transcripts section below. |
Dependent Students
| 2026-27 Other Untaxed Income Reported (DEPENDENT) | Complete if you are a dependent student and you or your parent(s) reported untaxed income on the FAFSA. |
| 2026-27 Family Size Verification Form (DEPENDENT) | Undergraduate student: Complete if you were selected for verification for the 2025-26 academic year and are dependent |
| 2026-27 Parent Non-Filer Statement | Undergraduate student: Complete if your parent(s) did not file taxes in 2024 and you are dependent. |
| 2026-27 Identity Verification Form | Complete in person in the Chicago Office of Financial Aid and should only be completed if specifically required by our office and the Department of Education. Please request an appointment (in person or via zoom). |
| Signed 2024 1040 Tax Return, 2024 IRS Tax Transcript | Submit a copy of your 2024 Federal tax return. Instructions on requesting tax return forms can be found in the Federal Tax Transcripts section below. |
Documentation of High School Completion
Undergraduate Students:
If your FAFSA was chosen for verification of your high school completion status and identity, you will need to provide one of the following documents to indicate your high school completion status at the time you begin college in for the applicable academic year:
- A copy of your high school diploma
- A copy of your final official high school transcript that shows the date when the diploma was awarded
- A copy of your General Educational Development (GED) certificate or GED transcript
- An academic transcript that indicates you successfully completed at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree
- A homeschool diploma, or a transcript (signed by parent/guardian) that lists the secondary school courses you completed and documents the successful completion of a secondary school education in a homeschool setting
- Please note: If you were homeschooled in another state, you must submit the secondary school completion credential for homeschool required by your state (if your state law differs from the above requirement)
Graduate Students
Graduate students at Northwestern are required to have a bachelor’s degree before admission. Documentation of high school completion will not be required of graduate students as long as your academic program has your undergraduate transcript(s) on file. We will verify this with your program and will follow up with you if additional documentation is required.
Financial Aid Data Direct Exchange (FA-DDX)
Effective for the 2024-25 FAFSA year, all U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens are required to approve the use of the FA-DDX in order to be considered eligible for federal aid. Students must provide this consent even if they did not file a tax return.
- Data will be automatically transferred to your FAFSA from the IRS
- Some applicants may not be eligible to use the FA-DDX and will need to enter their income and tax data manually, including:
- Non-tax filers
- Applicants with foreign tax returns or foreign income exclusion amounts
- Those who are no longer married to the spouse listed on the given year's tax return
- Send our office a copy of the relevant filing year 1040 tax return form
- Include all applicable schedules and worksheets
- OR request a copy of your federal tax transcript from the IRS
Federal Tax Transcripts
- Tax transcripts can be submitted to our office via email, regular mail, or fax
- When submitting tax transcripts, include the student’s name, Northwestern ID number on the top of each page and black out the first 5 digits of any social security numbers that are included on any forms
Online Tax Transcript Request, Transcript Available for Immediate Download:
This is the preferred request method as it will allow for immediate download of the transcript PDF
- Available on the IRS website at www.irs.gov
- For federal verification purposes, you will need to select a "Return Transcript" for the applicable year. We cannot accept any other type of tax transcript for federal verification purposes
- Select 2023 if you are completing verification for the 2025-26 academic year
- Select 2024 if you are completing verification for the 2026-27 academic year
Transcript Delivered by Mail or Phone:
- Available on the IRS: Transcript types
- If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address included in their online request within 5 to 10 business days from the time the online request was successfully transmitted to the IRS
- Tax Return Transcripts requested online cannot be sent directly to a third party (NU) by the IRS