Aid calculators and tools

The following financial aid tools and calculators may be helpful to you and your family in estimating college costs and payment options.

Please note: Your actual expected family contribution and loan amount may vary based on the results of the CSS Financial Aid Profile and institutional analysis.

  • The Financial Aid Estimation Form, which you can use to estimate your expected family contribution
  • College Board's expected family contribution worksheet
  • Federal Student Aid FAFSA4caster calculates an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid
  • The Student Loan Adviser, which helps you estimate the amount of educational debt you can reasonably afford
  • The College Scholarship Service's parent loan calculator, helpful in considering various parent options regarding loans
  • The College Scholarship Service's student loan calculator, which allows you to consider different scenarios regarding both short- and long-term college financing choices
  • The Loan Payment Calculator, which enables you to estimate loan payments
  • fastWEB, a scholarship search database containing more than 400,000 private-sector scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans from more than 10,000 sources
  • Tuition payment plans, including loans, savings plan options, and insurance plans
  • College Board Online provides information about financial aid services as well as references to other helpful publications.

If you have specific questions about the financial aid process, please contact us at 847-491-8000 (newstudentaid@u.northwestern.edu).

Special Feature

Myths about Financial Aid

Myths about Financial Aid