Financial Aid
Options for Assessment and Academic Programs
Programs
Enrichment and credit-bearing, accelerated programs designed for students at every age and stage of talent development.
Financial Aid for Assessments
Fee waivers are not currently available for MAP, CogAT, or KTEA testing, but please e-mail our office at ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu to discuss payment options.
Financial aid is available for Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) for students who qualify for federally subsidized programs. Registrants may request financial aid during the registration process. Applicants who indicate they are applying for financial aid will be asked to upload documentation of need. Preferred documentation is a letter stating the student meets the financial aid eligibility criteria, written on school letterhead and signed by a school official. This letter, or other documentation of need, must be submitted to NUMATS to complete the application, and must be received by the regular registration deadline for the chosen test date. To complete the financial aid application you will need to do the following:
- On step 5 of the application, select "Request need-based financial aid".
- Upload financial aid documentation, which requires one of the following items:
- A financial aid letter, written on school letterhead and signed by a school official, stating the student meets the eligibility criteria for a federally subsidized program such as free or reduced-price lunch in the current academic year, or
- A copy of the front and back of a current Medicaid card with the child listed as a dependent, or
- The first two pages of your most recent federal tax return with the child listed as a dependent, ensuring that all Social Security information is blacked out.
View an example of a financial aid eligibility letter. If you are unable to provide this letter, you may submit the first two pages of your most recent federal tax return or documentation of eligibility for a federally subsidized program (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, etc.).
NUMATS registrants seeking financial aid may receive one or more of the following:
- NUMATS Fee Waiver, which is available on a first-come, first served basis to students registering for PSATTM 8/9, SAT® or ACT®.
- Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Young Scholars Fee Waiver, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis to students in grade 7.
- Test Fee Waiver, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis for SAT and ACT only, however because students in grade 9 registering for SAT must do so in a two-step process, they are not eligible for a test fee waiver. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, the PSAT 8/9 test fee will be discounted by 50% for eligible students.
Learn more about the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program for high achieving students with financial need. Students must be in grade 7 at the time of application.
Financial Aid for Academic Programs
Need-based financial aid is available for most academic programs. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Families are encouraged to apply early as the amount of aid available is limited and may be exhausted before the program’s financial aid application deadline.
Application deadlines vary by program. Check your desired program's web page for details. Please note that if you indicate you are applying for financial aid and pay the reduced tuition deposit, your course application will not be reviewed for enrollment until your FACTS financial aid application is also complete. We are unable to hold a seat in the class while waiting for the FACTS application to be completed.
FACTS is a secure, online system used by many schools and organizations like CTD. All supporting materials (e.g., tax information, statement of need, etc.) must be included in the financial aid submission to the FACTS account in order for an application for financial aid to be considered complete. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. If you are applying in the winter please do NOT wait for your current tax returns to be filed. For example, for winter 2021 applications, you may use your 2019 tax returns and a 2020 W-2.
The amount of financial aid awarded to families may vary from partial to full tuition, and awards are based on family income, family size, and circumstances (e.g., assets and liabilities, loss of a job, unexpected medical expenses, etc.). Most families awarded aid have a total household income of less than $50,000.
To be considered for financial aid, you must complete a program application first and then the FACTS CTD Financial Aid Application if you do not yet have one for the current academic year. The application confirmation email you receive will contain the FACTS application link. If you have a previous FACTS account with CTD you will still need to connect this year's application link to your FACTS account. If you experience any difficulty in doing so, please review the FACTS Frequently Asked Questions web page or contact the FACTS helpline at 866/441-4637.
The amount of financial aid granted and the balance due will be reflected in your MyCTD account. Any outstanding balance must be paid before the start of the program. If you are unable to pay the balance and must withdraw from the course, you may be eligible to have the $60 application deposit refunded.
Students are eligible for financial aid for one program/course per session.
Payment Plan Requests
For in-person Summer Programs (two- and three-week programs) and the Civic Leadership Institute, five-month payment plans are available. The in-person one-week CivicWeek program offers a four-month payment plan. To apply, families must submit a completed Payment Plan Application form. See the application form for submission deadlines and payment policies. The fee for using the payment plan is $50. Families that are eligible for financial aid will not be assessed the service charge for using the payment plan.
Scholarship Opportunities
In addition to financial aid, CTD offers several scholarship opportunities, including technology scholarships for summer courses, the Coughlin STEM Scholars, and the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars.