<p>I'm a high school junior who has his heart set on Northwestern. However, money is a bit of an issue. Aside from whether or not I will get in, I am curious about financial aid. On average, does applying early decision influence the amount of financial aid that NU would offer to an applicant? I know they say NU has a needs blind application process, but does the same apply to ED?</p>
<p>nu sucks at financial aid compared to top schools. ed will not help your cause.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say it sucks but it isn’t the best. My S was offered about 80% of the COA. Of course he received close to 92% from Yale. The problem is that ED is binding and you will have to try and fight that if the fin aid is not enough to attend. That is why I advised my son to apply RD and not have to deal with that. Their web site indicates you could be released from the ED if finances are an issue but when I asked their admissions rep he suggested against applying ED.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. It’s appreciated.</p>
<p>KDog - I PM’d you - I think my son is in a similar situation.</p>
<p>I responded back. Keep in mind that NU’s acceptance rate has dropped from 26% to less than 18% in the last two years so it’s even harder to get in than it was in 2009.</p>
<p>No luck with geting your PM… but since I’m a glass is half full kind of guy, I PM’d you on this again.</p>
<p>I tried again but for some reason it doesn’t send or display in my sent messages. :(</p>
<p>Got your PM - thanks.</p>
<p>There’s no “fighting it out” - all you have to do is say you can’t afford it, and I’m fairly certain they let you off. That said, there is an appeals process for financial aid if you get your package and believe the amount is not sufficient. They bumped ours up a bit because we submitted it fairly late, but I’ve heard of people getting a generous bump having explained their situation.</p>
<p>Perididdle,</p>
<p>That is a chance you could decide to take but I am only relaying what the admissions rep said to us when I e-mailed them asking the question about applying ED and possibly not being able to attend if the fin aid package wasn’t sufficient. It is a binding decision and there is no disclaimers relating to financial aid. It wasn’t worth us taking a chance but it worked out better for us applying RD as we were able to compare packages from the schools my son was accepted at.</p>
<p>I recall there being a disclaimer when applying last year; this isn’t the official contract or anything, but it is listed on this site at the bottom:</p>
<p>[Application</a> Deadlines and Options: Office of Undergraduate Admission - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/application-deadlines-and-options.html#early%20decision]Application”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/application-deadlines-and-options.html#early%20decision)</p>
<p>I’m also just recalling what multiple people have said here in the past, and were able to easily get out of the agreement. </p>
<p>We were fine with our financial aid that we got from ED, if that helps the OP at all. It wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but it was doable. But yes, if you are very worried about money, then RD will allow you to compare packages and help you pick what your family is able to handle, which is of course very important. For me, NU was literally one of two schools I applied to (I applied to UT-Austin so I could maybe have a backup, but I wasn’t exactly planning to attend), and I took the plunge because that year, ED was a big plus on an application. I’m not sure how much of a difference it makes now. Part of me does wish we had been able to compare multiple packages, but I probably would’ve still picked NU just because I was so in love with it.</p>
<p>I know what the web site says which is why I specifically e-mailed admissions about it. It indicates financial hardship but doesn’t specify what that is. I would interpret that as perhaps losing a job after the application was submitted and not if your financial situation was the same as when you applied. </p>
<p>Again, if you are comfortable with covering the cost ED does provide a higher acceptance rate but I couldn’t take that chance. My son would have been more than happy to attend NU but without knowing what our contribution was going to be we were not in a financially sound position to roll the dice.</p>
<p>Oh, I’m not at all saying that they <em>should</em> take the chance. Just giving my experience.</p>
<p>And all I can say is that people here have been able to drop when they display financial hardship. And considering they can only give you so much money, from my experience when completing my application/ED forms, insufficient aid was grounds for getting out of the contract. “Demonstrating” only means showing some sort of statement or taxes to display that you cannot pay the EFC they offer. The school simply cannot force you to attend if you do not have the money.</p>
<p>Again, not saying you should definitely do ED, fas, as it is a very hefty decision of course in any manner, just that I don’t believe it is a major risk to go that route if you worry about the ED binding clause, from experience. For your original question, it is <em>always</em> a needs-blind process, and they will offer you the same amount as they would during the RD cycle; the perk of ED is that does often benefit your chances, though it gets more competitive every year. I would suggest calling the office when the time comes up to apply to double check on things, and don’t be afraid to appeal whether you go through ED or RD.</p>