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Academic Year Billing

When you study abroad, you will pay your program's costs, not Northwestern costs. Your Northwestern invoice will continue to be issued through CAESAR on the regular quarterly schedule each quarter you are abroad. It will look somewhat different than usual and will vary based on your program and quarter(s) spent abroad.

Financial aid recipients may be able to use Northwestern financial aid and/or loans toward the payment of charges outside of CAESAR.

Affiliated Programs

Your Northwestern invoice will include your study abroad program's tuition and the Northwestern Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF). Some programs will bill you through CAESAR for a comprehensive program fee, which may include housing and other charges, while other programs will bill you directly for these costs. Visit your program page to see program-specific billing details. If you have any questions about an invoice you have received from your program sponsor, or believe you may have received an invoice in error, please contact the Financial Aid Office, for clarification or further instructions.

Northwestern Programs

For Northwestern programs, your invoice will include your program fee, which includes at least your tuition and housing abroad. Review your program materials or visit your program page for program-specific money matters details.

If you will be attending a Northwestern exchange program, your invoice will only include your Northwestern tuition for your quarter(s) abroad. You will pay directly for housing and other charges abroad.

Northwestern programs are exempt from the Northwestern SAAF.

Northwestern Exchange Programs

For Northwestern exchange programs, your invoice will only include your Northwestern tuition for your quarter(s) abroad. You will pay directly for housing and other charges abroad.

Northwestern exchanges are exempt from the Northwestern SAAF.

Unaffiliated Programs

Northwestern will only bill you through CAESAR for the Unaffiliated Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF) for the term(s) you are abroad. All other charges, including tuition, room/board, etc., should be paid directly to your study abroad program sponsor or host university. Northwestern's prepayment plan cannot be used for unaffiliated program charges.

No financial aid or loans are available for unaffiliated programs.

Understanding Your NU Invoice (2023-2024)

Your Northwestern invoice each quarter will display the regular full-time Northwestern tuition charge of $21,629, along with a study abroad differential charge or credit, increasing or decreasing your total Northwestern-billed charges to make your Northwestern invoice equal your study abroad program's tuition or program fee. If applicable, your invoice will also include the Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF) for your quarter(s) abroad. If you will be abroad for more than one quarter, your charges will be split across both/all quarters abroad.

If your Northwestern invoice will include your program's comprehensive fee, your total charges will still appear as tuition and a study abroad differential on your Northwestern invoice; you will not see an itemized breakdown of the individual charges included in your program fee (e.g., tuition, housing, meals, etc.) in CAESAR. You can find the estimated costs on your program page. You can also find the exact program fee and cost breakdown in your program's materials.

  • If your program costs $24,000 for the quarter (higher than Northwestern tuition), you would see a study abroad differential charge of $2,371 to increase your total charges to the cost of your study abroad program.
  • If your program costs $18,000 for the quarter (lower than Northwestern tuition), you would see a study abroad differential credit to reduce your charges by $3,629.
  • You will be charged the one-quarter Study Abroad Administrative Fee ($2,850), if applicable, during the quarter in which you are abroad.

* One Program (Fall-Winter or Winter-Spring)

  • Your total program costs will be split evenly between the two quarters you are abroad. For example, if your program's total billed cost is $24,000, the amount on your Northwestern invoice would be $12,000 each quarter, and the study abroad differentials (e.g., $9,629 credit) on your invoices each quarter would reflect this amount.
  • The Study Abroad Administrative Fee for two quarters is $2,850. You will be billed for half of the SAAF ($1,425) each quarter you are abroad.

*One Program (Fall, Winter, & Spring)

  • Northwestern will bill you for one-third of your program's full-year cost each quarter (fall, winter, and spring), and you will receive a differential charge or a differential credit on each invoice to make your charges equal one-third of your program’s cost. For example, if your program's full-year cost is $36,000, your Northwestern invoice each quarter would be $12,000, and your study abroad differential would reflect that total.
  • The full year Study Abroad Administrative Fee is $4,200. You will be billed for one-third of the SAAF ($1,400) each quarter.