Northwestern sets 2017-18 costs

EVANSTON - Undergraduate tuition, fees, and room and board charges at Northwestern University will increase 3.6 percent for the 2017-18 academic year. This is the lowest increase since the 2009-2010 academic year and continues a seven-year trend of reducing tuition rate increases. The increase is consistent with other peer research universities, which have announced increases of up to 3.9 percent to date.

Specifically, undergraduate tuition will increase 3.6 percent to $52,239 for the 2017-2018 academic year from the current year’s $50,424. Student activity and athletic fees will increase 3.5 percent to $239 while the student health fee will remain unchanged at $200. Standard room and board rates will increase 3.6 percent to $16,047 from $15,489 for an undergraduate student living in a double room with a full meal plan option. Approximately 3,600 of Northwestern’s 8,300 undergraduate students live in University residence halls.

The University will provide more than $174 million in aid to undergraduates in 2017-2018, an increase of 5.9 percent over the current year total of $164 million. The additional aid will allow Northwestern to provide increased funds for students from low-income families and will also further support students from middle-income families. Approximately half of Northwestern’s undergraduate students receive financial aid from the University.

Northwestern will continue its policy of “need-blind” admission for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, in which a student’s ability to pay is not considered during the admission process. In addition, the University will continue its policy, which began last fall, that all entering first-year students who receive financial aid will not have loans as part of their financial aid package. Their aid offer will include only grants, scholarships, summer earnings expectations and a work-study job opportunity. The all-grant package enables students to graduate without incurring debt for their main educational expenses.

Northwestern also will award the Debt Cap Scholarship to returning students who have need-based loans in excess of $20,000. Eligible students will be awarded the Debt Cap Scholarship in place of the loan component of their financial aid award. Northwestern this year also increased the availability of financial aid for international students, and for the first time provided significantly increased financial assistance for Northwestern students who are undocumented and graduated from a U.S. high school. In 2017-2018 the University will continue to make financial aid available to those groups.

Graduate school tuition also will increase by 3.6 percent to $52,239 next year. Tuition and fees for the Feinberg School of Medicine, the Kellogg School of Management and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law are currently being reviewed.